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Ashanti (singer)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas (born October 13, 1980),

professionally known as Ashanti , is a Grammy Award-winning

American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model,

and fashion designer who rose to fame in the early 2000s.

Ashanti

Background information

Birth name Ashanti Shequoyia Douglas

Also known as Shan, Shany, Bonnie

Born Octo ber 13, 1980

Glen Clove, New York,

United States

Genre(s) R&B

Hip-Hop

Pop

Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, record

producer, choreographer, dancer,

poet, actress, fashion designer,

model

She is most famous for her eponymous debut album Ashanti

which featured the hit song "Foolish", and sold 503,000 copies

(gold) in its first week on release in the USA in April 2002, a

record-breaking feat. In the same week, she became the first

female performer to simultaneously hold the top two places on

the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart with "Foolish", and "What's

Luv" (with Fat Joe). She broke records again by having three

Top Ten songs (Foolish, What's Luv, and Always on Time (with

Ja Rule)) on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in the same week. [1]

Ironically, Ashanti wrote and sang background on the song

"Ain't It Funny" (Murder Remix) sung by Jennifer Lopez which

was also in the top 10 charts at the same time as "Foolish",

"Always on Time" (with Ja Rule), and "What's Luv" (with Fat

Joe). [2] In 2002, she was acclaimed as the "Princess of Hip Hop

and R&B." [3] By 2007 Ashanti had sold more than 7 million

albums in the U.S., and more than 12 million albums worldwide.

Years active

2002–present

Associated

acts

Ja Rule, Lloyd

Website

AshantiThisIsMe.com (http://

www.ashantithisisme.com)

Ashanti cites Mary J. Blige, Ella Fitzgerald, and Blue Magic as her musical influences. [4] She is currently working

on her fourth studio album entitled The Declaration , which is due out in October of 2007.

Contents

1 Biography

1.1 Early life

1.2 Early career

1.3 Irv Gotti and Murder Inc.

1.4 Debut album: Ashanti

1.5 Chapter II

1.6 Ashanti's Christmas

1.7 Concrete Rose

1.8 Collectables by Ashanti

1.9 The Declaration

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1.10 Acting career

2 Other activities

2.1 Philanthropy

2.2 Legal dispute

2.3 Identity theft

3 Personal life

4 Filmography

4.1 Films

4.2 Television

5 Discography

5.1 Albums

5.2 Unofficial

5.3 DVDs

6 Awards

6.1 Grammy Awards

7 See also

8 References

9 External links

Biography

Early life

Ashanti was born in Glen Cove, New York. She inherited a love of music from her mother Tina, a former dance

teacher, and her father Thomas, a former singer. Her mother named her after the Ashanti tribe in Ghana. In this

tribe, the women have power and influence, and Ashanti's mother wanted her daughter to follow that model.

Ashanti also means thanks in Kiswahili. Her grandfather, James, was a civil-rights activist who associated with

Martin Luther King, Jr. during the 1960s. [5] Growing up, Ashanti took dance lessons and joined the church choir.

Ashanti went to Bernice Johnson Cultural Arts Center where she studied different dance styles including tap, jazz,

ballet, African, modern, and hip hop. She danced with the Senior Pro Ensemble at Carnegie Hall, the Apollo

Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Avery Fisher Hall, and the Black Spectrum Theater. She also performed at

the 1994 Caribbean Awards and dancing with Judith Jamison of the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. With actress and

choreographer Debbie Allen at the helm, Ashanti also performed in the Disney television film Polly alongside stars

Keshia Knight Pulliam and Phylicia Rashad.

Ashanti displayed a knack for singing when she was six by singing in a gospel choir but her mother discovered her

full singing potential when she overheard Ashanti singing Mary J. Blige's "Reminisce" to herself at age twelve. [6]

By the time she hit puberty, her mom was sending out demo tapes of her daughter's vocal and dancing talents. The

family couldn't afford to go to a studio and record a formal demo so when labels called, Ashanti would have to sing

and dance in front of the record company executives. Her love of music continued to rise as she attended high

school and began to write songs. As a teenager, she performed in a local talent show and at the Soul Cafe, China

Club, Madison Square Garden, Caroline's Comedy Club and Greek Fest 2000. [7] In her first major singing

performance, Ashanti blew the Apollo Theater audience away with her rendition of Yolanda Adams's "More than a

Melody."

