Ashanti biography
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Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Douglas was born on October 13, 1980, to Tina Douglas, a former dance teacher, and Ken-Kaide Thomas Douglas, a former singer, in Glen Gove, New York. She also has a younger sister named Kenashia “Shia” Douglas. Her mother named her Ashanti after the Ashanti Empire in Ghana. Douglas’s grandfather, James Douglas, was a Civil Rights activist with Martin Luther King Jr during the 1960s. Growing up, Ashanti Douglas was introduced to music at a young age. At age 12, her mother discovered her musical talents after hearing her singing Mary J. Blige’s “Reminisce.”
While attending high school, Douglas started writing songs and performing in local talent shows. Her music career struggled early on as she was rejected by Jive and Bad Boy record labels. Despite the setback, she continued to perform around New York City. Her big break came when she met with Murder Inc founder Irving Domingo “Irv Gotti” Lorenzo Jr. He recognized her vocal skills and asked her to write hooks for rap artists and perform with them in duets.
Douglas would work with many hip-hop artists, including Christoper “Big Pun” Lee Rios, Joseph Antonio “Fat Joe” Cartagena, Jeffery Bruce “Ja Rule” Atkins, and others. She
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Ashanti's Story
What's in a name? In Ashanti's case, quite a lot. Her namesake is the largest tribe in Ghana, a proud people famous for their powerful women and their boundless creativity. At only 23, Ashanti has lived up to this legacy, mastering her art, fighting her way through the recording industry, and taking her place as "the princess of hip-hop." And she's just getting started.
Ashanti Douglas was born in Glen Cove, Long Island, on October 13, 1980. She came into a family filled with talented, hard-working people. Her father Ken Kaide Douglas sang, her mother Tina worked as a dance instructor, and her grandfather James had been a leading civil rights activist who marched with Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s.
Ashanti's own talent shined through right away. At the age of three, her mother enrolled her in the Bernice Johnson Cultural Arts Center dance program, and she started taking center stage right away. Over the years, she learned tap, ballet, jazz and African dance, and she performed at the Apollo Theater and in Carnegie Hall. She also made it to the small screen at a young age, appearing in public service announcements, a public television special, and the TV movie "Polly," starring Phylicia Rashad and Keshia Knight Pulliam.
When Ashanti
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Ashanti Biography
Oct 13, 1980Birth Place:
Glen Cove, Spanking York, USA