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Films and Music.
Discography
Albums
* Ashanti (2002) #1 US (3x Platinum) [4], #3 UK (Platinum)
Shortly after the success of her collaborations with Ja Rule and Fat Joe, Ashanti released her debut single, “Foolish”, containing a sample of the 1983 song “Stay With Me” by DeBarge (also utilized by The Notorious B.I.G. in his 1995 #2 hit “One More Chance”). This accomplishment made Ashanti the only artist, other than The Beatles, to have their first three chart entries in the top ten simultaneously. “Foolish” became the biggest hit of 2002 according to Billboard, spending ten weeks at #1, due in part to a remix titled “Unfoolish”, which featured a rap by The Notorious B.I.G. Her self-titled debut album, Ashanti, was released on Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. record label in April 2002. It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart, selling 504,000-plus copies in its first week (the most successful first week sales for a debut female artist). The album has been certified triple platinum in the U.S.
Ashanti's follow-up singles, “Happy” and “Baby”, were not as successful as her debut single but did peak in the top ten and top twenty in the U.S. respectively. During the summer of 2002, Ashanti appeared on a Ja Rule's “Down 4 U” with labelmates, female rappers Vita and Charli Baltimore. The song appeared on a Murder Inc. compilation titled Irv Gotti Presents The Inc. Ashanti's debut album earned her many awards including eight Billboard Music Awards, two American Music Awards, two MOBO Awards, a Lady of Soul Award for “Aretha Franklin Entertainer of the Year”, and a Grammy Award. Her success also awarded her the key to the City of Glen Cove May 3, 2002 and was proclaimed as “Ashanti's Day”and July 25, 2002 she received the key to Atlantic City and was crowned Princes of R and B.
In 2003, Ja Rule and Ashanti teamed up again and scored a hit with “Mesmerize”. The music video for the single was a parody of a scene from the film Grease.
* Chapter II (2003) #1 US (2 weeks) (Platinum) [5], #5 UK (Gold)
In July 2003, Ashanti released her sophomore album Chapter II. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 326,000 in the U.S. The album has been certified platinum in the U.S. Chapter II's first single, “Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)”, became a hit peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its steamy video, which showed Ashanti in a bikini frolicking on a beach and riding an elephant, was nominated for two 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. A remix of the song contained interpolations of Michael Jackson's “Rock With You”. The second single, “Rain on Me”, reached the top 10 of the Hot 100. The album has been certified platinum in the U.S. In May 2003, Ashanti appeared on VH1 Divas and performed her single “Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)” and participated in duets with Stevie Wonder and the Isley Brothers.
Also released in 2003 was Ashanti's Christmas album, Ashanti's Christmas. During the release, Ashanti's label Murder Inc. was undergoing investigation by the FBI during December 2003.
* Ashanti's Christmas (2003) #160 US (U.S. sales: 117,000+)
* Concrete Rose (2004) #7 US (Platinum) [6], #25 UK (Gold)
Concrete Rose (2004)
In 2004, Ashanti appeared on three more collaborations. “Southside” with male R&B newcomer and labelmate Lloyd was released as his debut single and was a moderate hit while “Wonderful” with Ja Rule and R. Kelly peaked at #3 in the U.S. Ashanti was also featured on Shyne's song “Jimmy Choo”.
Ashanti released her third studio album, Concrete Rose, in December 2004. Neither the album nor its singles were as successful as her previous work. The album debuted at #7 in the U.S. with first week sales of 254,000. The first single, “Only U”, reached the top fifteen of the Hot 100 and became her biggest hit in the UK, peaking at #2, while the follow-up single “Don't Let Them” failed to chart in the U.S. The album has been certified platinum in the U.S.
* Collectables by Ashanti (2005) #59 US (U.S. sales: 156,000+)
In December 2005, Ashanti released a compilation album titled Collectables by Ashanti. The album features six remixes of previously released tracks and four newly recorded songs including the single “Still On It”, which featured rappers Paul Wall and Method Man. The album was not successful, only managing to debut at #59 on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 35,000.
Singles
Year Title Chart positions Album
2002 “Foolish” #1 (10 weeks) #1 (10 weeks) #4 Ashanti
2002 “Happy” #8 #6 #13 Ashanti
2002 “Baby” #15 #7 - Ashanti
2003 “Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)” #2 #4 #7 Chapter II
2003 “Rain on Me” #7 #2 #19 Chapter II
2004 “Breakup 2 Makeup” (remix) (featuring Black Child) - #76 - Chapter II / Collectables by Ashanti
2004 “Only U” #13 (Gold) #10 #2 Concrete Rose
2005 “Don't Let Them” - - #38 Concrete Rose
2005 “Still On It” (featuring Paul Wall & Method Man) - #55 - Collectables by Ashanti
Others
Year Title Chart positions Album
2001 “Always on Time” (Ja Rule featuring Ashanti) #1 (2 weeks) #6 Pain Is Love
2002 “What's Luv?” (Fat Joe featuring Ashanti) #2 #4 Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.)
2002 “Down 4 U” (Irv Gotti presents Ashanti. Ja Rule, Charli Baltimore, & Vita) #6 #4 Irv Gotti Presents… The Inc.
2003 “Mesmerize” (Ja Rule featuring Ashanti) #2 #12 The Last Temptation
2003 “Into You” (Fabolous featuring Ashanti/Tamia) #4 #18 Street Dreams
2004 “Southside” (Lloyd featuring Ashanti) #25 - Southside
2005 “Wonderful” (Ja Rule featuring R. Kelly & Ashanti) #5 #1 R.U.L.E.
Filmography
After success with her music career, Ashanti has also ventured into acting. In 2004, she appeared in the English language Bollywood movie Bride and Prejudice, in which she sang “My Lips are Waiting”. In January 2005, she made her feature film acting debut in the film Coach Carter alongside Samuel L. Jackson. The movie entered at number-one at the U.S. box office grossing $24 million in its opening weekend. In 2005, Ashanti also starred as Dorothy Gale in the made-for-television film The Muppets' Wizard of Oz. She stars in the 2006 film John Tucker Must Die and will appear in the 2007 film Resident Evil: Extinction.
Films
* Bride and Prejudice (2004)
* Coach Carter (2005)
* The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (TV) (2005)
* John Tucker Must Die (2006)
* Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
Television
* American Dreams (2002)
* Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (2002)
* The Proud Family (voice) (2003)
* Buffy The Vampire Slayer (2003)
* Punk'd (2004)
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