Since going on MTV News to announce he was severing ties with Ashanti,  indicating they’re relationship had run its course, Murder Inc. impresario Irv Gotti, has lost more talent out of his dwindling stable of artists.

R&B crooner Lloyd is now separating himself from the Inc., effective immediately.

“I’m ready for a change,” says Lloyd. “There’s no bad blood. I just feel I need to take more control over my career and get a fresh start. Hopefully Irv can understand my position.”

Freedom it seems, was the deciding factor for Lloyd, who is currently working on an untitled fourth album. In the meantime, the R&B crooner is readying a mixtape with some heavy hitting producers not named Irv Gotti.

“We have plans to get in the studio with Jim Jonsin, The Runners, Cool & Dre, Rodney Jerkins and others,” he says. “In the future, I still hope to work with Irv as a producer as well.”

Gotti and The Inc. ended its three year joint venture with Universal and have yet to partner with another major label.

Henry “Noonie” Lee, Lloyd’s manager, spoke to the idea of growing from the experience with The Inc. while seeking out other options.

“We find ourselves in limbo for the second time in three years,” he said. “It’s frustrating to know that opportunities to advance Lloyd’s career are out there but we can’t exploit them due to our current situation.

“Even though Lloyd is appreciative of the opportunity that has been afforded him by The Inc., he feels it’s time for him to move on and seek opportunities that will allow him to build and enhance his brand.”

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.

Ja Rule talks speaks, well, laughs about the 50 Cent/Rick Ross beef and talks tuff about the beef he once had with DMX. He also allows that his new album, The Mirror, will drop this summer. Didn’t he do an album when Gotti had that reality show? Was it ever released? Did anyone hear it?