Brown Sista

Singer Ashanti and her significant other of the past five years, Nelly, have added their names to the long list of entertainers who have mixed business with pleasure. Think: Beyonce and Jay-Z, Sonny and Cher- Peaches and Herb. The list goes on and on and now that list includes this couple as they were seen recently working on a video together. “Body On Me” is a track slated to appear on Nelly’s upcoming CD and features not only the lady in his life, Ashanti, but singer, songwriter, producer, Akon as well. Body On Me is a pretty nice track and may just be the added boost Ashanti needs. Though her CD got rave review from critics, fans and non fans alike, the disc has moved less than 300,000 copies since it was released five weeks ago and presently sits at #49 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart.
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For their third annual celebration of Love Day, Cartier, the French jeweler has partnered with eight musically gifted celebrities, including rapper Eve and singers Ashanti and Janet Jackson. As in the past, each celebrity is linked to the charity of his or her choice, and for each sale of a Love Charity bracelet, a portion goes to the charity. The bracelets are made of silk cord with a gold fob and each color corresponds to the particular cause. Janet Jackson’s gunmetal bracelet is for the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance. Eve’s peach colored bracelet is for Women In Transition and Ashanti’s royal blue bracelet is for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
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R n’ B singer Ashanti has come under fire from civil rights leaders after launching a promotional website that greets visitors with a news report about a fake murder spree. Dozens of concerned parents and religious heads gathered outside the Los Angeles offices of her record label Universal/Motown on Tuesday to protest the controversial site and demand it be taken down. The site’s news report - which users can personalise by selecting a “weapon of choice” and “victim” - claims to be linked to Ashanti’s revenge-themed music video for new single The Way That I Love You, in which the singer plays a woman who stabs her cheating boyfriend to death. Najee Ali, head of Project Islamic Hope and one of the protest’s organisers, has branded the singer’s promotional stunt a “career mistake”, insisting violence should never be used to settle disputes. Ali tells MTV.com, “There are a lot of outraged parents who feel that the type of message and imagery that promotes violence as a tool for solving domestic relation problems is inappropriate.
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As Ashanti prepares to release her 5th solo CD, the singer is hitting the promotional trail hard to see to it that “The Declaration”, hitting record store shelves tomorrow June 3rd, is her biggest to date. On March 12th the singer taped a concert especially for Walmart’s “Soundcheck” concert series which is streamed online. Along with past hits, Ashanti performed her latest single “The Way That I love You” and one of my favorite tracks from the new album, Girlfriend.
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Singer Ashanti has a new CD about to come out and you know what female singers must do whenever they have new music to promote. That’s right. They must pose in magazine’s like KING, Smooth and yes, even Maxim. Above we have Ashanti strutting her stuff in the June 2008 edition issue of the (White) men’s mag, and though she looks beautiful, it’s getting kinda old seeing women have to follow this formula in order to promote their ventures. Usher doesn’t have to pose half naked to get attention for his music. We know he will, but it’s by choice.
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Unlike Beyonce and Jay Z, newlyweds Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon have no plans to play cat and mouse games with the media. Just days after getting married in the Bahamas, the couple made their first public appearance together at Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People In The World party- held last night in New York City. Mariah did double duty as not only an honoree, but also as the night’s entertainment. Here she is pictured above looking happy with her new hubby and Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons.
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Ashanti gave a stunning performance of her hit single “The Way That I Love You” on April 18th at 107.9 Atlanta’s Hot On The Runway fashion show. I have to admit in the beginning I couldn’t tell whether Ashanti was lip synching or not, and as a Janet fan how can I even complain if she was (lol), but by the end I was sure she was singing live to a back-up track and she really nailed this song. This is a great performance that really showcases her vocal range quite well. Check it out for yourselves above and to keep load time down I resized this clip, distorting the quality just a bit. To view the performance in high quality click here.
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Ashanti returns to the Urban Top 10 for the first time in more than three years, as “The Way That I Love You” (Universal Motown) vaults 14-8. The 27-year-old last ranked in the top 10 with the No. 10-peaking “Only U” in January 2005. “Way” becomes Ashanti’s 14th top 10, extending her mark for most top 10 songs by a female this decade. Beyonce, Ciara and Mary J. Blige share second place with 10 apiece. Among all artists, Ludacris leads with 20 in that span. Ashanti is also scheduled to perform at “Good Morning America’s Summer Concert Series” on June 6th. The performances run from 8:30 - 9:00 a.m, featuring a set of three-four songs. The event will be held in New York’s Bryant Park this year. Ashanti’s fourth studio album, “The Declaration,” is due June 3.
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As its title suggests, Ashanti’s new “The Declaration” is in many ways about womanhood and empowerment, which led the Long Island, N.Y., native to work with new producers. The set is due June 3rd via The Inc./Universal Motown. “It’s been a long time coming for change, and the timing was just right,” she tells Billboard.com. First single “The Way That I Love You,” is No. 18 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart this week. Robin Thicke, Jermaine Dupri, LT Hutton, Babyface, and Pharrell Williams are among the album’s producers.
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