Murder Inc. will go down in history for all the contributions the label made to Hip Hop in the late ’90s and 2000s. Their story will be told in an upcoming docuseries on BET, but it doesn’t look like everyone is on board.
On Wednesday (July 13), former Murder Inc. artist Ashanti was approached in New York City by a TMZ reporter asking her about her involvement in the series.
The conversation began when the woman asked the “Foolish” singer what the hardest song she had to re-record was since she’s re-doing her self-titled debut album. Ashanti said there wasn’t any difficulty because she’s been doing these songs for two decades.
The reporter then asked if fans would see Ashanti in the Murder Inc. docuseries, to which she replied, “No,” before her mother burst out laughing. The New York native joined in on the laughter while someone from her team told the reporter, “You knew the answer to that question.”
Things have been off with the Murder Inc. family. In 2013, label founder Irv Gotti explained to The Breakfast Club the issues he had with his rumored ex Ashanti. According to Gotti, Murder Inc. had a familial bond and he didn’t appreciate the singer not showing him support during his federal court case.
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“What happened when I fell upon hard times, certain people bailed,” he said. “She bailed. She didn’t wanna be a part of Murder Inc. no more. She’s this princess that I created and the ‘Murder’ wasn’t good for the image anymore.”
Things got even more interesting last year when Ashanti revealed she’s re-recording her debut album for its 20th anniversary. She told Angie Martinez she would own her masters once the re-recording was complete, and that didn’t make Irv Gotti happy. He fired back on Instagram, claiming the singer is trying to steal from him.
‘Untold’ Story Of Irv Gotti & Ja Rule's Murder Inc. Records To Be Told In BET Docuseries
“I produced all those great Ashanti albums so I also own a good portion of the publishing,” he said. “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 f–k me out of my masters. And make people decide which album to listen too or stream. Hoping her loyal fans will choose her version.”
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He added, “But hey. I stand on the magic that was created. And I wanna see her duplicate that magic. It’s fucked up really. But such is life.”
Announced earlier this year, the Murder Inc. docuseries tells “the untold tale of the rise, sudden fall and redemption” of the Irv Gotti-founded label. The five-part series premieres August 9 on BET.
