Long Island, New York singer Ashanti recently caught up with VladTV to recall the making of her hit single “Foolish” off her debut, self-titled studio album released in 2002.

After recalling how the song’s concept stemmed from Irv Gotti’s own relationship experiences, Ashanti went on to reveal that Jay Z was originally meant to feature on the record before the Murder Inc. frontman decided not to pursue what he described as the “typical R&B record.”

“Before the record was completed, that bridge wasn’t on there,” Ashanti recalls. “[Irv Gotti] reached out to Jay [Z] to do a verse instead of that bridge. He called him, he sent Jay the record and Jay was like, ‘I’m in.’ He said, ‘I wanna get on the record.’ I don’t know if he came up to office or what, but Irv changed his mind. He was like, ‘You know what? That’s typical. I’m not gonna do the typical R&B record and get the big rapper to co-sign it.’ He said, ‘I’m gonna make her write an ill verse.’ And that’s how that came about.”

Ashanti’s interview with VladTV can be viewed below:

For additional Jay Z coverage, watch the following DX Daily:

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