Ashanti

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Ashanti Douglas can do it all. This New York native is only 27, but already she can call herself a singer, a songwriter, actress, dancer, model and a businesswoman. Her mother named her after the former Empire of Ashanti in Ghana, a nation known for recognizing its powerful and influential women. There is no doubt her mother saw the future for her little girl, as Ashanti is truly a force to be reckoned with.Growing up, her parents instilled in her a love for music and dance, and she worked hard to perfect that love into a craft. She studied various types of dance at a local cultural center and went on to dance with the Senior Pro Ensemble at such infamous venues as Carnegie Hall and the Apollo Theater. Her abilities were recognized by renowned actress and choreographer, Debbie Allen, who hired her to perform in the Disney television movie, Polly, alongside Keshia Knight Pulliam and Phylicia Rashad of The Cosby Show. At the age of 6, while just beginning her dancing career, she started to sing in her church choir, and by the age of 12 her mother, realizing her daughter had an extraordinary voice and rhythm, started to send out demo tapes that showcased her daughter's singing and dancing talents.Ashanti's music career began with a few false starts, but ultimately she ended up where she was meant to be, and her career soared to new heights because of it. When Ashanti was 14, she was discovered by P. Diddy but, due to an inability to negotiate a worthwhile contract, she signed with Jive Records in 1994. She didn't like the image Jive wanted to make of her and instead chose to dive headlong into her schoolwork. Her athletic abilities led to scholarship opportunities with Princeton and Hampton University, but she put college on hold when Epic Records came to her with a contract offer in 1998. Due to structural changes, her contract was eliminated. Rather than be miserable, this head strong young woman continued to sing in New York clubs and started to hang out at the Murder Inc. recording studio in hopes of getting another contract.It wasn't long before Irv Gotti, the man behind Murder Inc., recognized Ashanti's talents. He asked her to write hooks for the artists on his label and she often was featured in the background vocals. She also appeared on the soundtrack for The Fast and the Furious and became known for her duets with Fat Joe on the song, What's Luv? and Ja Rule on the song, Always on Time. Due to those two successful duets, she was able to start work on her debut album, Ashanti, which was released in 2002. It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart and has been certified platinum four times. The album contained one of her biggest hits to date, Foolish. In 2003, she released her second album, Chapter II, which also went to number one and contained another hit single, Rock Wit U (Awww Baby).In late 2004, she released her third album, Concrete Rose, and released a remix album of those same songs in 2005. Her highly anticipated fourth album is said to be released in March 2008, and for this album Ashanti decided to spread her wings and venture outside of the Murder Inc. family. Instead, she worked with talented producers like Babyface, Pharrell Williams and Dr. Dre, just to name a few. She also collaborated with well known R&B singers like Robin Thicke, Ne-Yo and the rappers, Nelly & Snoop Dogg. In addition, she has penned songs for artists like Christina Milian, Toni Braxton, Jennifer Lopez and Nas.With her music career continuing to soar to new heights, Ashanti has also started to concentrate on her film career. In 2005, she made her feature film acting debut in Coach Carter alongside Samuel L. Jackson, and later that year she starred as the lead character, Dorothy Gale, in the tv-movie, The Muppets' Wizard of Oz. She soon followed those projects up with roles in John Tucker Must Die and Resident Evil: Extinction. She is even rumored to possibly be working with Quentin Tarantino in the future.Ashanti is not one to spend one moment doing nothing. In 2002, this busy woman released a book of poetry called Foolish/Unfoolish Reflections on Love. In 2005, she launched a fragrance called Precious Jewel by Ashanti and signed a deal with clothing label, MUDD, to promote their jeans. By 2006, she released her own nutritional supplement and opened a clothing store in Europe for teenage girls called Princess. She also is a dedicated philanthropist, who has in the past partnered with LidRock and the Family Violence Prevention Fund to record a public service announcement in an effort to stop domestic violence. In addition, she works to raise money for sickle cell research, helps out the Make-A-Wish Foundation and raised money for the victims of the Southeast Asia tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.What more can Ashanti possibly do?! This talented, young, capable woman is proof that persistence pays off in major ways. Her belief in herself has earned her a place in the music business as a successful singer/songwriter, and it is only a matter of time before she fully conquers the film world. This well balanced woman also gives back as much as she receives, and regularly lends her time and her name to several reputable charities. It is no wonder that Oprah Winfrey singled her out as a future legend at her exclusive Legends Ball, which recognizes the most influential and legendary African-American women of the 20th century. She was certainly aptly named, as Ashanti is truly an empire in her own right.