Fat Joe is not a fan of men disrespecting the women that he has love for, even when it’s his friend Irv Gotti.
On Tuesday (Oct. 4), the Bronx MC appeared on Power 105.1’s “The Breakfast Club” and explained why he needed to defend Ashanti against Gotti, saying he couldn’t stand by and watch her be disrespected. “If you’re my sis — if you are Remy Ma or Ashanti, you’re my sis. When I see you, ‘Sis! I love you, sis.’ No matter how much I love [someone], I can not sit there and watch this man [Irv Gotti] disrespect my sister,” Joe said. “And I call my sister every day. I’d feel like a sucker if I [didn’t] address it.”
Fat Joe admitted that confronting Gotti on Instagram wasn’t the best choice. However, the rapper said he loves and appreciates what he has done for him. “I am so used to [Instagram] and cameras being in my face to [where I thought,] ‘Was that the right platform or maybe that was a private call.’ I don’t know [and] it is done already. But Irv Gotti is correct. I am not his friend. I love him, [and] he’s my brother. He helped me at a time when no one else wanted to help me, and I will never forget that,” the rapper said.
He added, “So I don’t want to cause any harm to him or have people look at him in a different way. But I was watching [the ‘Drink Champs’ podcast], and it just made me feel crazy. And I addressed it, and I moved on. I love Irv [and] he did a lot for me and my family.”
In August, during a three-hour episode of “Drink Champs,” Gotti revealed to N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN that he found out Ashanti was dating rapper Nelly while watching a basketball game on TV. He continued to spill intimate details about their alleged affair, claiming that he came up with the melody for the singer’s 2002 hit “Happy” in the shower after they slept together. Gotti was married at the time to his ex-wife Debbie Lorenzo.
“We just finished sleeping together or whatever. I’m taking a shower, [and] I’m in the shower, you know, a n**ga creative after [sex]. I think of the whole track in the shower,” Irv Gotti said. “That record came about because of our energy.”
Joe quickly responded to the podcast episode on his Instagram, saying: “Whatever Irv has with Ashanti is 20 years old, right? I know he was making some points that mean a lot to him, his heart, and [his] soul. But when you keep ranting about somebody 20 years later, it feels like he’s not over the young lady, right?”
There has been no response from Ashanti regarding Gotti and their alleged affair.
Below are the full episodes of Fat Joe’s appearance on “The Breakfast Club,” Irv Gotti’s appearance on “Drink Champs,” and Joe’s Instagram response to Gotti: