Irv Gotti says it’s “fucked up” Ashanti is re-recording her albums

Irv Gotti believes Ashanti is trying to take money out of his pockets by re-recording her classic albums.

On Tuesday (Nov. 16), Angie Martinez posted a clip from her recent interview with the “Foolish” singer where she spoke about the importance of owning her own music. Irv took to Instagram to clarify what was going on. “Just for super clarity. I own all those great Ashanti Albums Angie,” he commented under Martinez’s post. “I own the Masters. And I Produced all those great Ashanti Albums. So, I also own a good portion of the Publishing. What she is trying to do is re-record all those great records. And put them out on her label. She can do this under the COVER laws. But she is basically trying to fuck me out of my Masters.”

Irv then wrote that Ashanti is hoping her “loyal fans” listen to her re-recorded LP instead of the original that he owns the masters to. He also said the situation was “fucked up,” but he wants to hear what her versions will sound like to see if it “matches the magic we made.”

As REVOLT previously reported, back in September, Ashanti revealed that she was re-recording her self-titled debut album as an independent artist. During an interview on the “Tamron Hall Show,” the R&B crooner said that being able to recreate her music was “humbling” and “such a blessing.”

“There’s a higher power, and I think that just being as a person and praying and putting your heart into things you get that energy back, and I think that’s so important. So, I’m just really, really happy,” she said.

Ashanti was originally released in 2002. The project, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and spent a total of 55 weeks on the chart, featured several hit singles, including “Happy,” “Baby” and the No. 1 track “Foolish.” That same year, the triple-platinum LP won a Grammy award for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 45th Grammy Awards.

Check out Irv’s comments below.