Ashanti Dating History. Controversy With Irv Gotti & Nelly

Irv Gotti Ashanti Dating

The recent teaser of the Drink Champs podcast episode with Irv Gotti has been released. And some statements by Irv Gotti about Ashanti, her former boyfriend Nelly, and their previous dating times irked a controversy on the internet. Here are some details about their relationship controversy, and Ashanti’s dating history.

The early 90s brought us a lot of girl-band goodness, from Destiny Child to Shakira, Rihanna, and Ashanti. These awesome singers and songwriters fed the public with not just good music but also juicy celebrity gist with their exciting and controversial dating and relationships.

Amidst the popular women’s liberation songs a lot of these female celebrities released back in the day, their choices on who they dated and loved showed their interests in class and successful men. Though many of these relationships did not make it into the next decade, they were instrumental in forging some collaborations that topped the charts.

Ashanti, a popular singer, and songwriter who also doubled as an actress has had her fair share of celebrity relationships. Even going ahead to become a power couple for up to a decade with one of her old flames. Irrespective of the controversy that has surrounded some of her relationships, Ashanti is still very relevant in celebrity controversies fans would be interested in.

Who Is Ashanti?

Ashanti Shequoiya Doughlas is the first of two girls born to a beautiful African-American family living in the serene city of Glen Cove, a city located in Nassau county of New York. She was born on the 3rd of October 1980 to Ken-Kade Thomas Doughlas, a singer, and former dance instructor Tina Doughlas. 

According to her mother, she was named Ashanti after a powerful empire in Ghana where women had influence and control, with the hopes that she would be as great as the women of the empire she was named after.

In her teens, Ashanti’s beautiful singing voice and electric performance potential were discovered. This launched her singing career which held sway amidst features by legendary artists like Fat Joe, and Sean Ashanti would go ahead to be signed by Murder records which were owned by entrepreneur and business maverick Irv Gotti.

With this, Ashanti quickly became one of the singing sensations of the early 2000s. Her rise to fame however also ushered in her first relationship controversy to go public. Ashanti was now a public figure and had the eyes of everyone on her.

Ashanti And Irv Gotti Controversy

Irv Gotti was the first record owner to sign Ashanti in the 90s. Their relationship soon extended beyond that of an artist and a record label owner. Though they did not come public with the relationship, it wasn’t hard for fans and the press to notice the closeness and unusual fondness between Irv Gotti & Ashanti

The fact that none of them came out to openly refute the dating claims was all the evidence people needed to conclude that Ashanti and Irv Gotti were an item. The whirlwind romance lasted for a time till it eventually hit the rocks after Ashanti was spotted with another celebrity which raised eyebrows and controversy. 

Irv Gotti And Ashanti Controversy

Neither Ashanti nor Irv were willing to comment on the uncomfortable news and situation that ensued when Ashanti was spotted with rapper Nelly during a time she was still supposedly together with Irv. Until many years later when Irv opened up on a TV show.

According to him, a lot happened when he got wind of the supposed relationship between Ashanti and Nelly. One of the things he was most unhappy about in the mess was the fact that he had to find out about it in one of the most annoying ways – when he saw Ashanti and Nelly on TV at a basketball game.

He made it clear though, that he had gotten over the hurt and disappointment he felt at that time and had moved on. Ashanti to date has not confronted any of the questions about her and her former boss Irv Gotti.

Ashanti And Nelly

The news and celebrity gossip has often said that Ashanti and Nelly started a decade-long relationship in 2003 when they met at a Grammy awards event. But there have been reports of them being spotted together as far as the year 2000. 

The duo started on the right foot, even though their early relationship was trailed by gossip and controversy about the broken heart she left Irv Gotti with, they soon became one of the public’s favorite couples. Ashanti and Nelly were seen on every occasion together and were almost inseparable for the many years they dated.

Though they had a strong relationship which they endeavored to keep away from the media and the general public, it was rumored that their relationship had a couple of on-and-off moments till they finally called it quits in early 2013. The decade-long relationship ended without much of an explanation from both party. 

Irv Gotti And Nelly Relationship

After their breakup, Nelly went ahead to date Shantel Jackson who he stayed with for over seven years. While Ashanti had to wait two more years before she found love again with the athletic defensive lineman Darwell Docket.

When Ashanti finally spoke up about her breakup with Nelly after they met at Fat Joe and Ja Rule’s music battle, the singer said she hadn’t spoken to Nelly since they broke up in 2013. To answer the question of why they broke up, she said a lot of insecurities had to be taken care of on both sides and that the pair needed room to grow, even if it was away from each other.

Ashanti Dating History

After the decade-long romance with Nelly, Ashanti has dated notable male celebrities, in the music industry, athletics, and even Hollywood.

In 2015 Ashanti became an item with the athlete Darwell Dorket, and their romance which was short-lived compared to her past relationship with Nelly lasted only a year or two.

Another athlete, James Harden centered the stage in 2018. They were spotted on many occasions together and were seen as being openly affectionate. But by 2019, the athlete and the singer had already gone their separate ways and the beautiful singer quickly found love again.

Ashanti found love in the popular comedian and actor Michael Blackson in 2019, but the relationship did not last so long as they parted ways. The relationship was hushed and fazed out as quietly as it had existed.

There are speculations though that the beautiful songstress is having a thing with famous ‘ADHD’ crooner Joyner Lucas. The speculations started after the pair could be seen being quite intimate in Joyners music video ‘Fall slowly’ which was released in 2021. As usual, neither Ashanti nor Joyner Lucas has come out to support or refute the claims of the two to date.

CONCLUSION

Even at the height of her fame and career, Ashanti managed to maintain healthy relationships with her partners. Her relationship with Nelly was easy to envy celebrities and fans alike. More than two decades after her first appearance, Ashanti remains relevant in both music and acting.

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