Ashanti blasted into the urban music scene in 2002, topping the charts with multiple singles at once. Ashanti built her reputation with duets, where she would complement an already popular rapper – contrasting the tough-guy male perspective with her own. It didn’t take the young vocalist long to make a name for herself though: her debut album topped the Billboard album chart just as her debut solo single, “Foolish,” was topping the Hot 100 chart. A duet with Ja Rule, “Always on Time,” hit number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in early 2002 just as a duet with Fat Joe, “What’s Luv?,” was creeping toward the same number one position. These two airplay-heavy singles, set the stage perfectly for Ashanti’s self-titled debut release. The album’s lead single, “Foolish,” raced up the Hot 100 chart, entering the Top Ten alongside “Always on Time” and “What’s Luv?,” giving her three Top Ten songs in the same week, including the number one and two positions. And then Ashanti’s album debuted at number one on the album chart, selling an astounding 500,000-plus copies in its first week. She returned with Chapter II, which likewise topped the Billboard album chart on the heels of its hot lead single, “Rock Wit U (Awww Baby).” She released her fourth studio album, The Declaration, in 2008, and in 2012, she released BraveHeart. Ashanti has sold more than 27 million albums worldwide. She continues to pack in audiences around the globe.
