Update 08/10/2022 3:12pm:

For a brief moment in time, nearly two decades ago, Murder Inc. Records was a force to be reckoned with in mainstream music. With hit songs like "Mezmerize" and "Always On Time," Ja Rule and Ashanti were the cornerstones of Irv Gotti's imprint, establishing a legacy in hip-hop that many of their supporters still harken back to with nostalgia.

Gotti's recent appearance on Drink Champs revealed that not everything was peaches and cream amongst Murder Inc's most recognizable faces. The co-founder of Murder Inc shared some not-so-flattering details about a romantic relationship that he shared with Ashanti, and in doing so, he prompted his old friend, Fat Joe, to defend her honor by calling him a "sucka." In response to the surprise commentary from an iconic rapper that he once considered a friend, Gotti shared his thoughts.

In a separate interview, Irv added, "I feel like he fooled me. He's not my friend. I was fooled, but in life you get fooled... In life, I've had countless friends come and go, but you know what remains consistent, how I get through all of this? My family. 'Cause I don't really need friends. I don't really need friends."


Original 08/08/2022 4:46pm:

Irv Gotti made waves with his recent Drink Champs interview, where he addressed Ja Rule and Fat Joe's Verzuz, which Joe addressed on Instagram Live. 

Joe started off around the 21-minute mark in the above video speaking about his initial thoughts on Irv's comments, stating, "Irv Gotti a sucker man. And so my thing is, first is first, however long ago was that? How many millions ago was the Verzuz? That’s what I want to know." Joe then told Irv to stay in his lane, stating, "Yo Irv stop. You’re a producer." 

From there, Fat Joe addressed Irv Gotti speaking about his alleged romance with Ashanti, which he spoke about in detail during his interview. Fat Joe explained that Irv still sounds hung up about his romance, which ended 20 years ago.

Fat Joe stated, "Whatever Irv has with Ashanti is 20 years old. I know he was making some points that to him, his heart and soul, but when you keep ranting about somebody 20 years later, it feels like he’s not over the young lady."

Joe then added that while there were rumors about Ashanti and Irv, it didn't need to be made public now. He stated, "Now it's OK if it’s on a documentary, you gotta say your truth on a documentary, but to go to Drink Champs and keep calling her a b***h, keep disrespecting. It kinda bring less credibility to everything else you say." 

Fat Joe added, "He make himself look crazy disrespecting [Ashanti] now, and the woman never really disrespected him."