Ashanti by Ashanti

2002 | Rhythm And Blues

Ashanti is the debut studio album by American singer Ashanti. Released on April 2, 2002 by Murder Inc. Records and Def Jam Recordings, the album was recorded in New York and Los Angeles between 2001 and 2002, during the period of time where Ashanti was writing for other artists. The singer worked with a variety of producers including Irv Gotti, Chink Santana, 7 Aurelius, Jared Thomas, and Reggie Wright and co-wrote all the songs on Ashanti. Its music has the sound of R&B, hip hop, hip hop soul, and urban. The album features guest vocals from Gotti, Ja Rule, and the late The Notorious B.I.G..

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 up to then. The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) 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. Billboard magazine ranked Ashanti at number 100 on its Top 200 Albums of the Decade.

Ashanti (Artist/Musician)