Aaliyah is the , Ashanti looks like

Music Forum

Ashanti wants to be aaliyah so bad, but will never. There will never be another. I heard she commented about her. But, she wouldn't say all that if Aaliyah hadn''t preceeded in death. Ashanti looks like a monkey wit all that hair on her face. She can't even sing. She has a computer do it for her. I guess i can get signed then. Ashanti is Aaliyah is

She sure does (Ashanti) did you see the befoe picture of Ashanti in Ja's thead.. It's called Ashanti's befor and after check it out!

Thats wirte. you go girl

that's write girl

Hey aaliyah is the **** and ashanti does look like **** she need to go some where wit her wanna be aaliyah ass I can't stand that ***** and neither can my boyfriend!!! We both think Aaliyah is the **** and ashanti lokes like a hair monkey wit all that damn hair. And as her want to be Aaliyah and trying to take aaliyah's place it will never happen no one can ever be aaliyah or take her place so that ***** ass ashanti better go some where wit her wannna be aaliyah monkey lookin' ass!!!!

i feel ya.she is a wanna be aaliyah.

look

look

yea ashanti's singin is horible!!If yall wanna c dat pic of Ashanti's make ova and already havn't gotten it, u can e-mail me @ crazyb567Lwhoa2@aol.com and i will send u da pic! da bit*h look ugly as hell in it!! lol


~niecy~

yall hating on ashanti i like them both but aaliyah could not sing live ashanti can aaliyah could dance ashanti cant with make-up aaliyah and ashanti both looks good but without it ashanti ain't all that but aaliyah looked ok they r nothing alike ashanti isnt trying 2 look like her plus ashanti looks better. bye hatters

[B]yall hating on ashanti i like them both but aaliyah could not sing live ashanti can aaliyah could dance ashanti cant with make-up aaliyah and ashanti both looks good but without it ashanti ain't all that but aaliyah looked ok they r nothing alike ashanti isnt trying 2 look like her plus ashanti looks better.

All right amt let me tell you something hell no you did not not just say that Ashanti looks better than Aaliyah that ***** is so UGLY I can't stand it when I look at here it makes me want to throw up I bet that when she looks in a mirror that it bearks right away and theres no way in HELL that ***** looks better than Aaliyah, Ashanti needs to go some where with her UGLY MONKEY LOOKING ASS because I can't stand her because She wants To BE Hatin' on Aaliyah!!!
Now I will amit that Ashanti has some good song!!!
But when her dumb ass said that **** bout Aaliyah it really pissed me off!!
How you gonna say that ***** Ashanti look good with make up on, **** the make up can't even help that UGLY ASS *****!!!
And how you gonna say that Aaliyah looks Alright with out make up I think that she did not even need the make up she was already BEAUTIFUL enuff with out that make up!!!
And Hell yeah that ***** Ashanti look HELL A UGLY with or without all that make up she need to go get those side biren shave or somethin' cause she be lookin' like a man and will always look like a man and will never compare to Aaliyah!!!
How are you gonna be sayin' that Aaliyah can't sing live yes she could sing live for your info.
Yes Aaliyah can dance and Ashanti can't will never learn how to dance like Aaliyah!!!!!
You lameo you need to check your self cause Ashanti is tryin' 2 be like Aaliyah!!! She tryin' to pull the whole 9 yards of tryin' to be Aaliyah!!! And plus Aaliyah looks A Whole Lot Better than Ashanti!!!!!!!

U is right

why are you so against ashanti? shes one of my favorite singers and so is aaliyah. dont be hatin' on her just because shes doin good and she does what she does. maybe she does want to be aaliyeh but she's not trying to be and im sure that she's not trying to replace her because everyone knows that aaliyah cant be replaced. dont be sayin sh*t about her until you know what she's all about.

Okay clean out ur ears and get some contacts!! amt cause first of all U say Ashanti can sing live, have U heard her???? She can't sing live if her life depended on it!!!! & second of all Ashanti could have ten makeovers to try and look like Aaliyah & she wouldn't look as good or even close to what Aaliyah looked like!! So ur right on one thing Ashanti & Aaliyah are totally different!!!
A cows ass looks better then Ashantis Face!!!!
& No female singer looks better then what Aaliyah looked like, She was beautiful inside & out (R.I.P Baby girl!)

Murder Inc can **** off!! They're all fake A$$ wannabees

look yall, y yall gotta diss ashanti? i don fink she wantz 2 b aaliyah, mayb she jus lovez her as much as we do and wantz 2 keep her memory alive. i miss aaliyah a lot yall but i like ashanti 2. aaliyah wz perfect and she could perform, someone said she couldnt earlier and dey r way rong! both dose gurlz r grest at wat dey do so we shouldnt b hatin on either of em. aaliyah will live on in my heart 4eva, i love her, i admit dat i lik e her more den ashanti.

