Ashanti (album)

Ashanti
Studio album by Ashanti
Released April 2, 2002
(see release history)
Recorded 2001–02
Genre
Length 61:08
Label Murder Inc./Def Jam
Producer Irv Gotti, Chink Santana, 7 Aurelius, Jared Thomas, Reggie Wright
Ashanti chronology

Ashanti
(2002)		 7 Series Sampler: Ashanti
(2003)
Singles from Ashanti
  1. "Foolish"
    Released: January 29, 2002
  2. "Happy"
    Released: May 21, 2002
  3. "Baby"
    Released: August 17, 2002

Ashanti is the self-titled debut studio album by American R&B recording artist Ashanti; it was released on April 2, 2002, by Murder Inc. Records and Def Jam Records. The album was recorded between 2001 and 2002 in Crackhouse Studios (New York) and SoundCastle Studios (Los Angeles), during the period of time where Ashanti was writing for other artists. Ashanti worked with a variety of producers including Irv Gotti, Chink Santana, 7 Aurelius, Jared Thomas, Reggie Wright as well as Ashanti co-writing all the songs on the album. Its music incorporates R&B, hip hop, hip hop soul and urban. The album features guest vocals from The Notorious B.I.G., Irv Gotti and Ja Rule.

Ashanti debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with first-week sales of an impressive 503,000 units, the biggest first-week sales for a debut female artist. The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of 3,000,000 copies on December 17, 2002. It earned Ashanti three Grammy nominations for Best New Artist, Best Contemporary R&B Album, and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Ashanti also received two additional Grammy nominations in the same year for other projects, both in the category of Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

Billboard magazine ranked Ashanti at number 100 on its Top 200 Albums of the Decade.[1] Ashanti mentioned on Ustream that she planned to re-release the album for its 10th anniversary in 2012. She planned on adding tracks such as "Down 4 U" and "The Pledge" to the album which were huge hits in 2002 the same time "Foolish", "Happy" and "Baby" were on the charts.

Background

When Ashanti was 14, 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 had her sign to a development deal. 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.[2] 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 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.[3]

Ashanti was first noticed by Irv Gotti because of her vocal skills.[4] 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 provided 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 rapper 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 "Aint It Funny (Murder Remix)", the second duet between Lopez and Rule, for which she wrote and also sang background vocals on), 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 artist to occupy the top two positions on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart simultaneously when "Always on Time" and "What's Luv?" were at numbers one and two, respectively.

Reception

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [5]
Entertainment Weekly B−[6]
Los Angeles Times [7]
Q [8]
Rolling Stone [9]
Slant Magazine [10]
Robert Christgau [11]

AllMusic gave the album a positive review and praised the "modern, post-hip-hop soul" sound, stating the album has "fairly fresh beats and lightly insistent hooks, and is just naughty enough". However, the site felt it lacked "distinctive material".[12] Entertainment Weekly commended the album's "coy hooks" and "jagged-edged rappers", continuing to say "her voice is supple and pretty but rarely rises above a whisper, making it a background instrument even when it's Ashanti's turn to shine".[13] The Los Angeles Times had a mixed view of the album, writing "Ashanti's breathy, cooing vocals are well suited to the mellow mood of this collection", however was unimpressed because it was not "substantial".[14]

Accolades

The Ashanti album earning her a three Grammy nominations for Best New Artist, Best Contemporary R&B Album and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. On the same year, Ashanti also received two additional Grammy nominations for other projects, both in the category of Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Ashanti took home a record 8 billboard awards, winning all the categories she was nominated for. Billboard magazine ranked Ashanti at number 100 on magazine's Top 200 Albums of the Decade.[1] In April 2002, Ashanti sold 503,000 copies in its first week of release in the United States, becoming a record-breaking feat. It was the highest first week sales for a female artist's debut ever. The album stayed atop the Bilboard 200 for three consecutive weeks. 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. Only The Beatles have achieved this. Ashanti wrote and sang background on the song "Ain't It Funny" sung by Jennifer Lopez, 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) so the singer actually had four top 10 singles in the top ten. (2009) According to Billboard.com, Ashanti has had the most top 10 songs (16 to date) on the R&B/Hip-hop charts by a female this decade. The album's lead single was named the 19th most successful song of the 2000s (decade) on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade.[15] As of June 2012, it is the third best selling physical single of the 21st century. It sold over 8.2 million copies to date.[16]

Commercial performance

On April 20, 2002, Ashanti debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, and Billboards Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart at number one with first-week sales of 503,000 copies in the United States. On December 17, 2002, the album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and remained on Billboard 200 chart for 55 weeks. Ashanti has sold 3.6 million copies in the United States alone,[17] according to Nielsen SoundScan. Worldwide, the album sold over eight million copies in the United States.[18]

In Canada, the album peaked at number 15 on the chart and was certified two times platinum for shipments of 200,000 copies.

