Irv Gotti Addresses Fall-Out w/ Ashanti: Nobody heard what she said to me.

Ashanti, Irv Gotti

Irv Gotti On Fall-Out w/ Ashanti, Demise of Murder Inc. & 50 Cent Beef

In the early 2000s, Irv Gotti was a music mogul at the top of food chain and was deemed untouchable. But as the old saying goes, “all good things must come to an end.” In 2003, Gotti’s company, Murder Inc. was raided. Reports claim the company was connected to money laundering and drug distribution rings, as well.

After almost two decades, Murder Inc. is making a comeback and Irv Gotti is ready. Aside from new music, the 46-year-old, has been working closely with BET, as well. As he readies the premiere of his hip-hop anthology series, Tales, Gotti opens up about his comeback, on-going beef with 50 Cent, and his sketchy relationship with Ashanti. Peep the excerpts below.

On if it was hard the second time around:

You know what? Yes it is. What I’m finding out is people just want to keep you in a box or what you’re doing. So when I say I’m relaunching Murder Inc. you get a lot of people like ‘I want to hear the new Ja [Rule] record, the new Ashanti record!’ And you may hear that, but allow me to grow. Allow me to try new things and different things.

On plans for the new Murder Inc.:

Allow me to reinvent and reshape Murder Inc. the way the founder wants to reshape Murder Inc. I love the new artist, the new energy. I didn’t want to do ‘right now’.

On how he became inspired to relaunch Murder Inc.:

Diddy kind of inspired me. And my daughter really inspired me. She went to the Ruff Ryder thing in Barclays, and Angie hit me and was like, ‘Dad, you gotta do it. This was so hot!’ She really kind of inspired me to go and try and kill them again.

On the complications he had with record labels in the past:

There were a few labels that were interested, once they found I was making music again. I learned with my last situation – Universal/Motown – they didn’t get me. They were afraid of me. They didn’t understand me. I had other people offer me deals, but I went with Leo and Kev because they understand me.

On the current state of hip-hop:

I really just love hip-hop. I really don’t like the division: old and new hip-hop. I hate that. Hip-hop has done more for all of us, especially niggas from the hood. I don’t like any division between us [black culture].”

On when he changed Murder Inc. to the The Inc.:

I hate The Inc. Please don’t ever say that again. I’m someone who is very strong on their beliefs. They made me have the stupid press conference with Russell [Simmons] with The Inc. banners. I cringed because it was a bitch ass moment for me. I wasn’t myself.

On if Ashanti would be returning to Murder Inc.:

We haven’t had any conversations.

Ashanti

On the relationship between him and Ashanti:

It’s tough for me because people who have said things to me, and done things to me; it just doesn’t go away. It’s the Cancer in me – we love hard, but we hate hard, top. It’s just things that were said [between Ashanti and him].

On Ja Rule’s Fyre Festival:

It was a brilliant idea. It was just poor execution. I think his partners were to ambitious.

On the concept of his new show Tales:

I take great classic hip-hop songs, and take the inspiration of what the song is about and turn it into a 1 to 2 hour scripted episode. It’s not reality. It’s acting. It’s what you call an anthology series. Expect tales from different genres: R&B, Gospel.

On how he shopped around the idea for the show:

I was taking a lot of meetings in Hollywood, and I would get in because I’m Irv Gotti, and they would want to meet with me. And they would be like, ‘You’re a really sharp guy,’ but they wasn’t giving me the deal. I had all these big ideas, but they wasn’t letting me do em.

He continues,

involving the music, I felt like I would have a better chance. And Stephen Hill, at BET, when I pitched it, I didn’t have no deck, I didn’t have no thing. I just went and told him the idea and he bought it. And honestly, when I did that, he gave me a backdoor pilot. Which is for y’all who don’t know, it’s just one episode.

On the first episode:

There was a couple of things that inspired me. One of them was, A Time To Kill [A movie starring Samuel L. Jackson.], I basically used that idea [the last scene in the movie] and flipped and used it for “F*ck The Police” The black cops would be killing white kids. With this episode, I hope it sheds light and changes the world.

On his feelings about police officers:

Y’all moving like a gang. Y’all have rules and regulations like a gang. That’s why we ain’t trusting and believing in you. More good cops need to step up when bullsh*t happens and they need to say it before anyone else.

On how he hooked up with Jay Z:

I went and met with Jay Z in L.A. I was like, ‘Yo, Jay, could you do movies and TV on Tidal?’ I was telling him he should compete with Netflix. I don’t know a subscription streaming service who does music, movies, TV; the whole sh*t.

On how Tales will be featured on Tidal:

When it comes on June 27th, 30 days [later] – July 27th, you get the raw, rated-r, nudity, violence; all of that. What I want the show to be, after BET chops it up.

On his relationship with Jay Z: 

Yeah, we had friction when me and Nas was flirting around. And that’s my fault. I did ‘Super Ugly’, and then it was ‘Nas! Murder Inc.!’ It was a weird thing. I let my ambition get the best of me. I’ve known Jay since I was 17 years old.

On if the Murder Inc. story would ever be a biopic:

Murder Inc. is not going to be a biopic, ladies and gentleman.

On his experience with a psychic in 2002:

She told me I was going to change the world. She said I was going to change how people think and how people feel. First she said, you are going to go through hell, but after you come through and out of it, you’re going to get new partners. She said, ’Anything you have in your head, is going to work.’

On his beef with 50 Cent:

Let’s talk about it for one second: shouldn’t that have been in the real world? The death blow?! The guy who is claiming to be the roughest, toughest, Don Dolla, bully?! Nigga, you got beat up! And poked up! And you ran to the precinct and pressed charges on us! AND, the really death blow! You took out an order of protection! That’s women sh*t.

On if he would go see the psychic again:

It’s so scary. Cause its like if you see her, you waiting on these things to happen.

A post shared by Irv “Gotti” Lorenzo (@irvgotti187) on Jun 9, 2017 at 1:07pm PDT

On his last relationship:

I was very happy. I love Ashley. She loves me. When we were together, yeah it was priceless, it was great. But when I started working, its like, ‘what you looking at Angela for?!’ It was like, I’m trying to do something great.

On his type of woman:

It could be anybody. Just be cool, she has to get me, bad as a mufucka. The reason you gotta be bad: If I see someone else, and she badder than you, then I might wanna f*ck.

By:@CaDarius_