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Early career

Ashanti regrouped by throwing herself into schoolwork, cheerleading, and running on her school's track team. She

was an honor student in English and belonged to the English club where she began writing poetry. She was also in

the Drama club and performed in a few plays. However, her skills in the 100- and 200-meter dash as well as the

triple jump, her specialty reaching as far as 35 feet [8] , earned her athletic scholarships to Princeton & Hampton

University. But she put college pursuits aside when Epic Records came calling with a contract in 1998. However,

the label's management changes quickly left Ashanti out in the cold. Undaunted, she continued to croon at local

New York clubs and began hanging out at the Murder Inc. recording studio, hoping for another big break. [9]

Irv Gotti and Murder Inc.

It was when she was noticed by Murder Inc. mastermind Irv Gotti that Ashanti began to blossom. Gotti noted her

dancing and acting abilities in addition to her vocal skills. In 2001, Ashanti was first featured as a background

vocalist on rapper Big Pun's song "How We Roll". In the same year, Ashanti was featured on fellow labelmate

Cadillac Tah's singles "Pov City Anthem" and "Just Like a Thug". She also appeared on the 2001 The Fast and the

Furious soundtrack as a featured artist on Vita's 2001 hip hop remake of Madonna's "Justify My Love" and on the

solo track "When a Man Does Wrong". She appeared as a background vocalist on "I'm Real" (Murder remix), a

collaboration by labelmate Ja Rule and Jennifer Lopez (she also appeared in the music video for "Aint It Funny"

(Murder remix), the second duet between Lopez and Rule, for which she also sang background vocals on), and was

featured on Fat Joe's "What's Luv?" and Ja Rule's "Always on Time". "What's Luv?" and "Always on Time" were

released simultaneously and became two of the biggest hit songs of 2002. Ashanti became the first female to

occupy the top two positions on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart when "Always on Time" and "What's Luv?" were

number one and number two respectively.

Debut album: Ashanti

Following the success of her collaborations with Ja Rule and Fat Joe, Ashanti

released her debut single, "Foolish", which contained a sample of the 1983

song "Stay With Me" by DeBarge (also utilized by The Notorious B.I.G. in his

1995 hit "One More Chance"). This is her biggest song to date, spending 10

weeks atop of the billboard hot 100. She became the second artist (after The

Beatles) to have their first three chart entries in the top ten of the Hot 100

simultaneously. Ashanti's self-titled debut album, Ashanti , was released on Irv

Gotti's Murder Inc. record label in April 12, 2002. It debuted at number-one

on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart, and stayed there for 3 weeks, selling

over 503,000 copies in its first week (the most successful first week sales for

a debut female artist). [10] The album has been certified 3x platinum in the U.S

and platinum (300,000 copies) in the UK. The album has sold over 6.5 million

copies worldwide. Ashanti penned all 12 songs on the album, most written on the spot in the studio.

Ashanti in her first music video

for "Foolish" (2002).

Ashanti's follow-up singles, "Happy" and "Baby", were not as successful as her debut single but did peak in the top

ten and top twenty in the U.S. respectively. During the summer of 2002, Ashanti appeared on Ja Rule's "Down 4 U"

with labelmates, female rappers Vita and Charli Baltimore. The song appeared on a Murder Inc. compilation titled

Irv Gotti Presents The Inc . Ashanti's debut album earned her many awards including eight Billboard Music Awards,

two American Music Awards, and a Grammy Award.

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However, the most prestigious award she won in 2002 was also the most controversial. When it was announced that

Ashanti would receive the Soul Train Aretha Franklin Award for "Entertainer of the Year" a high school boy in

California took offense and started an on-line petition against her. He explained to The Seattle Times that she was

too new to deserve the award and "she lacks stage presence in the majority of her performances." Nearly 30,000

people agreed with him, signing the petition. [11] Many pointed out that established artists such as Mary J. Blige and

Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot or critically acclaimed singers like Alicia Keys and India Arie were more deserving of

an award that carries the name of a musical legend. Despite the petition, the Soul Train committee and Don

Cornelius stuck by their decision and Ashanti. Ashanti was applauded by her musical peers as she entered the

Pasadena Civic Auditorium to accept her award and she was supported onstage by legendary singer Patti LaBelle

who stated "she's a baby and we have to support our babies." [12] [13] [14]

In September 2002, Ashanti and her sister Kenashia appeared on the first DisneyMania cd, which was released

under Walt Disney Records. The album featured contemporary Disney classics. Ashanti & her sister sang "Colors of

the Wind" from the Disney movie Pocahontas . The album was considered a commercial success, achieving Gold

certification in February 2003.

Ashanti's global appeal became very apparent, as FHM credited her as the "Sexiest Woman in Music" in 2002. In

2003, Ja Rule and Ashanti collaborated on another hit song, "Mesmerize." Its music video was a parody of a scene

from the film Grease .