Singles
"Foolish"
A sample of "Foolish"
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The album's lead single "Foolish" was released on January 29, 2002. The song became Ashanti's biggest solo successes to date, spending ten consecutive weeks on top of the US Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. It was eventually ranked first on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles 2002 year-end charts for eleven straight weeks (Tying with Nelly's "Dilemma", but not for eleven straights weeks). It was a breakthrough hit internationally entering the top five in the United Kingdom, the top ten in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Germany and Japan and the top twenty in Switzerland and the Netherlands.

The album's second single "Happy" was released on May 21, 2002. The song peaked at number 8 on US Billboard Hot 100 and number 6 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The single became Ashanti's second top ten hit solo. It was a moderate success internationally, it reached the top ten in the Netherlands, the top twenty in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and the top forty in Australia, Ireland, Switzerland, and France.

The album's third single "Baby" was released on August 17, 2002. The song peaked at number 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 7 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The single became Ashanti's third top-forty hit solo as a lead artist.

The album's fourth single, "Unfoolish"; the remix featuring The Notorious B.I.G., was released only for radio ads. No video, although a video was planned as a conclusion to the "Foolish" video. The album's fifth and final single "Dreams", which was released as a promo single with a live-performance music video with clips of Ashanti's career at that point.

Track listing

All songs co-written by Ashanti Douglas

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Intro"  J. Atkins, 7 Aurelius, T. Crocker, I. Lorenzo, J. Cartagena, A. Parker, C. Rios, T. Green, R. Gill7 Aurelius 1:25
2. "Foolish"  7 Aurelius, I. Lorenzo, E. Jordan, M. DeBarge7 Aurelius, Irv Gotti 3:47
3. "Happy"  R. Calhouh, A. Parker, I. LorenzoChink Santana, Irv Gotti 4:22
4. "Leaving (Always on Time Part 2)" (featuring Ja Rule)7 Aurelius, I. Lorenzo, J. Atkins7 Aurelius, Irv Gotti 3:55
5. "Narrative Call" (skit)Irv GottiI. Lorenzo 0:36
6. "Call"  7 Aurelius, I. Lorenzo7 Aurelius, Irv Gotti 5:05
7. "Scared" (featuring Irv Gotti)A. Parker, I. LorenzoChink Santana, Irv Gotti 4:43
8. "Rescue"  7 Aurelius, I. Lorenzo7 Aurelius, Irv Gotti 7:25
9. "Baby"  7 Aurelius, I. Lorenzo, M. Dean, B. Jordan7 Aurelius 4:25
10. "Voodoo"  7 Aurelius, I. Lorenzo7 Aurelius, Irv Gotti 4:42
11. "Movies"  7 Aurelius, I. Lorenzo, R. Wright, J. Thomas7 Aurelius, Reggie Wright* 4:09
12. "Fight" (Over skit)I. LorenzoAshanti, Irv Gotti 1:18
13. "Over"  A. Parker, I. LorenzoChink Santana, Irv Gotti 5:34
14. "Unfoolish" (featuring The Notorious B.I.G.)7 Aurelius, I. Lorenzo, E. Jordan, M. DeBarge, S. Combs, D. Jones, R. Kelly, C. WallaceIrv Gotti 3:14
15. "Shi Shi" (skit)   0:14
16. "Dreams"  7 Aurelius, I. Lorenzo, M. DeBarge7 Aurelius 4:18
17. "Thank You"   A. Douglas 1:48

*Co-producer

Samples

Credits

  • Asif Ali – engineer
  • Robert Bacon – acoustic guitar, guitar, bass guitar
  • Kenneth Crouch – piano
  • Chris DeLaPena – assistant
  • Tony Duran – photography
  • Brian "Big Bass" Gardener – mastering
  • Chris G.O.T.T.I. – A&R
  • Irv Gotti – producer, mixing
  • Deidre Graham – marketing
  • Charles "Chee" Heath – assistant
  • Ja Rule – performer
  • Darcell Lawrence – A&R
  • Trevor Lawrence – drums
  • Rosie Michel – stylist
  • Milwaukee Buck – engineer
  • Erica Novich – A&R
  • Chink Santana – drums, multiple instruments, producer
  • 7 Aurelius – engineer
  • Brian Springer – engineer, mixing
  • David Tan – marketing
  • Jared Thomas – producer
  • Tony Vanias – recording coordinator
  • Glen Williams – A&R
  • Reggie Wright – producer

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2002) Peak
position
Austrian Albums Chart 36
Australian Albums Chart 10
Canadian Albums Chart 15
French Albums Chart 29
German Albums Chart 10
Japanese Albums Chart 4
New Zealand Albums Chart 17
Swiss Albums Chart 15
UK Albums Chart 3
US Billboard 200 1
US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 1

Year-end charts

Year Chart Rank
2002 US Billboard 200[19] 12
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[20] 4
2003 US Billboard 200[21] 160

