- Album list
- Singer Intro
Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas (born October 13, 1980), known simply as Ashanti, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer and actress. Ashanti is known for her eponymous debut album, which featured the hit song 'Foolish', and sold over 505,000 copies throughout the U.S. in its first week of release in April 2002. In 2003, the album won Ashanti her first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B album. Her second release achieved Platinum status and other top 10 singles.
Ashanti wrote and sang background on Jennifer Lopez's 'Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix)', which reached number one on Billboard Hot 100, which was also in the top 10 chart at the same time as 'Foolish', 'Always on Time' (with Ja Rule), and 'What's Luv?' (with Fat Joe). Later that year, she was acclaimed as the 'Princess Of Hip-Hop & R&B' during the early 2000s by her label and capped off her successful debut by winning eight Billboard awards and two American Music Awards. Throughout her career, Ashanti has sold over 15 million records worldwide.
Since 2013, she has her own publishing company titled Written Entertainment.
Early life
Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas was born on October 13, 1980, in Glen Cove, New York. Her mother, Tina Douglas, is a former dance teacher, and her father, Ken-Kaide Thomas Douglas, is a former singer. Her mother named her after the Ashanti Empire in Ghana; in this nation, women had power and influence, and Tina wanted her daughter to follow that model. Her grandfather, James, was a civil rights activist who associated with Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1960s. Growing up, Ashanti took dance lessons and joined the church choir. Ashanti went to Bernice Johnson Cultural Arts Center, where she studied different dance styles, including tap, jazz, ballet, African, modern, and hip hop. She danced with the Senior Pro Ensemble at Carnegie Hall, the Apollo Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Avery Fisher Hall, and the Black Spectrum Theater. She also performed at the 1994 Caribbean Awards and dancing with Judith Jamison of the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. Ashanti also performed in the 1989 Disney television film Polly alongside stars Keshia Knight Pulliam, Jomecia Moore and Phylicia Rashad.[citation needed]
When she was three years old, Ashanti sang in a gospel choir called 'Having Some Fun and the Handsome Pigeons,' but her mother discovered her full singing potential when she overheard Ashanti singing Mary J. Blige's 'Reminisce' at age 12. By the time Ashanti hit puberty, her mother was sending out demo tapes of her singing and dancing. The family could not afford to go to a studio and record a formal demo, so when labels called, Ashanti would have to sing 'I'm a little teapot' in front of the record company executives. While attending high school, she began to write songs. As a teenager, she performed in a local talent show and at the Soul Cafe, China Club, Madison Square Garden, Caroline's Comedy Club, and Greek Fest 2000. In her first major singing performance, Ashanti performed Yolanda Adams's 'More Than a Melody'. She also appeared in a number of big-name music videos, in addition to other dance work.
Ashanti got her first taste of acting as a child extra in Spike Lee's Malcolm X (1992) and in Who's the Man?. She was also one of the students in the 3-2-1 Contact Extra, What Kids Want To Know About Sex and Growing Up. She also had a couple of minor appearances in music videos, such as KRS-One's 'MC's Act Like They Don't Know' as well as 8-Off's 'Ghetto Girl'.
When Ashanti was 16, she was discovered by P.Diddy's Bad Boy Records. Initially, she went to Bad Boy Records and sang one of Mary J. Blige's songs in front of P. Diddy and Biggie Smalls. After being impressed by her singing ability, Diddy had her sign to a development deal. In the end, due to a bad contract, Ashanti did not sign with Diddy. This ultimately led to a record deal with Jive Records in 1997. This relationship soured when Jive tried to make Ashanti into a pop singer. Ashanti subsequently involved herself in schoolwork, cheerleading, and running on her school's track team. She belonged to the English club where she began writing poetry. She was also in the Drama club and performed in a few plays. She put college pursuits aside when Epic Records approached her with a contract in 1998. However, the label's management changes quickly made Ashanti a low priority. She continued to perform at local New York clubs and began hanging out at the Murder Inc. recording studio, hoping for another big break.
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