Ashanti

Not much is known about Ashanti’s personal life. Ashanti was known to be dating rapper-singer, Nelly, in 2003, but later in 2007, the two separated.

Ashanti was born on October 13, 1980, in the City of Glen Cove in Nassau County, near Long Island, New York. Her mother TinaDouglas was a former dance teacher while her dad Ken-Kaye Thomas Douglas was a former singer.

She was named after the Ashanti Empire of Ghana, where women held due power, and her mother wanted Ashanti to pursue the same virtue and gain power. Her mother enrolled her to a dancing school and she mastered dance forms like jazz and ballet.

Her singing ability surfaced much later. The singer’s first performance was a church choir, which she sang at the age of just three. Her singing potential was first recognized by her mother when she was singing Mary J Blige’s ‘Reminiscence’ at the age of twelve. Her mother pursued her for talent shows which later brought her recognition, and there has been no looking back since then.

During her high school days, Ashanti focused on writing songs and exploring her potential for writing stories, which could connect to the audience. She was also part of the English club which laid the foundation for writing poetry. The powerful and soulful voice that she possessed was noticed by industry experts, and she was offered her first singing contract with Jive Records at the age of fourteen.

Later, she signed with Epic records but that contract lasted just for a year due to management issues. She got admission in Hampton University in Virginia on a track scholarship, which she later dropped to pursue her singing career.

Ashanti always wanted to pursue music career, but the path to success was not that easy. Her stints with Jive Records and Epic didn’t fare well, whic did not help her career.

Later, she joined AJM Records, which ultimately helped her getting noticed by Irv Gotti, the multi-platinum producer of Murder Inc. He recognized her true potential of writing and singing and gave her a platform to showcase her talent to the music industry. This contact brought Ashanti her first musical act as a guest vocalist on the song “How we Roll” by Big Pun. The song was a huge success which made an entry to the top of BillBoard charts 2001. After this success, she signed a contract with the Murder Inc. and started off working for her debut album.

Prior to the release of her album, Ashanti collaborated with many artists to make her presence felt in the industry. She joined rapper Ja Rule for the song “Always on Time” and sung in the chorus for Fat Joe’s single “What’s Luv”. The name and fame achieved by these songs inspired, Ashanti to come with her solo track “Foolish”. The success of these songs was such that it appeared in the top 10 of Billboard Hot 100 list. The songs “Always on Top” and “What’s Luv” took away the top two spots which made Ashanti the first female singer to hold these two prestigious positions in America. The singer also sang the “Fast and Furious” title track.

Her debut album “Ashanti” in 2002 turned out as the biggest milestone in her career. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its maiden week, which set a Soundscan record of maximum sold out debut album of a female singer.

The success of the album continued with her next album ‘Chapter II’ in the year 2003. The next album was also placed at the number 1 slot in the Billboard 200 category. This was followed by two not so successful albums - ‘Concrete Rose’ (2004) and ‘The Declaration’ (2008).

The major works of Ashanti include her debut album “Ashanti”, which kick-started her career with a bang and won her many accolades including the prestigious Grammy awards.

The Songs such as “Always on Time;” “How We Roll;” “What’s Luv” were part of the Billboard top 100 and contributed immensely to her career. Ashanti has even sung the title track of ‘Fast and Furious’.

The singer is also known for ‘The Braveheart’ (2014) depicting heart-wrenching single "Never Should Have” and "The Woman You Love" featuring Busta Rhymes and "That's What We Do" featuring R. Kelly.