Certifications

Region Certification(s)
Australia (ARIA) Gold[22]
Canada (CRIA) 2× Platinum[23]
Japan (RIAJ) Platinum[24]
Switzerland (Media Control) Gold
United Kingdom (BPI) Platinum[25]
United States (RIAA) 3× Platinum[26]

Awards and nominations

Year Recipient Award Result
2002 BET Awards Best New Artist style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
Lady of Soul Best R&B/Soul New Artist style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
Aretha Franklin Entertainer of the Year style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
Best R&B/Soul Single - "Foolish" style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
R&B/Soul Album of the Year - Ashanti style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
R&B/Soul Song of the Year - "Foolish" style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
R&B/Soul Song of the Year - "Foolish" style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
Best R&B/Soul Music Video - "Foolish" style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
Teen Choice Awards Choice Breakout Artist style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
Best New Artist style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
Choice R&B/Hip-Hop Single - "Foolish" style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
MOBO Best R&B Act style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
Best Newcomer style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
Best Album - Ashanti style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
MTV Video Music Awards Best Female Video - "Foolish" style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
Best R&B Video - "Foolish" style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
Best New Artist in a video - "Foolish" style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
Billboard Music Awards Female Artist of the Year style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
Top New Pop Artist of the Year style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
Hot 100 Singles Artist of the Year style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of the Year style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
R&B/Hip-Hop Female Artist of the Year style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
New R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of the Year style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
R&B/Hip-Hop Single of the Year - "Foolish" style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Artist of the Year style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
2003 ASCAP Pop Music Awards Award-Winning Pop Songs - Foolish style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards Top R&B/Hip-hop Song - "Foolish" style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
Award-Winning R&B/Hip-Hop Songs - "Baby" style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
American Music Awards Favorite New Artist in Pop/Rock style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
Favorite New Artist in Hip-Hop/R&B style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
Best Duo or Group - Ashanti style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
Fans Choice Award style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
Favorite Female Artist in Hip-Hop/R&B style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
Favorite Album - Pop or Rock 'n Roll Music - Ashanti style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
Favorite Album - Hip-Hop / Rhythm & Blues Music - Ashanti style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
Grammy Awards Best New Artist style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
Best Contemporary R&B Album R&B - Ashanti style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
Best Female R&B Vocal Performance R&B - "Foolish" style="background: #FDD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|Nominated
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding New Artist style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
Outstanding Female Artist style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won
Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards Best New Artist style="background: #99FF99; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2"|Won

Release history

Country Date
United States April 2, 2002
United Kingdom April 8, 2002

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Best of the 2000s - Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
  2. ↑ Daniels, Mark. "Nobody's Fool". Amazon.com. Retrieved April 12, 2007.
  3. ↑ OnTV Shows | myLifetime.com
  4. ↑ http://music.yahoo.com/ar-252802-bio--Ashanti
  5. ↑ "Allmusic review". Retrieved August 2011
  6. ↑ Caramanica, Jon (2002-04-26). "Ashanti Review". Entertainment Weekly. p. 148. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  7. ↑ Hilburn, Robert (2002-04-21). "Many Happy Returns to Form - Page 2 - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 2011-08-10.
  8. ↑ "Music: Ashanti (CD) by Ashanti (Artist)". Tower.com. 2002-04-02. Archived from the original on 28 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-10.
  9. ↑ Ex, Kris (2002-04-10). "Ashanti: Ashanti : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-10-13. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  10. ↑ Ashanti, slantmagazine.com. Retrieved August 2011
  11. ↑ Robert Christgau: Album: Ashanti: Ashanti
  12. ↑ Ashanti - Ashanti | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic
  13. ↑ "Music Review: Ashanti, by Ashanti". Entertainment Weekly. April 26, 2002.
  14. ↑ Hilburn, Robert (April 21, 2002). "Many Happy Returns to Form". Los Angeles Times.
  15. ↑ Hot 100 Decade Songs
  16. ↑ Ashanti This Is Me » BIOGRAPHY
  17. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1043619/ask-billboard-ashanti-nelly-chate-moore-donna-summer-aretha-franklin-blackgirl
  18. ↑ Norment, Lynn (2005). "Ashanti: answers critics & doubters". Ebony.
  19. ↑
  20. ↑
  21. ↑
  22. ↑ "Australian Certifications on self-titled album Ashanti". ARIA. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
  23. ↑ "Gold & Platinum Certifications: July 2002". CRIA. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
  24. ↑ "GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 2003年2月度" [Gold Albums, and other certified works. February 2003 Edition] (PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese) (Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan) 521: 13. April 10, 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 3, 2013. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  25. ↑ "BPI certifications". BPI.
  26. ↑ "The USA Certifications of Ashanti". RIAA. Retrieved 2009-07-07.

External links