Chapter II

In July 2003, Ashanti released her second album Chapter II . It debuted at number-

one on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 326,000 in the U.S. According to

Billboard magazine, the album has been certified Platinum (1.5 million copies) in

the U.S. and Gold (100,000 copies) in the UK. Chapter II' s first single, "Rock Wit

U (Awww Baby)", became a hit, peaking at number-two on the Billboard Hot 100.

Its steamy video, which showed Ashanti in a bikini frolicking on a beach and

riding an elephant named Bubbles, was nominated for two 2003 MTV Video

Music Awards. A remix of the song contained interpolations of Michael Jackson's

"Rock with You".

The second single, "Rain on Me," reached the top ten of the Hot 100. In the "Rain

on Me" mini-movie music video directed by Hype Williams and co-starring

Larenz Tate, Ashanti portrays a troubled young woman in an abusive relationship.

Ashanti's powerful song and lyrics combined with William's visuals to impart the

power and horror of the cycle of domestic violence. Ashanti partnered with

LidRock to distribute this mini-movie using LidRock's unique platform. This

promotion, in conjunction with heavy rotation on MTV, BET, and other music

video programs, has brought this film and her cause to the attention of millions of

fans. It has also helped to raise money for the cause with proceeds from the $5

mini-disc going toward helping to stop domestic violence. [15]

Ashanti in the video "Rock

Wit U (Aww Baby)" directed

by Paul Hunter (2003). The

video showed a sexier side of

Ashanti signifying her

transition from a young girl

into a young woman in the

media.

The album has sold over three million copies worldwide. Ashanti was scheduled

to join Mariah Carey on her "Charmbracelet" US tour but due to schedule issues

she was the opening act for R.Kelly's five-date tour in summer 2003 instead.

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In May 2003, Ashanti appeared on VH1 Divas and performed her single "Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)." She also

participated in duets with Stevie Wonder (who later gave her the nickname Little Libra) performing "Do I Do," and

the Isley Brothers performing "Who's That Lady".

Ashanti's Christmas

In November 2003, Ashanti's Christmas album, Ashanti's Christmas . The album contained almost an equal amount

of new songs to cover songs. The album debuted and peaked at number 160 on The Billboard 200 and number 43

on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart selling just around 100,000 copies by the end of 2003.

Concrete Rose

In 2004, Ashanti was invited back to perform at VH1 Divas 2004. She appeared on stage with Patti LaBelle, Gladys

Knight, Jessica Simpson, and others. She performed Diana Ross' smash hit "I'm Coming Out", and she performed a

soulful rendition of Chaka Khan's funk driven hit "Ain't Nobody."

Later that year, Ashanti appeared on three collaborations. "Southside," with male R&B newcomer and labelmate

Lloyd, was released as his debut single and was a moderate hit. "Wonderful" with Ja Rule and R.Kelly peaked at

number five in the U.S and at number one in the U.K. "Jimmy Choo" with rapper Shyne was another modest hit

reaching number 55 on the billboard Hot R&B songs chart.

Alongside artist such as Wyclef Jean, Mary J. Blige, Eve, Brandy, Fabolous, Jadakiss, Missy Elliott, and many

others, Ashanti participated in a cover of the classic "Wake Up Everybody" in support of ACT, the left-leaning

political action committee.

On December 14, 2004, Ashanti released her third studio album, Concrete

Rose . The album debuted at number seven in the U.S with first week sales of

245,000, making this her first studio CD to not debut at number one. The first

single, "Only U," reached thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and became

her biggest hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number two. Exactly one

month after its release, the album was certified platinum and the single "Only

U" was certified Gold In March 2005. In Mid March, Ashanti released her

second and final single from the album entitled "Don't Let Them". Although

Ashanti was praised by critiques for improved vocals on this solid ballad, she

didn't garner much fan support after Def Jam refused to pay for the video for

the fan favored and original second single, "Don't Leave Me Alone" due to the

murder inc. money laundering trial. The singer came out of pocket to deliver

this second single and video to her fans. The single was only released in the

U.S., where it failed to chart, and the UK, reaching the Number 35 in the first

week, but soon disappeared off the U.K. charts.

Ashanti laying on broken glass for

the video "Only U" directed by

Hype Williams (2004). The song

& video garnered the singer praise

for showing more diversity in her

music.

Also, for a limited time after the release of Concrete Rose, Ashanti released the DVD Ashanti: The Making Of A

Star . This deluxe DVD includes exclusive photo and video shoot footage, music from her multi-platinum albums

Ashanti , Chapter II plus Concrete Rose , special concert footage, unreleased childhood school performances and

behind-the-scenes interviews with family, friends, and fans.

Collectables by Ashanti

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