Ashanti

Ashanti Shaquoya Douglas (born October 13, 1980 in Glen Cove, New York), known professionally as Ashanti, is an R&B singer of African American, Dominican, and Chinese descent, who rose to fame during the early 2000s. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years). ... 1980 is a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Glen Cove is a city located in Nassau County, New York. ... Rhythm and blues (or R & B) is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Billboard magazine. ... LeAnn Rimes singing in concert For other senses of this word, see singer (disambiguation). ... African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or black Americans, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan and West Africa. ... Saddam Hussein shortly after his capture Major controversy over U.S. presidential election, 2000 September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on New Yorks World Trade Center and Virginias Pentagon killing almost 3000 people. ...

Early collaborations

Ashanti was first brought into the public eye as a featured background vocalist on Vita's 2001 hip-hop remake of Madonna's "Justify My Love", which appeared on the soundtrack to the movie The Fast and the Furious. That same year, she caught the attention of Fat Joe, and he invited her to sing background on Big Pun's unsuccessful posthumous single "How We Roll". Vita (from the Latin word for life) can refer to a brief biography, often that of a saint (i. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Madonna on her Ray of Light album cover Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone (b. ... Justify My Love is a single by Madonna. ... The Fast and the Furious is a 2001 action film starring Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, and directed by Rob Cohen. ... Fat Joe. ... Big Pun. ...

Ashanti's big break, however, did not come until early 2002, when, almost simultaneously, Ja Rule released "Always On Time" and Fat Joe released "What's Luv?". They were two of the biggest pop and urban hits of the year, and both featured Ashanti. At one point, her hit with Ja Rule sat at #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart while her Fat Joe collaboration was at #2. She was the first female to ocuppy the top 2 positions on the Billboard 100 as a featured female artist. 2002(MMII) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ja Rule in Half Past Dead Jeffery Atkins (born February 29, 1976, Hollis, Queens, New York City), better known as Ja Rule (Jeffery Atkins Represents Unconditional Love Exists), is a rapper who made a string of popular hip hop songs in the 2000s // Early career Ja Rule was discovered... Fat Joe. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Look up urban in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the main U.S. singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ...

Debut album: Ashanti

Shortly after the success of her collaborations, Ashanti released her self-titled debut album, Ashanti, on Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. record label in 2002. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart and is Ashanti's most successful album to date. Her debut single, "Foolish", contained 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"). The song entered the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 in March while her two collaborations were still there, making Ashanti the only artist, other than The Beatles, to have their first three chart entries in the top 10 simultaneously. "Foolish" also became 2002's biggest hit 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. and received heavy urban radio airplay. Ashanti's follow-up singles, "Happy" and "Baby", although not as huge as "Foolish" reached the top 10 and top 20 respectively. During the summer of 2002, Ashanti also appeared on a Ja Rule's "Down 4 U," along with labelmates, female rappers Vita and Charli Baltimore. The song appeared on a Murder Inc compilation titled Irv Gotti Presents The Inc. Ashanti is the self-titled debut album by American R&B singer Ashanti, released in 2002 (see 2002 in music). ... The Inc. ... 2002(MMII) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Billboard 200 is a listing of the 200 highest selling music albums in the United States, published weekly in Billboard magazine. ... 1983 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... DeBarge was an American singing group that specialized in R&B and soul music. ... {{Infobox_Biography | subject_name= Timothy Hedden| image_name= T-Head. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Beatles were a British pop and rock group from Liverpool. ... An example of a Billboard Magazine. ... Vita (from the Latin word for life) can refer to a brief biography, often that of a saint (i. ... Charli Chuck B. More Baltimore (born Tiffany Lane on August 16, 1974 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a female rapper and protege of the late Notorious B.I.G.. She was born to a German father and an African American mother but mainly rasied by her elder half-sister, Yolanda. ...

In early 2003, Ja Rule and Ashanti teamed up again and scored a massive pop hit with "Mesmerize", the music video for which parodied the plot of the movie Grease. 50 Cent would later mock Ja Rule as being soft and "not a true gangsta", citing the "Mesmerize" video and its pop-culture appeal as an example. Ashanti was not spared from 50 Cent's criticism of the entire Murder Inc. family. 2003(MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The word grease can mean:- A type of industrial lubricant: see grease (lubricant). ... 50 Cent from the album Get Rich or Die Tryin 50 Cent (a. ...

