Fat Joe Details Private Talk With Kanye, Explains Defending Ashanti

BY Erika Marie 3.2K Views
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Joe says a good friend of his questioned why he stood up for the singer & asked if he ever slept with her.

We often receive unspoken tales of the industry courtesy of Fat Joe, and his visit to Red Table Talk wasn't any different. The Rap icon has been involved in Hip Hop for decades, reaching far back to his early aspiring days in the Bronx. This week, he joined the ladies on the famed Facebook Watch series to once again speak about his lengthy career. During the conversation, he delivered plenty of gems, but it was his mentions of Ashanti and Kanye West that have social media talking.

Irv Gotti's press run months ago took pop culture by storm following his repeated mentions of Ashanti. The Murder Inc boss shared stories of their 1990s romance—but his comments earned backlash. During the controversy, Fat Joe emerged and came to the singer's defense. According to Joey Crack, people began asking him if he ever slept with Ashanti.

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“I hold my sisters down, you know? That's the story of my life, having strong sisters around me, powerful sisters, and I get in the middle of certain arguments," he said. "I'm the brother that looks out for the sisters. Somebody had asked me, ‘Yo, why'd you jump out and defend Ashanti like that?’”

Jada Pinkett Smith chimed in that she "loved" it when Fat Joe spoke up.

“This guy who's a friend of mine, he said, ‘Yo, you [bleep] Ashanti?’ Now, I'm sitting here, like, flabbergasted. This was, like, blasphemy or some [bleep]. Right? 'Cause she's been my sister 20-something years. And Irv, my brother, I'm not even gon' lie to you—I love him." He came for me at a time in my life, I'm not trying to disrespect Irv. "

Elsewhere, he was asked what advice he would give Kanye West. Fat Joe said he was "up a whole night" analyzing West's recent comments. "I was just thinking about it and how he hurt people," he stated. "He really said some terrible things."

"And this morning, on the way here, I came out my hotel. The door opened, and it was Kanye West by himself," Joe continued. "We talked for about an hour, and I said, ‘You know what, Ye, man? You do church. There's no more powerful person than God. Sit down, talk to God.’ I said, ‘Listen, Ye, there's people that love you.’ I told him just like this. I grabbed his shoulder."

"I said, ‘Well, God is telling me to tell you this,’ and I just told him, ‘Bro, you gotta snap out of this, man. You gotta get focused and look to God 'cause God is the answer. God is the key. Whatever you gotta do.’ He just gotta make it right with himself, make it right with everybody he offended and he hurt and just live whatever life we have left in peace."

"My thing is, you preaching at church, you around holy people, you around people who know way better than me. What I'm telling you is, look to God. 'Cause he's the only person that can straighten this out.”

Watch the episode with Fat Joe below.

About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.