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Ashanti: Ja Rule
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While working in the studio for her debut album, Ashanti appeared alongside rapper Ja Rule on his smash "Always On Time," (2001) a duet that peaked at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart within two weeks of its release. It ... reached No. 6 on the UK chart. At about the same time, Ashanti was also featured on rapper Fat Joe's "What's Luv?" Like the previous, it also ripped apart the charts and soon climbed the top ten, landing at No. 2 in the US and No. 4 on the UK charts. In addition to her duets, Ashanti also penned a song for Jennifer Lopez titled "Ain't It Funny," which also followed the success of the previous, creeping toward the top ten position. Through the singles, Ashanti was promoted to stardom.
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Ashanti went into the label's Greenwich Village studio and began to work on her debut album, Ashanti. She wrote the lyrics for all twelve songs, penning many of them right in the studio. "When you perform your own records, records you wrote, for me, the emotion I feel is deeper than when I sing someone else's words," she said on www.teenpeople.com. With those songs she ... hoped to touch other people. "Everyone has gone through something that's on this album, and I want to be able to articulate their feelings," she is quoted on Def Jam's website.
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Ashanti branched out to acting when she made a special appearance in Bride & Prejudice in 2004. She recently made her big screen debut when she played the supporting role Kyra in Coach Carter (2005, starring Samuel L. Jackson). In the film, she portrayed the pregnant girlfriend of Rob Brown's character. Ashanti next was seen acting in The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005,TV), playing Dorothy, one of a trio of girls who group together to seek revenge against the school's resident stud who has broken their hearts. Commenting about her role in the show, she said, "I had a lot of fun, a lot of fun. That was a little easier than Kyra.
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Ashanti's beginnings date back to 1983 when Berklee College of Music students from Mexico, Switzerland, Chile, Japan, and Connecticut launched a new musical project. Their Latin jazz combo, dubbed Ashanti to recognize the African roots of the music they loved to play, performed regularly at a variety of Boston-area venues. Following stints in Dallas, Mexico City, and Cancun, leader Gabriel Espinosa brought Ashanti to the America's heartland where directs the Jazz Studies Program at Central College.
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On July 1, 2003, Ashanti released her second album Chapter II. It debuted at number-one on the Billboard 200, knocking Beyonce Knowles' "Dangerously In Love" album into the #2 spot with first week sales of 327,000 copies in the U.S. The album remained at number one for two weeks and according to Billboard magazine, the album has been certified Platinum (1.5 million copies) in the U.S. and Platinum (350,000) in the UK. Chapter II's first single, "Rock wit U (Awww Baby)", became a hit, peaking at number-two on the Billboard Hot 100. Its steamy video, which showed Ashanti in a bikini frolicking on a beach and riding an elephant named Bubbles, was nominated for two 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. A remix of the song contained interpolations of Michael Jackson's "Rock with You".
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Ashanti tickets are available for the talented musician who joined celebrity status starting in the year 2000. Ashanti became the first female to occupy the top two positions on the Billboard charts with Ja Rule's "Always on Time" and Fat Joe's "What's Luv." Get concert tickets for an unbelievable show with the triple threat with an angelic and smooth voice that engages and awes fans.
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