The Wizard of Oz recently celebrated its 70th anniversary and New York native Ashanti was on hand to sing “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” live. Seems like that “rubble of a label” was holding her back, cause by measure of this performance and others since her departure from The Inc., she really can sing.

The days just seem to get brighter and brighter for former Murder Inc. employees and drearier and drearier for Irv Gotti. First he goes Al Davis on Ashanti, then Lloyd bounces to seek out new options. Newz says he’ll go back to the streets ’cause he sees things going downhill and now… drumroll please! Ashanti accepts the “demotion” and raises him a dazzling performance on Broadway.

This dude just can’t win for losing… But hey, there’s always Ja Rule. NOT!!

As he embarks on a comeback campaign to reclaim the glory days of The Inc. (formerly Murder Inc.), Irv Gotti’s first order of business is to drop R&B songstress Ashanti. During an interview with MTV News (below), Gotti expressed concern with album sales from last year’s The Declaration and noted frustration with their inability to conceptualize as they have in the past.

“The relationship has run its course,” Gotti explained during the interview. “The chemistry of what’s needed — we’re in two totally different places. You’re talking to somebody that took her and shaped and molded her and put her out there for the world, and it blew up. We [hold the record] for the [fastest] selling debut by a female R&B artist — 503 [thousand]. We did it! My views and philosophies and her views and philosophies are not meeting up.”

Ashanti’s apparent efforts to evolve from the formula that made her a household name ultimately led to her demise and as Gotti sees it, there is no formidable future for her as a platinum selling artist.

“I don’t think she can win. She needs some guidance with that,” Gotti offered coldly. “But she’s not thinking like that. Really, I couldn’t tell you what she’s thinking. So that relationship has run its course and honestly, I’m gonna just drop her.”

Even in troubling times Gotti has worked to hold onto the rights of his artists, Ashanti, Lloyd and Ja Rule included. The Mirror, Ja Rule’s forthcoming solo release, is said to be near finished as Gotti hopes to recover from the doldrums with a classic album.