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http://www.ahantithisisme.com
Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas (born October 13, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress, andmodel. She rose to fame in the early 2000s. Ashanti is most famous for her eponymous debut album, which featured the hit song "Foolish", and sold over 503,000 copies in its first week of release throughout the U.S. in April 2002. The album set a Soundscanrecord as the biggest opening week sales for a new female artist, outselling debuts by Alicia Keys and Lauryn Hill.[1] In the same week, she became the first female performer to simultaneously hold the top two places on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart with "Foolish", and "What's Luv?" (with Fat Joe). Ashanti broke records again by having three top ten songs, "Foolish," "What's Luv?" and "Always on Time", on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in the same week, being the first woman to accomplish this feat and being second only to the Beatles.[2] In 2003, the self-titled debut album won Ashanti her first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B album. As of 2008, she has sold 15 million records worldwide.[3] Ashanti ended the decade (2000–09) as the third top new R&B artist behind Alicia Keys and Beyoncé.[4] She also ended the decade at number 38 on the Top Artist of the Decade list.[5] She ranked #17, with Foolish selling more than 7.4 million copies in the U.S.[citation needed]. Ashanti sang background vocals for Jennifer Lopez on "I'm Real (Murder Remix)" and wrote and sang background on the song "Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix)" sung by Jennifer Lopez, both reaching number one on Billboard Hot 100, which was also in the top 10 charts at the same time as "Foolish", "Always on Time" (with Ja Rule), and "What's Luv" (with Fat Joe).[6] Later that year, she was acclaimed as the "Princess Of Hip-Hop & R&B"[7][8][9] by her label and capped off her successful debut by winning eight Billboardawards and two American Music Awards. Within seven years of Ashanti's career, she has scored 16 top 40 hits on the Hot 100. Ashanti has endorsed numerous products including Gap, Herbal Essences and Mudd Jeans. Ashanti cites Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Prince, Madonna, Mary J. Blige, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Yolanda Adams, Luther Vandross, The Beatles, The Clark Sisters, Smokey Robinson, Donna Summer, and Blue Magic as her musical influences.[10][11]Praised as a gifted songwriter by her peers and critics alike, Ashanti has written/co-written the bulk of all her music. She is currently working on her own publishing company entitled Written Entertainment. She released her fourth studio album entitled The Declarationon June 3, 2008 and is currently in the studio working on her fifth.[12] She also performed the charity tune "Just Stand Up" alongside 15 other female singers for the "Stand Up to Cancer" live television special which helped raise $100 million dollars for cancerresearch.[13
Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas[14] was born on October 13, 1980,[15] in Glen Cove, New York.[16] Her mother, Tina Douglas, is a former dance teacher, and her father, Ken-Kaide Thomas Douglas, is a former singer. She has a younger sister named Kenashia. Her mother named her after the Ashanti Empire in Ghana; in this nation, women had power and influence, and Ashanti's mother wanted her daughter to follow that model.[17] Her grandfather, James, was a civil rights activist who associated with Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1960s.[18] 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. With actress and choreographer Debbie Allen at the helm, Ashanti also performed in the Disney television film Polly alongside stars Keshia Knight Pulliam, Jomecia Moore andPhylicia Rashad.Ashanti has Dominican decedent in her family. When she was 3 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.[19] 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.[20] 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 the Spike Lee directed movies Malcolm X and Who's the Man?. She also started as a dancer in the Disney TV filmPolly.[21] After success with her music career, Ashanti had a cameo appearance in the film Bride and Prejudice, in which she sang "My Lips are Waiting" and "Touch My Body". Ashanti's appearance in the film was meant as homage to a tradition in Bollywood films where a celebrity would make a cameo appearance to sing a song that has no direct involvement in the plot. The rest of the characters do not interact with the celebrity but are seen in the crowd enjoying the show. When Ashanti was 14, she was discovered byP.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 Recordsin 1994. This relationship soured when Jive tried to make Ashanti into a pop singer.[22] Ashanti subsequently involved herself in schoolwork, cheerleading, and running on her school's track team. She was an honor student in English and 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.[23]
Ashanti's voice type is a Lyric Soprano. At her highest note she can reach a G6 and at her lowest she can reach an E3. Her vocal range is a 3.3 octaves (E3-G6).[54] She cites Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Prince, Tupac Shakur, Marvin Gaye, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Blue Magic, Smokey Robinson, Luther Vandross, The Clark Sisters, Mary J. Blige, JB, and Donna Summer amongst her musical influences. In 2003, Ashanti partnered LidRock and the San Francisco-based Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF) to raise awareness about the issue of domestic violence during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and to distribute the "Rain On Me" mini-movie using LidRock’s unique platform. Proceeds from the $5 mini-disc went towards helping to stop domestic violence. Ashanti also recorded a public service announcement that appeared in more than 4,000 film screens and reached millions of people.[55] Ashanti also gives back by raising money forsickle cell research and she is active in helping the Make-A-Wish Foundation stating, "I’ll go and do just about anything for them."[56] In 2005, Ashanti helped by recording public service announcement and raising money for the Southeast Asia tsunami disaster.[57] Later that year she helped raise money for the Hurricane Katrina victims and storm evacuees.[58] In 2008, Ashanti, along with others celebrities, taped a PSA to help stop violence and discrimination towards the LGBT community in response to the death of Lawrence King, an eighth-grader at E.O. Green Junior High School who was shot because of his sexual orientation and gender expression. That same year, she launched a special on-line campaign called "I Declare Me..." with Wal-Mart. The campaign's core is a very personal focus on the self-definition and empowerment of women across the United States, with its home base at Ashanti's official website. The campaign creates a safe and inclusive on-line space to for women to share testimonies on the site. Participants are able to openly declare their own breakthroughs, revelations, struggles and victories in every life area they choose: career, birth, death, relationships, and personal situations. "I Declare Me..." also invites women to a virtual discussion with Ashanti on such issues as voter registration, teen obesity, and other concerns facing women today.[59] In September 2009, Ashanti, along with other artists Mariah Carey, Beyoncé Knowles, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes and Carrie Underwood, teamed up for the song "Just Stand Up!". The charity tune for cancer was conceived by Antonio "L.A." Reid, who produced it with longtime creative colleague Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds. All 15 singers (along with Nicole Scherzinger) shared the stage to perform the song live on Sept. 5 2008 during the "Stand Up to Cancer" television special, which aired simultaneously on ABC, NBC and CBS, and helped raise $100 million dollars for cancer research.[13] As a result of SU2C fund raising endeavors, the SU2C scientific advisory committee, overseen by the American Association for Cancer Research was able to award 73.6 million dollars towards novel, groundbreaking cancer research in 2009.[60] In November 2009, Ashanti joined the crew of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The singer assisted in the rebuilding of the Powell Family home in Buffalo, New York. The efforts from the show expanded significantly to include not just the family home but the entire neighborhood surrounding it. The episode aired January 24, 2010.
Films Television Theat
Exclusive first look - behind the scenes of Ashanti's The Woman You Love.
(c) 2012 MOManager (c) 2012 Written Entertainment
Biography
[edit]1980-00: Early life and Career Beginnings
Artistry
[edit]Voice
[edit]Influences
[edit]Philanthropy
Discography
Main article: Ashanti discography
[edit]Filmography