I agree that Ashanti is not talented, but s tries her best. Ashanti will never be on the same level as Aaliyah. But hey.....................
everyone has their own opinions and mine is that Ashanti is not and will never be as good as Aaliyah(R.I.P)!!!!!!

ashanti aint all that of a singer but u cant dout the girl 4 tryen the best she and as far as this goes cant nobody on this earth compare to baby girl aaliyah. aaliyah is one no is the most talented singer i ever heard. so get off ashanti's back 4 tryen 2 be like the great aaliyah

uh huh, datz wat im talkin bout, i fink ashanti got talent and shez beautiful, we shudnt trip on her, no one wil eva match our babygurl aaliyah and we al no dat, she wz 1 in a million.

Well I think dat both Aaliyah and Ashanti talented artists, but Aaliyah had more talent! U know, she sang and danced betta and her albums were better than Ashanti's! Aaliyah was and still is da "Princess of Hip/hop and RnB!" I lost a lil respect for Ashanti coz she came along and tried to claim dat title when she knew dat it belonged to our Babygirl! But I ain't gonna hate on her coz I don't want to get Aaliyah fans given da title of "haterz" who disturbing da peace!

thank u babygirl 4 b2k for sayin that. i know that a lot of people dont like ashanti cuz they think that she's trying to take the place of aaliyah (i dont think that she is trying to do that at all cuz if she said that, it would ruin her career) but even if u dont like her, u dont have to be hatin on her all the time on the internet and putting down murder inc. none of u know ashanti personally and neither do i so we'll never know the whole story. you have no dirt on her so u have no reason to be bringin her down. if u still dont like her then watever but u dont always have to voice all of the negative stuff against her. it's just making u sound selfish when u try to bring down an artist who has been working for like 8 years to get where she is and u dont even give her a chance just because she came after aaliyah, rest her soul. dont try to pin what happened to aaliyah on ashanti. i hope u kinda see where im commin frum.

I agree t-ray! Ppl hatin' on Ashanti - dat's jus' wrong! None of us know her personally so who are we to judge? I say fair play to her coz I'm sure she worked her ass off to get were she at right now! I was watchin' her diary and she was warmin' up for da concert and she sounded amazin'! To da ppl who say she can't really sing - stop, u know u wrong!

I love Aaliyah's music, and she can sing a hell lot better than Ashanti, and she looks much better too, Aaliyah is a very beautiful person!!! Beyonce is better than Ashanti too, but Aaliyah has always been one of my favorites and it was so sad when I found out she died, she could have gona a long ways!!!

and i never said I hated Ashanti, I think she is pretty and everything, but Aaliyah is much better!!!

for some reasons, sometimes Ashanti looks pretty and skinny, but other times she looks fat and ugly(sorry to say)well, I should actually say chubby and not so pretty

Ahanti is ugly and she knows it that's why she always wearin make-up.

Aaliyah wore make-up too dumbass

What does Aaliyahs makeup got 2 do wit all that makeup Ashanti werein' all that makeup tryin' to cover up her UGLY ASS Face!!!!!

Aaliyah look pretty wit & wit out makeup so you can't be sayin nothin' 'bout Liyahs makeup!!!
Well all I got 2 say is that its all good in the hood if you don't be talkin' bout Aaliyah

Love, Peace, & Chicken Grease!!!!!!!

i wasnt saying anything bad about aaliyah. i was just sayin that she wears make-up just like ashanti does. and ashanti looks good with out make-up too. and ashanti doesnt have an ugly ass face! she is pretty and you know it. you're probably a hell of a lot uglier if your sayin that. i know a lot of you people will be mad at me for sayin this but i like ashanti more than i like aaliyah. dont get me wrong, i like her too i just like ashanti more. i know you would be pissed if i said anything bad about aaliyah so now you know how i feel when you say things about MY babygurl ashanti.

Yea Aaliyah wore make up but at least she didn't look like <REMOVED> when she took it off!!! <REMOVED>

If you want to see Ashanti's before and after go to the forum on music and look for it it's under Ashanti's before and after.

ashanti's goin down the <REMOVED> so fast she dosent know which way the toilets spinning.

