|
b. Ashanti Douglas, 13 October 1980,
Glen Cove, New York, USA. For urban R&B singer
Ashanti it has been a case of third time lucky. Her
honey-toned voice and striking looks landed her a
recording contract with Jive Records at the age of
14, then again with Epic Records at 17, but neither
of those deals came to fruition. 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
(she had previously appeared in the Walt Disney
television musical Polly). Ashanti's first musical
outing under Gotti was a guest vocal on the track
"How We Roll" by Big Punisher. She then appeared in
a series of duets that made her a stateside star in
March 2002. She was Ja Rule's counterpart on the
hypnotic "Always On Time", provided the chorus to
Fat Joe's "What's Luv?", and married her vocals with
the late Notorious B.I.G. for "Unfoolish". During
this month Ashanti held three of the Top 10
positions in the Billboard chart, including numbers
1 and 2 with Ja Rule and Fat Joe, while her own "Foolish"
climbed to the top of the charts in April and
remained at the top until the end of June. As if
that was not enough her self-titled debut album sold
500,000 copies in the USA in its first week of
release. Mostly written by Ashanti herself, the
album was unusually soulful for a Murder Inc. act,
while retaining a street sensibility that helped it
to worldwide popularity. The singer enjoyed further
success with her follow-up album, The Second Chapter,
debuting at the top of the US charts in July 2003,
and spawning the Top 5 hit single "Rock Wit U (Awww
Baby)". |
| |
Ashanti Options
Ashanti Photos
Ashanti Biography
Ashanti Pictures
Ashanti Lyrics
Ashanti MP3
Ashanti Discography
|
