Ashanti

.. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Copied from MySpace.com -- Find me on MySpace and be my friend!Ja Rule. J. Lo. Big Pun. Fat Joe. Shes worked with some of the industrys bestwriting lyrics and singing hooks that help their records reach the top of the music charts. Now its time for 21-year-old Ashanti Douglas to take center stage and shine on her very own self-titled debut, the much-anticipated Ashanti. In April, Ashanti hits the scene as the first R&B vocalist on Murder Inc. Although this is a departure for the hip hop powerhouse label that has a roster including rappers Ja Rule, Vita and Charli Baltimore, all indications show that the transition has been more than smooth and successful. Ashantis lead single, Foolish, has already made waves at radiogetting heavy rotation on urban stations and galvanizing fans to demand an earlier-than-planned release of her album, a tantalizing blend of edgy hip hop groves and subtle R&B styling. With Ashantis clever lyrics and slick production by Murder Inc.s president Irv Gotti, Foolish immediately reminds music lovers of the Notorious B.I.G.s popular One More Chance remix. (True old school heads will remember the familiar melody from DeBarges 1983 hit Stay with Me.) Either way, youre sure to be hooked. And thats what Irvs depending on.Ashanti's album is full of one-listens like Foolish, says an exuberant Gotti, whose passion for this project is palpable. When you hear this song, and other songs on the album like TK, which is based on one of Scarfaces old cuts, you remember it, youre bopping your head to it and you immediately get it.Making sure people get it and truly feel where shes coming from is also of the utmost importance to Ashanti, who penned all 12 songs on the album, most written on-the-spot in the studio. I want to create something so real and reflective that people just sit back and listen like, damn, was she in my window last night, because this really happened to me, says the eldest daughter of a dancer and singer. Everyone has gone through something thats on this album, and I want to be able to articulate their feelings.With cuts like Happy, Baby and Rescue, which detail the ins and outs of relationships, the precocious Long Island native is sure to make her mark with streetwise sophistication similar to the reigning queen of hip hop soul, who first blended hardcore beats and heartfelt lyrics in the early nineties. Mary paved the way, says Ashanti, who began pursuing her singing career at age 12 and also cites Ella Fitzgerald and Blue Magic as influences. I didn't want to sing only slow songs and I didnt want to be spittin rhymes. But Mary put those concepts together. She cleared the way, and now Im following my own path. Says Irv, who executive produced the project, I want Ashanti's album to pick up where Marys My Life left off. By no means are we trying to take Marys slot because shes undoubtedly the queen. But Ashanti is Murder Inc.s princesswith a gansta feel to her.I really want men to champion this album, Irv continues. Usually, with an R&B record, women pioneer it or champion it before anyone else. I want men, thugs, ganstasI want them to hear the record and be like, yo, this shit is hot. Thatll make women like it even more. Ashanti flips the hardcore songs and makes em sweet, so she appeals to both sexes.Ashantis already well established track record has placed her on the sweet road to success. (Ja Rules Always On Time has broken history as Def Jam's top selling single. Her contribution to J. Lo's I'm Real helped give the former fly girl-turned-actress-turned-singer urban credibility.) With her own album, Ashanti continues the saga that is sure to gain her the hip hop/R&B princess crown. And the impact she hopes to make during her reign is simple: If youre a person who has trouble expressing yourself, all you have to do is pop in this album and itll speak for you, she says with all sincerity. When you listen to this album with your man or your girl, everybody will be on the same page. Says a much more boastful Gotti, Ashanti delivers at the highest level. And she has this personality that makes people love her. Shes got too many people feeling her, too many hit records and too much heat for her to stop, he praises. She cant lose.Full Name : Ashanti S. Douglas Date Of Birth : October 13, 1980 Place Of Birth : Glen Cove, NY, USA Height : 5'3" Birth Sign : Libra Occupation : Actress, Musician________________________ "I didn't want to sing only slow songs and I didn't want to be spittin' rhymes. But Mary [J. Blige] put those concepts together. She cleared the way, and now I'm following my own path." Ms Ashanti feature on Ashanti that includes her pictures, wallpapers, biography, filmography, accomplishments and some interesting facts. Ashanti Douglas was born in 1980 in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York into a musical family. Her father used to sing and her mother is a dance instructor. Ashanti began to sing in a gospel choir at the age of 6. As she grew, her musical talent developed and with it, appearances followed. She danced in a show at Carnegie Hall and in the Disney television musical Polly. It was in high school that she honed her songwriting skills and harnessed her talent for creating a story that people could relate to, song after song.