A Grammy Award-winning American singer, Ashanti Biography

Name: Ashanti
Birth Name: Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas
Height: 5' 3''
Sex: F
Nationality: American
Birth Date: October 13, 1980
Birth Place: Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, USA
Profession: Actress, musician
Relationship: Nelly, rappper; reportedly dating on and off since 2003
Cousin: Quinshae Snead (died on April 16, 2006, car accident in Johannesburg, South Africa)
Claim to fame: R&B singer-songwriter's eponymous debut album in 2002 featured the hit song Foolish

Detailed Biography of Ashanti:
Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas (born October 13, 1980), professionally known as Ashanti, is a Grammy Award-winning American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, poet, actress, and fashion designer who rose to fame in the early 2000s. In addition to singing, Ashanti has emerged as a songwriter, penning songs for pop and R&B performers Jennifer Lopez and Toni Braxton. Ashanti has been dating rapper Nelly since 2003. Despite rumors, the couple are not engaged. Ashanti made a statement denying reports that she is engaged to Nelly. She has also received the keys to the cities of Glen Cove, New York, her hometown, on May 2, 2002 and the day was named Ashanti's Day, Atlantic City. She was crowned Princess of Hip Hop, on July 22, 2002, and Miami, Florida.

Ashanti was born in Glen Cove, New York to Ken Kaide Douglas, a singer, and Tina, a dance instructor. Her grandfather, James, was a civil rights activist who associated with Martin Luther King, Jr. during the 1960s. Before she pursued a music career she was accepted to Hampton and Princeton University.Ashanti was first featured as a background vocalist on rapper Big Pun's song "How We Roll". 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".

She appeared as a background vocalist on "I'm Real (Murder Remix)", a collaboration by labelmate Ja Rule and Jennifer Lopez
(she also appeared in the music video for Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix), the 2nd duet between Lopez & Rule), and was featured on Fat Joe's "What's Luv?" and Ja Rule's "Always on Time". "What's Luv" and "Always on Time" were released simultaneously and became two of the biggest hit songs of 2002. Ashanti became the first female to occupy the top two positions on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart when "Always on Time" and "What's Luv?" were number-one and number-two respectively.

Following the success of her collaborations with Ja Rule and Fat Joe, Ashanti released her debut single, "Foolish", which contained a sample of the 1983 song "Stay With Me" by DeBarge; also utilized by The Notorious B.I.G. in his 1995 hit "One More Chance". She became the second artist, after the The Beatles to have their first three chart entries in the top ten of the Hot 100 simultaneously. Ashanti's 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 over 504,000 copies in its first week, the most successful first week sales for a debut R&B female artist. The album has been certified 3x platinum in the U.S. The album is 4x Platinum world-wide.

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 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, a Lady of Soul Award for "Aretha Franklin Entertainer of the Year," and a Grammy Award. In 2003, Ja Rule and Ashanti collaborated on another hit song, "Mesmerize." Its music video was a parody of a scene from the film Grease.

Ashanti released her second album Chapter II. It debuted at number-one on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 326,000 in the U.S. According to Billboard magazine, the album has been certified Platinum (1.5 million copies) in the U.S. 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, was nominated for two 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. A remix of the song contained interpolations of Michael Jackson's "Rock with You". The album has sold over 2.5 million copies world-wide, becoming another a smash for Ashanti.

In November 2003, Ashanti's Christmas album, Ashanti's Christmas, was released. During the release, Ashanti's label Murder Inc. was undergoing investigation by the FBI. The album contained almost an equal amount of new songs to cover songs. The album debuted and peaked at 160 in late 2003. In 2004, Ashanti was invited back to perform at VH1 Divas 2004. She appeared on stage with Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Jessica Simpson, and others. 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 and at #1 in UK. Ashanti was also featured on Shyne's song "Jimmy Choo".

On December 6,2005, Ashanti released a remix album of Concrete Rose 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 only an opportunity for her to fulfill her contract with Def Jam (and have the option of working with another label), managing to debut at #59 on the Billboard 200. Monday, November 27, 2006, Ashanti appeared on BET's 106 & Park to promote the posthumous release of the song Pac's Life, which features herself and rapper T I. During the interview, Ashanti mentioned that her new LP would be coming out some time in 2007 and that some of the producers of her 2007 release included L.T. Hutton, Jermaine Dupri, and Pharrell Williams. She also stated that she recorded a "crazy" record with rapper Snoop Dogg.

Ashanti's next album has been confirmed by a BET interview as being entitled Incredible. This will be Ashanti's fourth studio album. A buzz track has been released called "You Can't Deny", feauturing Jim Jones.After success with her music career, Ashanti has also ventured into acting. In 2004, she appeared in the English-language Bollywood film Bride and Prejudice, in which she sang "My Lips are Waiting" and "Touch My Body'. In January 2005, she made her feature film acting debut in the film Coach Carter alongside Samuel L Jackson. The movie opened at number-one at the US box office, eventually grossing $70 million in the U.S.

In 2005, Ashanti also starred as Dorothy Gale in the made-for-television film The Muppets' Wizard of Oz which pulled in more than 7 million viewers. Ashanti won the "sexiest lead female in a childrens film award" in an internet poll. She starred in the 2006 film John Tucker Must Die, which opened and peaked at #3 at the U.S. box office (competing with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Miami Vice) which grossed $58.7 million worldwide. She has also appeared on the TV show Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Ashanti will also appear in the 2007 film "Resident Evil: Extinction."

In 2007 Ashanti will launch her second fragrance title "Captivating" in addition to Perfume "Precious Jewel". 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 line in Europe for teenage girls titled "Princess."

Ashanti is set to showcase her style in a book, titled Ashanti Style, which will be released 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 to be revealed in 2007. Ashanti cites Mary J. Blige, Ella Fitzgerald, and Blue Magic as her musical influences.