Ashanti (singer)
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Ashanti Shequoyia Douglas (born October 13 1980), professionally known as Ashanti, is an American Grammy Award-winning R&B and pop singer-songwriter, record producer, actress, and author who rose to fame during the early 2000s.
Biography
Early life
Ashanti was born in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York to Ken-Kaide Douglas (Half African American & Half Chinese American) and Tina Douglas (African American of Dominican descent).[[Citing sources citation needed]]Upon graduation from high school, Ashanti was accepted into Hampton University and Princeton University but turned down a track and field scholarship to pursue a singing career. During her search for fame, she trained as a dancer at the Bernice Johnson Cultural Arts Center, learning a number of dance styles. She danced most notably in Disney's Polly, which starred Phylicia Rashad, and also appeared in several music videos and in Spike Lee's film, Malcolm X.
Early career
Ashanti was first featured as a background vocalist on Big Pun's "How We Roll". 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 the "I'm Real (Murder Remix)", a collaboration by labelmate Ja Rule and Jennifer López 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 pop and urban hits of 2002. At one point, "Always on Time" sat at #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart while "What's Luv?" was #2. Ashanti became the first female to occupy the top two positions on the Billboard 100 chart as a featured female artist.Debut album: Ashanti
Shortly after the success of her collaborations with Ja Rule and Fat Joe, Ashanti released her debut single, "Foolish", containing a sample of the 1983 song "Stay With Me" by DeBarge (also utilized by The Notorious B.I.G. in his 1995 #2 hit "One More Chance"). This accomplishment made Ashanti the only artist, other than The Beatles, to have their first three chart entries in the top ten simultaneously. "Foolish" became the biggest hit of 2002 according to Billboard, spending ten weeks at #1, due in part to a remix titled "Unfoolish", which featured a rap by The Notorious B.I.G. Her self-titled debut album, Ashanti, was released on Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. record label in April 2002. It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart, selling 504,000-plus copies in its first week (the most successful first week sales for a debut female artist). The album has been certified triple platinum in the U.S.
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 a 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, two MOBO Awards, a Lady of Soul Award for "Aretha Franklin Entertainer of the Year", and a Grammy Award.
In 2003, Ja Rule and Ashanti teamed up again and scored a hit with "Mesmerize". The music video for the single was a parody of a scene from the film Grease.
Chapter II
In July 2003, Ashanti released her sophomore album Chapter II. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 326,000 in the U.S. The album has been certified platinum in the U.S. Chapter II's first single, "Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)", became a hit peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its steamy video, which showed Ashanti in a bikini frolicking on a beach and riding an elephant, 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 10 of the Hot 100. The album has been certified platinum in the U.S. In May 2003, Ashanti appeared on VH1 Divas and performed her single "Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)" and participated in duets with Stevie Wonder and the Isley Brothers.
Also released in 2003 was Ashanti's Christmas album, Ashanti's Christmas. During the release, Ashanti's label Murder Inc. was undergoing investigation by the FBI during December 2003.
Concrete Rose
In 2004, Ashanti appeared on three more collaborations. "Southside" with male R&B newcomer and labelmate Lloyd was released as his debut single and was a moderate hit while "Wonderful" with Ja Rule and R. Kelly peaked at #3 in the U.S. Ashanti was also featured on Shyne's song "Jimmy Choo".
Ashanti released her third studio album, Concrete Rose, in December 2004. Neither the album nor its singles were as successful as her previous work. The album debuted at #7 in the U.S. with first week sales of 254,000. The first single, "Only U", reached the top fifteen of the Hot 100 and became her biggest hit in the UK, peaking at #2, while the follow-up single "Don't Let Them" failed to chart in the U.S. The album has been certified platinum in the U.S.
