Ashanti sings the iconic hook on Fat Joe’s ‘What’s Luv?’ but it turns out producers liked the idea of Jennifer Lopez to make it an anthem ‘for the Latinos.’
Fat Joe and Ashanti‘s “What’s Luv?” is an early 2000s anthem, but it turns out the tune almost had another female singing the chorus: the one-and-only Jennifer Lopez! In an Instagram Live between Joe, 49, and Ashanti, 39, the rapper revealed that the songs’ writers Irv Gotti and Ja Rule had Jennifer, 50, in mind for the track. “I go to the studio, it’s like four in the morning and they play ‘What’s Luv?’ — and you’re on it!” Fat Joe began, referencing Ashanti, who had apparently already recorded the catchy hook. “And they’re yelling at me, ‘yo, this is for you and J.Lo — we want the Latinos on this.’ That’s a fact!” he confirmed.
“I never knew that!” a shocked Ashanti exclaimed, as Fat Joe — who is of Puerto Rican descent, like Jennifer — explained that he fought to keep the Grammy winner on the song. “They wanted J.Lo to do it. And I said, ‘yo, J.Lo? This girl sounds amazing here.’ And they said, ‘Yeah, we want the Latino.’ And I said, ‘we’re leaving [Ashanti] on here…that’s a fact, I’m not lying to you,” he concluded.
Ashanti’s mouth was wide open with surprise as she once again said, “Joe, I never knew that.” The Chapter II singer appeared furious for a moment, as she exclaimed, “Oh my god, [Irv’s] still pulling records and trying to pull records from me.” Irv, who founded the Murder Inc. record label that catapulted Ashanti, Ja Rule, and many others to stardom, has a tense relationship with the R&B songstress due to their storied history: the famed producer admitted on The Wendy Williams Show that he and Ashanti engaged in
