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Ja Rule. J. Lo. Big Pun. Fat Joe.
She’s worked with some of the industry’s
best—writing lyrics and singing hooks that help
their records reach the top of the music charts. Now
it’s 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. Ashanti’s lead single,
“Foolish,” has already made waves at
radio—getting 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
Ashanti’s 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 DeBarge’s 1983 hit “Stay with
Me.”) Either way, you’re sure to be hooked. And
that’s what Irv’s 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 Scarface’s old
cuts, you remember it, you’re bopping your head to
it and you immediately get it.”
Making sure people “get it” and truly feel where
she’s 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
that’s 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 didn’t want to be spittin’ rhymes.
But Mary put those concepts together. She cleared
the way, and now I’m following my own path.”
Says Irv, who executive produced the project, “I
want Ashanti's album to pick up where Mary’s My
Life left off. By no means are we trying to take
Mary’s slot because she’s undoubtedly the queen.
But Ashanti is Murder Inc.’s princess—with 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, ganstas—I want them to hear the record
and be like, ‘yo, this shit is hot.’ That’ll
make women like it even more. Ashanti flips the
hardcore songs and makes ‘em sweet, so she appeals
to both sexes.”
Ashanti’s already well established track record
has placed her on the sweet road to success. (Ja
Rule’s “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 you’re a
person who has trouble expressing yourself, all you
have to do is pop in this album and it’ll 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. She’s got too many people
feeling her, too many hit records and too much heat
for her to stop,” he praises. “She can’t
lose.”
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