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Born in Glen Cove, NY, Ashanti S.
Douglas first sang in a gospel choir at age six. Her R&B singing career
began in 1994 when she performed at a local talent show. Her strong
soulful voice caught the attention of industry insiders and she
immediately signed on with a management team and began showcasing her
talent with performances at the Soul Cafe, China Club, Madison Square
Garden, Caroline’s Comedy Club and Greek Fest 2000 at Jones Beach to name
a few.
Signed to AJM Records, Ashanti quickly caught the attention of
multi-platinum producer Irv Gotti of Murder Inc. who recognized her
exceptional singing and writing talents and set the stage for her
introduction to the music world. Ashanti blasted into the urban music
scene in 2002, topping the charts with multiple singles at once. She
quickly became a sensation, gracing the covers of magazines and dominating
urban radio. Ashanti built her reputation with duets, where she would
complement already popular rappers -- Ja Rule ("Always on Time"), Fat Joe
("What's Luv?"), and the Notorious B.I.G. ("Unfoolish") -- contrasting the
tough-guy male perspective with her own. It didn't take the young vocalist
long to make a name for herself though: her debut album topped the
Billboard album chart just as her debut solo single, "Foolish," was
topping the Hot 100 chart. Her presence was inescapable.
Ashanti's overnight jump to superstardom followed that of Ja Rule, a
similar urban music sensation helmed by Gotti. The New York producer took
notice of Ashanti initially because of her beauty, dancing, and acting.
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 a number of
big-name music videos, in addition to other dance work. The multi-talented
vocalist was causing quite a stir, and Gotti did what he could to bring
her into his Murder Inc. fold. After showcasing her swooning voice on Big
Pun's "How We Roll" and the Fast and Furious soundtrack -- both in 2001 --
Gotti put Ashanti to work on her debut album, which he produced.
Success came quickly. A duet with Ja Rule, "Always on Time," hit number
one on Billboard's Hot 100 chart in early 2002 just as a duet with Fat
Joe, "What's Luv?," was creeping toward the same number one position.
These two airplay-heavy singles, of course, set the stage perfectly for
Ashanti's self-titled debut release. The album's lead single, "Foolish,"
raced up the Hot 100 chart, entering the Top Ten in March alongside
"Always on Time" and "What's Luv?," giving her three Top Ten songs in the
same week, including the number one and two positions -- a quite
spectacular feat. Then Ashanti's album debuted at number one on the album
chart, selling an astounding 500,000-plus copies in its first week. With
all this chart-topping, Ashanti set some sales records and her success
continued. Gotti readied a remix of "Foolish," titled "Unfoolish," that
featured the Notorious B.I.G. and again overtook urban radio, where no
artist was more omnipresent throughout 2002 than Ashanti. She returned the
following year with Chapter II, which likewise topped the Billboard album
chart on the heals of its hot lead single, "Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)."
Next, Ashanti will conquer the acting world. She will appear in Coach
Carter, starring Samuel L. Jackson, in 2005. |