Chapter II

In the summer of 2003, Ashanti released her sophomore album titled Chapter II which also debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. Its first single, "Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)", became one of the summer's biggest hits and its steamy video, which showed Ashanti in a bikini frolicking on a beach and riding an elephant, was nominated for a 2003 MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video. The second single and video, "Rain On Me", was released in the fall of 2003. Even though it was not as successful as "Rock Wit U" at pop radio, it still managed to reach the top 10. 2003(MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Chapter II is the second album by American R&B singer Ashanti, released in 2003 (see 2003 in music). ... Bikini is also a Hungarian rock band. ... The MTV Video Music Awards were established in 1984 by MTV to celebrate the top music videos of the year. ... The following is a list of MTV Video Music Award winners for Best R&B Video. ...

Ashanti released the third single from Chapter II, "Breakup 2 Makeup"; its almost complete lack of video and radio airplay along with the flop of her 2003 Christmas album, Ashanti's Christmas, had some speculating that Ashanti's career as a superstar singer might have run its course. Christmas (literally, the Mass of Christ) is a holiday in the Christian calendar, usually observed on December 25, which celebrates the birth of Jesus. ... Ashantis Christmas is the third album by American R&B singer Ashanti, released in 2003 (see 2003 in music). ...

In 2004, Ashanti appeared in two more collaborations. Male R&B newcomer and labelmate Lloyd released a duet with her titled "Southside" as his debut single; it was a moderate hit at American radio and video channels during the summer reaching the top 20. She was also featured, along with R. Kelly, on Ja Rule's successful "Wonderful" single which peaked at #3. 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lloyd Harlin Polite Jr (or more commonly referred to as just Lloyd) was born January 3, 1986, in New Orleans, Louisiana, US, to Lloyd Polite Sr. ... Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois), who goes by the stage name of R. Kelly, is a successful R&B singer-songwriter and record producer who came to dominate the R&B music scene throughout the 1990s and in the current decade. ... Ja Rule in Half Past Dead Jeffery Atkins (born February 29, 1976, Hollis, Queens, New York City), better known as Ja Rule (Jeffery Atkins Represents Unconditional Love Exists), is a rapper who made a string of popular hip hop songs in the 2000s // Early career Ja Rule was discovered...

Concrete Rose

Ashanti released her third studio album, Concrete Rose, in December of 2004. Although neither the album nor its singles were as successful as her previous work, the album did manage to debut in the top 10 of the Billboard 200. Its first single, "Only U", reached the top 20 of the Hot 100, however, the followup single "Don't Let Them" did not even chart in the U.S. Concrete Rose is the fourth album by American R&B singer Ashanti, released in 2004 (see 2004 in music). ... 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Unreleased album "Can't Stop"

This album was recorded in 1997 with the intention of being released in 1998, but never actually made it. It features 11 songs, and was released (eventually) on Febuary 21st, 2005, under the record label Zyxs/Blacks Classic, after the recordings were remastered by Genard Parker and Ernie Lake. None of these songs have made any top 100 listings.

Minor controversy

Unlike many 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 a featured guest vocalist on a rap artist's track. This had caused a degree of speculation that Ashanti could not really sing or that she was a studio creation of Ja Rule and Irv Gotti. In fact, as of late, Ashanti has used her head register so infrequently, many who haven't heard her sing before she signed with Murder Inc would mistakenly classify her as a classic example of a soubrette. Coloratura is an ornate, flowery style in classical singing. ... Ja Rule in Half Past Dead Jeffery Atkins (born February 29, 1976, Hollis, Queens, New York City), better known as Ja Rule (Jeffery Atkins Represents Unconditional Love Exists), is a rapper who made a string of popular hip hop songs in the 2000s // Early career Ja Rule was discovered... Irv Gotti (born Irving Lorenzo) is a prominent hip hop and R&B record producer and is the head of the Murder Inc. ... The head register is generalized to be the range of vocal notes above middle C (C4). ... The Inc. ... Soubrette is a term used with various, related meanings in theater, opera, and popular music. ...

Acting

After having success in the music world, Ashanti has also ventured into acting.

Her first role was a minor guest appearance in a season 7 episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, First Date, which aired in February of 2003. In 2004, she appeared in the Gurinder Chadha-directed English-language Bollywood movie Bride and Prejudice where she sang "My Lips Are Waiting". In January 2005, Ashanti made her feature film acting debut in the movie Coach Carter alongside Samuel L. Jackson. She also starred in the 2005 TV movie The Muppets' Wizard of Oz as Dorothy Gale. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a U.S. television series based on the original script for the 1992 movie of the same name. ... ? is an episode of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. ... 2003(MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Gurinder Chadha is a British film director of Indian origin. ... Typical Bollywood movie poster Bollywood is the informal name given to the popular Mumbai-based film industry in India. ... Movie poster for Bride and Prejudice Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice (1813) has been the subject of numerous television and film adaptations. ... 2005(MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Promotional poster for Coach Carter Coach Carter is a 2005 drama movie, directed by Thomas Carter. ... Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor. ... Promotional poster The Muppets Wizard of Oz, an original made-for-television movie, aired May 20, 2005 as a special Friday night edition of ABCs The Wonderful World of Disney. ... Dorothy Gale is the protagonist in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. ...

