Ashanti (album)
Encyclopedia
Ashanti is the self-titled debut studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

 by American R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...

 singer Ashanti, released by Murder Inc.
The Inc. Records
The Inc. Records , is an American record label, owned by Irv Gotti.In 1999, Murder Inc. released its first album, Venni Vetti Vecci by Ja Rule. The album featured the hit single "Holla Holla". The album was executively produced by Irv Gotti and moved on to go platinum, which rose Ja Rule and...

 and Island Def Jam on April 2, 2002 in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

 and April 8, 2002 in United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. The album saw the singer active in songwriting and producing, with chiefly producers and rappers Irv Gotti and Chink Santana
Chink Santana
Chink Santana is an American R&B musician and producer. His achievements include co-producing Ashanti, the award-winning debut album from the singer of the same name. He also worked on her follow-up, Chapter II, and has recently co-written and produced tracks on Judgement Days, the second album...

.

Ashanti debuted at number one on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...

 with first-week sales of an impressive 503,000 units. The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...

 on December 17, 2002. It earned Ashanti three Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

 nominations for Best New Artist
Grammy Award for Best New Artist
The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967...

, Best Contemporary R&B Album
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album
The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the contemporary R&B music genre...

 and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for quality R&B songs...

. Ashanti also received two additional Grammy nominations in the same year for other projects, both in the category of Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
The Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs on which rappers and singers collaborate...

.

Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

magazine ranked Ashanti at number 100 on magazine's Top 200 Albums of the Decade.

Ashanti mentioned on Ustream that she plans 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.

Chart performance

Ashanti debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart on April 20, 2002 and Billboard's Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart at number one with first-week sales of 503,000 units sold. The album was certified triple platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...

 by the RIAA on December 17, 2002 and remained on Billboard 200 albums chart for 55 weeks. Ashanti has sold 3.6 million copies in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 alone, according Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...

. Worldwide, the album sold over 6 million copies.

Singles

Ashanti spawned three singles: The album's lead single, "Foolish", became Ashanti's biggest solo successes to date, spending ten consecutive weeks on top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...

 chart. It was eventually ranked first on the Billboard 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles 2002 year-end charts for ten straight weeks (Tying with Nelly
Nelly
Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...

's "Dilemma
Dilemma (song)
"Dilemma" is a song by the American rapper Nelly, featuring R&B singer Kelly Rowland. The single was released in 2002 from the Nelly's album Nellyville, and Rowland's album Simply Deep...

", but not for ten straights weeks). It was a breakthrough hit internationally entering the top five in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, the top ten in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 and the top twenty in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

.

Follow-up single "Happy
Happy (Ashanti song)
"Happy" is the second single by American R&B singer Ashanti from her debut album on May 21, 2002 . It was written by Ashanti, Raymond Calhoun and producer Irv Gotti....

" peaked at number eight on Billboard Hot 100 and number six on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...

 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
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

, the top twenty in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 and the top forty in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

.

The third single "Baby
Baby (Ashanti song)
"Baby" is the third single by American R&B singer Ashanti from her debut album. It was written by Ashanti, Irving Lorenzo, Andre Parker, Brad Jordan, Mike Dean and producer 7 Aurelius. It contains musically interpolates of Scarface's "Mary Jane" which was also ghosted produced by 7 Aurelius...

", peaked at number fifteen on Billboard Hot 100 and number seven on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The single became Ashanti's third top forty hit solo.

The Forth Single was "Unfoolish" released only for radio adds. No Video, although a video was planned as a conclusion to the "Foolish" Video.

The Fifth and Final Single was "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

*Co-producer

Samples

  • "Foolish" contains a sample of DeBarge
    DeBarge
    DeBarge was a sibling music group of American origin whose repertoire included R&B, soul, funk, and later gospel. Active as a professional recording group from 1979 and 1989, the group was one of the few recording acts to bring success to the Motown label during the 1980s.-Background:Hailing from...

    's 1983 "Stay with Me
    Stay with Me (DeBarge song)
    "Stay With Me" is a song performed by popular Motown recording group DeBarge issued on their popular 1983 album, In a Special Way.-Song information:...

    ".
  • "Happy" contains a sample of Gap Band
    Gap Band
    The Gap Band was an American funk band, who rose to fame during the 1970s and 1980s. Comprising brothers Charlie, Ronnie and Robert Wilson, the band first formed as the Greenwood, Archer and Pine Street Band in 1967 in their hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The group shortened its name to The Gap Band...

    's 1983 "Outstanding".
  • "Baby" contains a sample of Scarface
    Scarface (rapper)
    Brad Terrence Jordan , better known by his stage name Scarface, is an American rapper, and recording artist from Houston, Texas and a member of the Geto Boys. He is originally from South Park, Houston.-Life and career:...

    's 1997 "Mary Jane".
  • "Unfoolish" contains a sample of The Notorious B.I.G.
    The Notorious B.I.G.
    Christopher George Latore Wallace , best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls , Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White .Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough...

    's 1997 "Fuck You Tonight".
  • "Rescue" contains a sample from Michael Jackson
    Michael Jackson
    Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...

