Irv Gotti criticized Ashanti for deciding to re-record her debut album.
The Murder Inc. co-founder accused Ashanti of trying to screw him out of his masters on Tuesday. Irv Gotti made the claim while commenting on an Instagram clip posted by Angie Martinez, who spoke to Ashanti about why the singer’s remaking her self-titled LP.
“I own all those great Ashanti Albums Angie,” he wrote. “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.”
Irv Gotti continued, “She can do this under the COVER laws. But she is basically trying to f### me out of my Masters. And make people decide which album to listen too or stream. Hoping her loyal fans will choose her version. But hey. I stand on the Magic that was created. And I wanna see her duplicate that Magic. It’s f##### up really. But such is life.”
Earlier this year, Ashanti announced she’s re-recording her first studio LP to own her masters. It’s the same strategy employed by Taylor Swift, who’s remade two previously released albums – Fearless and Red – to accomplish the same goal.
Ashanti’s self-titled debut dropped via Island Def Jam and Irv Gotti’s Murder Inc. label in 2002. The LP peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.