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Ashanti

Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas (born October 13, 1980), is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, dancer, model, and fashion designer who rose to fame in the early 2000s.

She is most famous for her eponymous Grammy Award-winning debut album Ashanti which featured the hit song "Foolish", and sold a record-breaking 503,000 copies (gold) in its first week of release in the U.S. in April 2002. 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, being the first female to accomplish this feat and being second only to The Beatles. Ashanti also 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." By 2007 Ashanti had sold more than 7 million albums in the U.S., and more than 12 million albums worldwide.

Ashanti cites Mary J. Blige, Ella Fitzgerald, and Blue Magic as her musical influences. She is currently working on her fourth studio album entitled The Declaration, which is due out in February of 2008. Ashanti appeared in the Sci-Fi horror thriller Resident Evil: Extinction as a fire-powered Florence Nightingale named Nurse Betty.

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 wrote and 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.

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 6 weeks, selling over 503,000 copies in its first week (the most successful first week debut sales for any female R&B artist). The album has been certified 3x platinum in the U.S and platinum (300,000 copies) in the UK. The album has sold over 7 million copies worldwide. Ashanti wrote or co-wrote all 12 songs on the album, most written on the spot in the studio.

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.

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"(After receiving this prestigious award Ashanti was proclaimed the Princess of R&B/Hip-Hop Soul) 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. Many pointed out that established artists such as Mary J. Blige and Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott 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."

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 platinum 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.

On July 1, 2003, Ashanti released her second album Chapter II. It debuted at number-one on the Billboard 200, knocking Beyonce Knowles' "Dangerously In Love" into the number two spot with first week sales of 323,000 in the U.S. The album remained at number one for two weeks and according to Billboard magazine, the album has been certified Platinum (1.5 million copies) in the U.S. and Platinum (300,000) 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.

The album has sold over 5 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.

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 "That Lady".

In November 2003, Douglas' Christmas album, Ashanti's Christmas was released. The album contained almost an equal amount of original songs to Christmas standards. With only the support of a Christmas Melody music video, the album debuted and peaked at number 6 on The Billboard 200 and number 3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart selling just around 150,000 copies by the end of 2003(Certified Gold). The promotional Christmas Melody music video continues to be a staple of VH1 Soul and MTV Hits whenever the Holiday season begins.

In 2004, Ashanti was invited back to perform at VH1's 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.

On December 14, 2004, Ashanti released her third studio album, Concrete Rose, from which the title took on Tupac Shakur's pseudonym "The Rose That Grew From Concrete". The album debuted at number seven in the U.S with first week sales of 254,000, 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 critics for improved vocals on this solid ballad, she didn't garner much fan support after Def Jam refused to pay for the video due to Irv Gotti's legal troubles during his money laundering trial. The singer used her own money to deliver the second video to her fans, with Gotti acting as director. The single was only released in the U.S., where it failed to chart, and the UK, reaching the Number 38 in the first week, but soon disappeared off the U.K. charts.

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. The DVD was also repackaged along with Coach Carter.

On December 6, 2005, Ashanti released a remix album of Concrete Rose titled Collectables by Ashanti. The album features six remixes of previously released tracks and four newly recorded songs, including the single "Still on It", which featured rappers Paul Wall and Method Man. The album, was only an opportunity for her to fulfill her contract with Def Jam (and have the option of working with another label), managing to debut at #59 on the Billboard 200.

Ashanti's next album has been confirmed by an interview with Billboard Magazine as being entitled The Declaration. This will be Ashanti's fourth studio album. Ashanti says her new album represents her sense of freedom at this stage in her career. "I'm steering my own ship and taking the lead on everything. You can definitely hear the growth; I'm working with producers I've never worked with before." Those producers include Polow Da Don, and Babyface. In past interviews, Ashanti, as well as HUFF Events & PR, the firm responsible for Douglas' promotional work, have confirmed that the singer has also worked with producers Pharrell Williams, Dr. Dre, Swizz Beats, Ron "Neff-U" Feemstar and L. T. Hutton as well as collaborated with fellow singer Robin Thicke, and rappers Nelly & Snoop Dogg for the new album. In January 2007, a buzz track leaked called "You Can't Deny It", featuring Jim Jones as did a feature with longtime collaborator and producer 7 Aurelius titled "My Number Babe", which is scheduled to be on the producers' debut CD entitled Channel 7. The Declaration is due December 4th. On September 12, 2007, Ashanti announced on The Sauce that the official first single from her new album is entitled "Hey Baby (After the Club)". The singer noted that the song had recently been mastered and was sent to Universal, who is behind the single choice.

In April 2007, Irv Gotti appeared in an interview with DJ FlexMaster Flex and addressed the fact that Ashanti has ventured out and acquired producers and collaborations primarily outside The Inc. for the first time by saying, "she's having her little Janet Jackson "Control" moment. Every artist has their moment when they feel they need to take over their own music. This is hers."

In September 2007, Irv Gotti slammed Ashanti on Wendy Williams Show on the radio. Saying she wasn't there for him or the record label during their hard times and that she was "Unfatihful" to the record label. He also hinted that him and Ashanti had an intimate relationship when she was first signed to the label, and also that Ashanti knew Irv was already married during the alleged affair.This came as a shocker to many of Ashanti's fans and the media, because they were always portrayed as a "family" and were very close. Ashanti considered Irv Gotti, Chris Gotti (Irv's Brother) and Ja Rule her brothers. When Ashanti was asked about these allegations, she simply replied "No Comment". It seems as if Ashanti is still signed to The Inc. due to a contract, and will be releasing her much anticipated fourth studio album titled, The Declaration due out in the first quater of 2008. As stated by Ashanti on Hot 93.3 with Boogie and Mimi in the morning on 10/16/2007. She said that she needs a "few more weeks". Ashanti's first single off the Declaration "Hey Baby After the Club" featuring Mario Winans and 7 Aurelius is currently number 91 on the Billboard HipHop and R&B charts.

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