Collectables
In December 2005, Ashanti released a compilation album 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 not successful, only managing to debut at #59 on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 35,000.Voice
Unlike other singers with the ability, Ashanti, while possessing a clear, girly coloratura soprano voice, has built a career singing in the lower and middle ranges of her voice, especially when featured as a guest vocalist on a rapper's track. This has caused a degree of speculation with some stating that she lacks vocal talent and is a studio creation of Ja Rule and Irv Gotti. As of late, Ashanti has used her head register so infrequently that many mistakenly classify her as a soubrette.Other activities
In addition to her singing career, Ashanti has also emerged as a songwriter, penning hits for pop/R&B performers Jennifer López and Christina Milian. She released a book of poetry titled Foolish/Unfoolish Reflections on Love in 2004 and a fragrance, Precious Jewel by Ashanti, in October 2005. In 2005, she also signed an exclusive deal with Sears to release her own brand of jeans titled Delicious Curves. In early 2006, she released "Ashanti's OPC-3 Beauty Blend," a nutritional supplement. [link] [link] Ashanti also has a clothing line in Europe for teenage girls titled "Princess".Personal life
Ashanti has been rumored to be dating rapper Nelly since 2003. In June 2006, rumors of a pregnancy emerged; she has confirmed that she is not pregnant.Acting career
After success with her music career, Ashanti has also ventured into acting. In 2004, she appeared in the English language Bollywood movie Bride and Prejudice, in which she sang "My Lips are Waiting". In January 2005, she made her feature film acting debut in the film Coach Carter alongside Samuel L. Jackson. The movie entered at number-one at the U.S. box office grossing $24 million in its opening weekend. In 2005, Ashanti also starred as Dorothy Gale in the made-for-television film The Muppets' Wizard of Oz. She is slated to star in the 2006 film John Tucker Must Die and appear in the 2007 film .Filmography
Films
- Bride and Prejudice (2004)
- Coach Carter (2005)
- The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (TV) (2005)
- John Tucker Must Die (2006)
- (2007)
Television
- American Dreams (2002)
- Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (2002)
- The Proud Family (voice) (2003)
- Buffy The Vampire Slayer (2003)
- Punk'd (2004)
Discography
Albums
- Ashanti (2002) #1 US (4x Platinum)over 7,888,000 million worldwide (official) [link], #3 UK (Platinum)
- Chapter II (2003) #1 US (2 weeks) (over 1.5 Platinum)over 3 million worldwide [link], #5 UK (Gold)
- Ashanti's Christmas (2003) #160 US (U.S. sales: 100,000+)
- Concrete Rose (2004) #7 US (Platinum) [link], #25 UK (Gold)
- Collectables by Ashanti (2005) #59 US (U.S. sales: 100,000+)
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. R&B/Hip-Hop | UK Singles | |||
| 2002 | "Foolish" | #1 (10 weeks) | #1 | #4 | Ashanti |
| 2002 | "Happy" | #8 | #6 | #13 | Ashanti |
| 2002 | "Baby" | #15 | #7 | #10 | Ashanti |
| 2003 | "Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)" | #2 | #4 | #7 | Chapter II |
| 2003 | "Rain on Me" | #7 | #2 | #19 | Chapter II |
| 2004 | "Breakup 2 Makeup" (remix) (featuring Black Child) | - | #76 | - | Chapter II / Collectables by Ashanti |
| 2004 | "Only U" | #13 (Gold) | #10 | #2 | Concrete Rose |
| 2005 | "Don't Let Them" | - | - | #38 | Concrete Rose |
| 2005 | "Still On It" (featuring Paul Wall & Method Man) | - | #55 | #25 | Collectables by Ashanti |
Others
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Hot 100 | UK Singles | |||
| 2001 | "Always on Time" (Ja Rule featuring Ashanti) | #1 (2 weeks) | #6 | Pain Is Love |
| 2002 | "What's Luv?" (Fat Joe featuring Ashanti) | #2 | #4 | Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.) |
| 2002 | "Down 4 U" (Irv Gotti presents Ashanti. Ja Rule, Charli Baltimore, & Vita) | #6 | #4 | Irv Gotti Presents The Inc |
| 2003 | "Mesmerize" (Ja Rule featuring Ashanti) | #2 | #12 | Last Temptation |
| 2003 | "Into You" (Fabolous featuring Ashanti/Tamia) | #4 | #18 | Street Dreams |
| 2004 | "Southside" (Lloyd featuring Ashanti) | #25 | #50 | Southside |
| 2005 | "Wonderful" (Ja Rule featuring R. Kelly & Ashanti) | #5 | #1 | R.U.L.E. |
Awards
Grammy Award nominations and wins
Career stats- Career wins: 1
- Career nominations: 8
| Year | Category | Genre | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Best New Artist | General | "Ashanti" | Nominated |
| 2003 | Best Contemporary R&B Album | R&B | "Ashanti" | WON |
| 2003 | Best Rap/Sung Collaboration | Rap | "Always on Time" | Nominated |
| 2003 | Best Rap/Sung Collaboration | Rap | "What's Luv" | Nominated |
| 2003 | Best Female R&B Vocal Performance | R&B | "Foolish" | Nominated |
| 2004 | Best Female R&B Vocal Performance | R&B | "Rain On Me" | Nominated |
| 2004 | Best R&B Song | R&B | "Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)" | Nominated |
| 2004 | Best Contemporary R&B Album | R&B | "Chapter II" | Nominated |
2002
- Soul Train: Lady of Soul Awards
- *Best R&B/Soul New Artist
- *Aretha Franklin Entertainer Of The Year
- Teen Choice Awards
- *Choice Breakout Artist
- MOBO Awards
- * Best R&B Act
- * Best Hip Hop Act (Ashanti with Ja Rule)
- Billboard Music Awards
- * Female Artist of the Year
- * Top New Pop Artist of the Year
- * Hot 100 Singles Artist of the Year
- * R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of the Year
- * R&B/Hip-Hop Female Artist of the Year
- * New R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of the Year
- * R&B/Hip-Hop Single of the Year ("Foolish")
- * R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Artist of the Year
2003
- American Music Awards
- *Favorite New Artist in Pop/Rock
- *Favorite New Artist in Hip-Hop/R&B
- Grammy Awards
- *Best Comtemporary R&B Album
- Soul Train Awards
- *Best R&B/Soul Single, Female ("Foolish")
- *Best R&B/Soul Album, Female ("Ashanti")
- NAACP Image Awards
- *Outstanding New Artist
- Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards
- *Best New Artist
2004
- Do Something Brick Awards
- *"Do Something" Brick Award ("Rain on Me")
External links
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