Filmography

• Bride and Prejudice (2004)
• Coach Carter (2005)
• The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005)
• John Tucker Must Die (2006)

Movie poster for Bride and Prejudice Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice (1813) has been the subject of numerous television and film adaptations. ... Promotional poster for Coach Carter Coach Carter is a 2005 drama movie, directed by Thomas Carter. ... Promotional poster The Muppets Wizard of Oz, an original made-for-television movie, aired May 20, 2005 as a special Friday night edition of ABCs The Wonderful World of Disney. ...

Discography

Albums

• Ashanti (2002) #1 US (Sold 3.5 million US (3x Platinum), Sold 300,000 (Platinum) UK, 6.5 million worldwide)
• Chapter II (2003) #1 US (Sold 1.5 million U.S (Platinum), 100,000 (Gold) UK, Over 3 million worldwide)
• Ashanti's Christmas (2003) #160 US (Sold over 100,000 US)
• Concrete Rose (2004) #7 US (Sold 1 million US (Platinum), 60,000 (Silver) UK

Ashanti is the self-titled debut album by American R&B singer Ashanti, released in 2002 (see 2002 in music). ... Chapter II is the second album by American R&B singer Ashanti, released in 2003 (see 2003 in music). ... Ashantis Christmas is the third album by American R&B singer Ashanti, released in 2003 (see 2003 in music). ... Concrete Rose is the fourth album by American R&B singer Ashanti, released in 2004 (see 2004 in music). ...

Singles

• Always On Time (Ja Rule feat. Ashanti) (2001) #1 US (2 weeks), #6 UK
• What's Luv? (Fat Joe feat. Ashanti) (2002) #2 US, #4 UK
• Foolish (2002) #1 US (7 weeks), #4 UK
• Happy (2002) #8 US, #13 UK
• Baby (2002) #15 US
• Down 4 U (Ashanti, Ja Rule, Charli Baltimore, & Vita) (2002) #6 US, #4 UK
• Mesmerize (Ja Rule feat. Ashanti) (2003) #2 US, #12 UK
• Rock Wit U (Awww Baby) (2003) #2 US, #7 UK
• Rain On Me (2003) #7 US, #19 UK
• Southside (Lloyd feat. Ashanti) (2004) #14 US
• Wonderful (Ja Rule feat. R. Kelly & Ashanti) (2004) #3 US, #1 UK
• Only U (2004) #13 US, #2 UK
• Don't Let Them (2005) #38 UK

Ja Rule in Half Past Dead Jeffery Atkins (born February 29, 1976, Hollis, Queens, New York City), better known as Ja Rule (Jeffery Atkins Represents Unconditional Love Exists), is a rapper who made a string of popular hip hop songs in the 2000s // Early career Ja Rule was discovered... Fat Joe. ... Ja Rule in Half Past Dead Jeffery Atkins (born February 29, 1976, Hollis, Queens, New York City), better known as Ja Rule (Jeffery Atkins Represents Unconditional Love Exists), is a rapper who made a string of popular hip hop songs in the 2000s // Early career Ja Rule was discovered... Charli Chuck B. More Baltimore (born Tiffany Lane on August 16, 1974 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a female rapper and protege of the late Notorious B.I.G.. She was born to a German father and an African American mother but mainly rasied by her elder half-sister, Yolanda. ... Vita (from the Latin word for life) can refer to a brief biography, often that of a saint (i. ... Ja Rule in Half Past Dead Jeffery Atkins (born February 29, 1976, Hollis, Queens, New York City), better known as Ja Rule (Jeffery Atkins Represents Unconditional Love Exists), is a rapper who made a string of popular hip hop songs in the 2000s // Early career Ja Rule was discovered... Lloyd Harlin Polite Jr (or more commonly referred to as just Lloyd) was born January 3, 1986, in New Orleans, Louisiana, US, to Lloyd Polite Sr. ... Ja Rule in Half Past Dead Jeffery Atkins (born February 29, 1976, Hollis, Queens, New York City), better known as Ja Rule (Jeffery Atkins Represents Unconditional Love Exists), is a rapper who made a string of popular hip hop songs in the 2000s // Early career Ja Rule was discovered... Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois), who goes by the stage name of R. Kelly, is a successful R&B singer-songwriter and record producer who came to dominate the R&B music scene throughout the 1990s and in the current decade. ...

External links

• Ashanti Lyrics
• WestLord: Ashanti Douglas