Who is Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas? [1]the world knows her as Ashanti, she is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, actress, dancer, and model who rose to fame in the early 2000s. Ashanti is most famous for her eponymous Grammy Award-winning debut album Ashanti which featured the hit song "Foolish", and sold over 504,000 copies in its first week of release in the U.S. in April 2002. The album set a Soundscan record as the biggest opening week sales for a R&B female artist, outselling debuts by Alicia Keys and Lauryn Hill.[2] 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). She broke records again by having three Top Ten songs Foolish, What's Luv, and Always on Time, with Ja Rule, on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in the same week, being the first female to accomplish this feat and being second only to The Beatles.[3] Ashanti also 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 #1 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).[4] Later that year, she was acclaimed as the "Princess Of Hip-Hop & R&B"[5] [6] [7] by her label and capped off her successful debut by winning eight Billboard awards and two American Music Awards. As of 2007, Ashanti had sold more than six million albums in the U.S., and nearly fifteen million records worldwide.[8]Ashanti cites Mary J. Blige, Ella Fitzgerald, Yolanda Adams, the Clark Sisters, and Blue Magic as her musical influences.[9][10] 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 recently released her fourth studio album entitled The Declaration on June 3, 2008. She also performed the charity tune "Just Stand Up" alongside 14 other female singers for the "Stand Up to Cancer" live television special which helped raise $100 million dollars for cancer research. [11]
Written Entertainment. She recently released her fourth studio album entitled The Declaration on June 3, 2008. She also performed the charity tune "Just Stand Up" alongside 14 other female singers for the "Stand Up to Cancer" live television special which helped raise $100 million dollars for cancer research. [11]Ashanti, an African American,[12] was born October 13, 1980 in Glen Cove, New York. She inherited a love for music from her mother, Tina Douglas, a former dance teacher and her father, Ken-Kaide Thomas Douglas, a former singer. She has a younger sister named Kenashia. Her uncle, Laranzo Landford, was the mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey. Her mother named her after the Empire of Ashanti in Ghana; in this nation, the women had power and influence, and Ashanti's mother wanted her daughter to follow that model. Her grandfather, James, was a civil-rights activist who associated with Martin Luther King, Jr. during the 1960s.[13] 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 and Phylicia Rashad.
When she was six, Ashanti sang in a gospel choir, but her mother discovered her full singing potential when she overheard Ashanti singing Mary J. Blige's "Reminisce" to herself at age twelve.[14] 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 and dance 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.[15] 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.
When Ashanti was fourteen, 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 pulled out a bottle and told her it was his new fragrance, which he said he loved. After one sniff, Ashanti said, "Oh pew, it stinks. I hate it!" Diddy started laughing, stating it was a test to judge her character. 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 1994. This relationship soured when Jive tried to make Ashanti into a pop singer.[16]
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 was a star athlete, playing baseball, soccer, and badminton;[17] however, her skills in the 100- and 200-meter dash as well as the triple jump, her specialty reaching as far as 35 feet,[18] earned her athletic scholarships to Princeton & Hampton and got her scouted by the Olympic committee. Instead, 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.[19]
Ashanti was first noticed by Murder Inc. mastermind Irv Gotti 
because her beauty, dancing, and acting, in addition to her vocal skills [20]. Ashanti initially asked him to produce a few demo songs for her to record so she could say she had some strong tracks by the big time producer but Gotti had a different idea. He asked her to pen hooks for his rap artists and to perform with them in duets, Ashanti providing the melodic response to their call. Ashanti was first featured as a background vocalist on rapper Big Pun's 
song "How We Roll".
In the same year, Ashanti was featured on fellow labelmate Cadillac Tah's
singles "Pov City Anthem"
and "Just Like a Thug".
She also appeared on the 2001 The Fast and the Furious soundtrack as a featured artist on Vita's
2001 hip hop remake of Madonna's "Justify My Love"
and on the solo track "When a Man Does Wrong".
When she was six, Ashanti sang in a gospel choir, but her mother discovered her full singing potential when she overheard Ashanti singing Mary J. Blige's "Reminisce" to herself at age twelve.[14] 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 and dance 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.[15] 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.
When Ashanti was fourteen, 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 pulled out a bottle and told her it was his new fragrance, which he said he loved. After one sniff, Ashanti said, "Oh pew, it stinks. I hate it!" Diddy started laughing, stating it was a test to judge her character. 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 1994. This relationship soured when Jive tried to make Ashanti into a pop singer.[16]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 was a star athlete, playing baseball, soccer, and badminton;[17] however, her skills in the 100- and 200-meter dash as well as the triple jump, her specialty reaching as far as 35 feet,[18] earned her athletic scholarships to Princeton & Hampton and got her scouted by the Olympic committee. Instead, 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.[19]
Ashanti was first noticed by Murder Inc. mastermind Irv Gotti 
because her beauty, dancing, and acting, in addition to her vocal skills [20]. Ashanti initially asked him to produce a few demo songs for her to record so she could say she had some strong tracks by the big time producer but Gotti had a different idea. He asked her to pen hooks for his rap artists and to perform with them in duets, Ashanti providing the melodic response to their call. Ashanti was first featured as a background vocalist on rapper Big Pun's 
song "How We Roll".In the same year, Ashanti was featured on fellow labelmate Cadillac Tah's
singles "Pov City Anthem"
and "Just Like a Thug".
