Ashanti News

[12.04.02]
Ashanti debuts at #1

The debut effort from Ashanti storms a pair of Billboard charts this week after her self-titled debut racked up sales of a whopping 502,500 copies, according to SoundScan. Based on those numbers, the Murder Inc./Def Jam set soars straight to No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums count. Meanwhile, the album's title track comfortably begins its fourth-week on top of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks roundup, and jumps 3-1 on the Hot 100 (where it is the chart's fastest growing track at radio), giving Ashanti a No. 1 on a total of four Billboard charts.
Ashanti owes her big debut to the exposure she received from appearing on three hit singles, beginning with a guest shot on Ja Rule's "Always on Time," which hit No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks tally in January. She also offered her vocals on Fat Joe's "What's Luv?," currently at its peak of No. 3 on the same tally and No. 2 on the Hot 100, and Big Pun's "How We Roll," which peaked at No. 16 on the Hot Rap Singles chart.
[Source: Billboard online]

[10.04.02]
Ashanti goes GOLD in first week

Everyone expected big numbers from Ashanti's self-titled debut, but nobody could've predicted the album to go gold its first week in stores, even knocking Celine Dion's A New Day Has Come from the top of the charts down to number two.
"I'm really happy, really overwhelmed and I'm just so thankful and I'm happy and I'm at a loss for words!" gushed Ashanti after getting the news that her album has sold more than 500,000 copies since its release last week.

Irv Gotti, CEO of Ashanti's Def Jam-distributed Murder Inc. Records, was at a loss for words when asked about his artist's accomplishment.
"Unbelievable. Incredible. Unf*** believable," said Gotti. "I'm a dreamer, and she surpassed my dreams, so I'm speechless. I had expectations, and she surpassed my expectations, so I'm speechless. She did 500,000 her first week!"

Meanwhile, her "Always On Time" co-star Ja Rule put Ashanti's feat in a much more broader perspective.
"It kind of shocked me," said Ja. "The numbers are at 503, but we knew she was gonna do pretty well. We're all very happy that we're crushing them right now. I really think it's the biggest debut ever for a female R&B artist, so we're holding some weight over here right now, definitely!" [Source: BET.com ]

[10.04.02]
Alicia Keys, Ja Rule and Ashanti have all joined a major campaign to teach young people about the dangers of HIV and AIDS.

More than half a million people have died from AIDS in America in the last 20 years and there are 40,000 new cases every year, many of them are teenagers. New York charity Lifebeat uses music to get the message across.
Speaking to BBC Radio 1 Ashanti said, "This is very important for me, because I think we all need to be educated and keep our people aware - we've definitely got to keep it safe." Click here to check out the Lifebeat website (opens a new browser).
The following is an extract from the Lifebeat website 'Who we are' section.
LIFEbeat, the Music Industry Fights AIDS is a national non-profit organization dedicated to reaching America's youth with the message of HIV/AIDS prevention. LIFEbeat mobilizes the talents and resources of the music industry to raise awareness and to provide support to the AIDS community.
[Source: Radio 1 and Lifebeat]

[01.04.02]


Ashanti will be the main cover story artist in Vibe magazine's July issue (hits newsstands in June).

[01.04.02]


Ashanti and Ja Rule will be performing on FOX's "Teenapalooza" concert series. "Teenapalooza" will air on FOX in mid-June and will also promote the upcoming "Teen Choice Awards" in August.