    's 1987 "Smooth Criminal
    Smooth Criminal
    "Smooth Criminal" is the seventh single from Michael Jackson's 1987 Bad album. The song contains a fast-paced beat intertwined with Jackson's lyrics about a woman named Annie, who has been attacked in her apartment by a "smooth" assailant. It was released as a single on October 24, 1988 and peaked...

    "

Release history

Country Date
United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

April 2, 2002
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

April 8, 2002

Charts and certification

Chart (2002) Provider Peak
position
Certification Sales
Japanese Albums Chart Media Control Charts 4 Gold 100,000
Austrian Albums Chart Media Control
Media Control Charts
The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...

36
Australian Albums Chart ARIA
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...

10 Gold 35,000
French Albums Chart SNEP/IFOP 29
New Zealand Albums Chart RIANZ
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...

17
Canadian Albums Chart
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...

CRIA
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...

/Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...

15 2x Platinum 200,000
German Albums Chart Media Control 10
Swiss Albums Chart Media Control 15 Gold 20,000
UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

BPI
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...

/The Official UK Charts Company
The Official UK Charts Company
The Official Charts Company , previously called the Chart Information Network and then The Official UK Charts Company, compiles various "official" UK record charts, including the UK Singles Chart, the UK Albums Chart, and the UK Official Download Chart, as well as genre-specific and music video...

3 Platinum 300,000
U.S. Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

1 3x Platinum 3,600,000+
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...

1

Year-end charts

Year Chart Rank
2002 Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

12
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...

4
2003 Billboard 200 160

Awards and nominations

Year Ceremony Award Result
2002 BET Awards
BET Awards
The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET...

Best New Artist Nominated
Lady of Soul
Soul Train Music Awards
The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual award show which previously aired in national television syndication, and honors the best in Black music and entertainment...

Best R&B/Soul New Artist Won
Aretha Franklin Entertainer of the Year Won
Best R&B/Soul Single - "Foolish" Won
R&B/Soul Album of the Year - Ashanti Won
R&B/Soul Song of the Year - "Foolish" Nominated
R&B/Soul Song of the Year - "Foolish" Nominated
Best R&B/Soul Music Video - "Foolish" Nominated
Teen Choice Awards
Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...

Choice Breakout Artist Won
Best New Artist Won
Choice R&B/Hip-Hop Single - "Foolish" Nominated
MOBO Best R&B Act Won
Best Newcomer Won
Best Album - Ashanti Nominated
MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...

Best Female Video - "Foolish" Nominated
Best R&B Video - "Foolish" Nominated
Best New Artist in a video - "Foolish" Nominated
Billboard Music Award
Billboard Music Award
The Billboard Music Award is an honor given by Billboard magazine, the preeminent publication covering the music business. The Billboard Music Awards show had been held annually in December until it went dormant in 2007, but it returned in May 2011...

s
Female Artist of the Year Won
Top New Pop Artist of the Year Won
Hot 100 Singles Artist of the Year Won
R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of the Year Won
R&B/Hip-Hop Female Artist of the Year Won
New R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of the Year Won
R&B/Hip-Hop Single of the Year - "Foolish" Won
R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Artist of the Year Won
2003 ASCAP Pop Music Awards Award-Winning Pop Songs - Foolish Won
ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards
American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization that protects its members' musical copyrights by monitoring public performances of their music, whether via a broadcast or live performance, and compensating them...

Top R&B/Hip-hop Song - "Foolish" Won
Award-Winning R&B/Hip-Hop Songs - "Baby" Won
American Music Awards Favorite New Artist in Pop/Rock Won
Favorite New Artist in Hip-Hop/R&B Won
Best Duo or Group - Ashanti Won
Fans Choice Award Nominated
Favorite Female Artist in Hip-Hop/R&B Won
Favorite Album - Pop or Rock 'n Roll Music - Ashanti Nominated
Favorite Album - Hip-Hop / Rhythm & Blues Music - Ashanti Nominated
Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

s
Best New Artist Nominated
Best Contemporary R&B Album R&B - Ashanti Won
Best Female R&B Vocal Performance R&B - "Foolish" Nominated
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding New Artist Won
Outstanding Female Artist Won
Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...

Best New Artist Won

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
    Ja Rule
    Jeffrey Atkins , better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper, singer, and actor.Born in Hollis, Queens, he began his career in the group Cash Money Click and debuted in 1999 with Venni Vetti Vecci and its single "Holla Holla"...

     – performer
  • Darcell Lawrence – A&R
  • Trevor Lawrence – drums
  • Rosie Michel – stylist
  • Milwaukee Buck – engineer
  • Erica Novich – A&R
  • Chink Santana
    Chink Santana
    Chink Santana is an American R&B musician and producer. His achievements include co-producing Ashanti, the award-winning debut album from the singer of the same name. He also worked on her follow-up, Chapter II, and has recently co-written and produced tracks on Judgement Days, the second album...

     – drums, multiple instruments, producer
  • 7 Aurelius
    7 Aurelius
    Marcus Vest better known by his stage name Channel 7, formerly 7 Aurelius, is a singer, songwriter, and producer most noted for his work with The Inc. Records....

    – engineer
  • Brian Springer – engineer, mixing
  • David Tan – marketing
  • Jared Thomas – producer
  • Tony Vanias – recording coordinator
  • Glen Williams – A&R
  • Reggie Wright – producer
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