She also appeared on the 2001 The Fast and the Furious soundtrack as a featured artist on Vita's
2001 hip hop remake of Madonna's "Justify My Love"
and on the solo track "When a Man Does Wrong".
In addition to singing, Ashanti has emerged as a songwriter penning songs for Christina Milian, 
Ja Rule,
Jennifer Lopez, 
Nas,
Toni Braxton,
& many more. She released a book of poetry titled Foolish/Unfoolish: Reflections on Love
in 2002 and a fragrance, "Precious Jewel by Ashanti,"
in October 2005. In 2005, she signed an exclusive deal with MUDD to promote their brand of jeans titled "Delicious Curves."
In early 2006, she released "Ashanti's OPC-3 Beauty Blend," a nutritional supplement. Ashanti also has a clothing place in Europe for teenage girls titled "Princess." It's sitting on an 12 acre spot of land.
On May 2, 2002 Ashanti received the key to the city of Glen Cove, New York (her hometown), and the day was named Ashanti Day; Ashanti also received a key to the city of Atlantic City, New Jersey (she was crowned princess of hip hop and R&B).[34][35]
Ashanti is set to showcase her style in a book, titled Ashanti Style, which will be published in late 2007. The book, which is being touted as Ashanti's "life and style guide" will offer fans a behind-the-scenes look into her style, both in her personal and professional life. Ashanti Style will be published by Jump at the Sun, an imprint of Disney's Hyperion Books for Children. Another venture Ashanti has enlisted in is her own handbags and pocketbook, revealed in 2007. In July of 2008 Ashanti was named an ambassador of tourism for Nassau County, Long Island.[36].
Ashanti modeling at a charity fashion show to benefit The Heart Truth, February 2008
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.[37] Ashanti also gives back by raising money for sickle cell research and she is active in helping the Make-A-Wish Foundation stating, "I’ll go and do just about anything for them."[18] In 2005, Ashanti helped by recording public service announcement and raising money for the Southeast Asia tsunami disaster.[38] Later that year she helped raise money for the Hurricane Katrina victims and storm evacuees.[39]. 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. [40]
In September, 2008, Ashanti, along with other artists Mariah Carey
, Beyonce
, Mary J. Blige, 
Rihanna
, Fergie
, Sheryl Crow,
Miley Cyrus
, Melissa Etheridge, 
Natasha Bedingfield
, Keyshia Cole,
Ciara,
Leona Lewis,
LeAnn Rimes a
nd Carrie Underwood, t
eamed up for the song "Just Stand Up".
Nas,
Toni Braxton,
& many more. She released a book of poetry titled Foolish/Unfoolish: Reflections on Love
in 2002 and a fragrance, "Precious Jewel by Ashanti,"
in October 2005. In 2005, she signed an exclusive deal with MUDD to promote their brand of jeans titled "Delicious Curves."
In early 2006, she released "Ashanti's OPC-3 Beauty Blend," a nutritional supplement. Ashanti also has a clothing place in Europe for teenage girls titled "Princess." It's sitting on an 12 acre spot of land.
On May 2, 2002 Ashanti received the key to the city of Glen Cove, New York (her hometown), and the day was named Ashanti Day; Ashanti also received a key to the city of Atlantic City, New Jersey (she was crowned princess of hip hop and R&B).[34][35]
Ashanti is set to showcase her style in a book, titled Ashanti Style, which will be published in late 2007. The book, which is being touted as Ashanti's "life and style guide" will offer fans a behind-the-scenes look into her style, both in her personal and professional life. Ashanti Style will be published by Jump at the Sun, an imprint of Disney's Hyperion Books for Children. Another venture Ashanti has enlisted in is her own handbags and pocketbook, revealed in 2007. In July of 2008 Ashanti was named an ambassador of tourism for Nassau County, Long Island.[36].
Ashanti modeling at a charity fashion show to benefit The Heart Truth, February 2008
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.[37] Ashanti also gives back by raising money for sickle cell research and she is active in helping the Make-A-Wish Foundation stating, "I’ll go and do just about anything for them."[18] In 2005, Ashanti helped by recording public service announcement and raising money for the Southeast Asia tsunami disaster.[38] Later that year she helped raise money for the Hurricane Katrina victims and storm evacuees.[39]. 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. [40]
In September, 2008, Ashanti, along with other artists Mariah Carey
, Beyonce
, Mary J. Blige, 
Rihanna
, Fergie
, Sheryl Crow,
Miley Cyrus
, Melissa Etheridge, 
Natasha Bedingfield
, Keyshia Cole,
Ciara,
Leona Lewis,
LeAnn Rimes a
nd Carrie Underwood, t
eamed up for the song "Just Stand Up".
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