you's right Aaliyahlover

quote by: *****las

[but they both sexy

ashanti's bodys ok but her face is ****, aaliyah will always be a beautiful princess. i was one of her biggest fans from day one and always will be. atleast she can sing unlike ashanti...cee cee

aaliyah was a beautiful young lady. but all of these otha hoes out here can never take aaliyah's Spot!!! she was like an beautiful Angel in the Sky!.... and now in life.. she is one now! but Ashanti... i won't talk about her... but she is really trying to act like janet jackson too! but.. ashanti should just act like herself!......... i mean shiat she is already beautiful

yeah. aaliyah is beautiful. i totally agree with that. some people think that i dont like her but i do. i think ashanti is beautiful too. but i dont think that she's trying to take anyone's place especially someone like aaliyah or janet because everyone knows that they could never be replaced. i dont know why people keep one saying that ashanti is ugly and is trying to take someones place. she is both beautiful and talented just like aahliyah and janet. some people think that she isnt as talented as them and thats cool but u dont have to totally hate on her. all three of those women are beautiful and i think that all of them deserve respect for how far they got in their careers. ashanti also deserves a break for all of the hate but on her by all of you haters

whether its make up or no make up, dancing or whatever or whoever, in this case ashanti and aaliyah, it comes down to who has the natural talent and skills looked for to present high quality music, in front of a live audience or in a recording studio. In this case aaliyah would dominate. Ashanti has a lot of work to do to get here, im not saying she can or cant. Very rarely you get to the level aaliyah is at and i dont think ashanti has it in her. Really u cant even put those two girls in the same sentance, aaliyah was well ahead of her time and way to advanced than ashanti.

I agree with you *****las.

Actually....

I dont think that ashanti is trying to be like aaliyah in ANY way. None of ashanti's music sounds anything like aaliyah's... ashanti writes all of her own songs.... atleast she's original (nothing against aaliyah)

why are you all even trying to compare them. just because ashanti is a singer and CAN sing doesnt mean that shes trying to be like aaliyah...

they are both very beautiful girls. wether or not you think one is prettier than the other is a matter of opinion...

Ashanti can sing... she doesnt lip sing either... lol ive seen her sing live MANY times... shes good....

i think all the post against ashanti and comparing her to aaliyah is VERY inmature!! Get a life! .... or atleast GROW UP!!

•Brooke•

you need to grow up and get your facts right Ashanti writes her own songs? hell naw she does not listen to her albums everything has been sampled, the hairy ***** needs to cool down with sampling songs. dont get me wrong i used to think ashanti was ok but when i went to her concert i changed my views, someone who cannot sing live cannot sing at all. she needs the studio to enhance her vocals. aaliyah has natural beauty and a natural singing voice, your girl ashanti needs another three years worth of vocal training. she writes her own songs lol !! all the hoe talks about is "Baby" she's probably trying to jack Brandys style now, she could never compare herself to Aaliyah or try and take Aaliyah's title by trying to be the princess of R&B. Look at her in her new video- looks like shes trying to be janet to me. she needs to be true to herself and be herself. dont impress people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

me grow up? lol im not the one comparing two singers that are nothing alike....and im not the one dissing people who i dont even know....


and yes she does write her own songs! lol

thats the last im going to post on this subject... i really shouldnt have wasted my time in the first place.....

i unlike some other people have better things to do...


god bless
•brooke•

Whoeva is hatin on Ashnti ya *** is ugly! Aaliyah and Ashanti are both beautiful and talented-but to tell u da truth if Aaliyah was still here, she wouldn't have **** Ashanti. AShanti look way better, sings better, and all her songs is way better too-the only way Aaliyah got Ashanti is in dancin! Ashanti woulda knocked her off da charts-trust! Y would she wanna b like Aaliyah?

Girl you must be crazy!!!!!! Ashanti cant sing dance and looks like a monkey. Aaliyah looks way better. You just hatin because you ugly!!!!!

Aaliyah is da the best singer ever & if you dont know/believe that then maybe no you should listen to all of her records!!! And we don't bring are selfs to beileve she is da best we know that she is da best!!!! And dat is a fact!!!
Thats all I gotz 2 say!!!
Oh yeah don't hate on Aaliyah & we wont have 2 problems
P.S Its All Good In Da Hood If You Dont Talk **** Boutz Aaliyah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

word up dogs yall kerrazy i think yall need to stop hatin yeah alrite it was unfair for ashanti to claim aaliyahs crown but we all know aaliyah was better even ashanti knows that but yo can't deny ashanti did have some could rthyms but aaliyah was better RIP babygirl.

hola whatever

I feel that both of these artist has made a great impression in the musci industry... I feel that many ppl in this forum has sed that Ashanti cant sing and looks ugly..... first off who are we to judge???? Im not sayin that Ashanti looks better than Aaliyah b/c that will never happen. but wut im tryin to say is that we cant b judgin books by its cover... first read the book n then judge n say wut u have to say about the book. No one will get to that certain point where Aaliyah was at . Ashanti maybe or tries her best to get to that point but im sure that she will never b like Aaliyah. All of these responses makes me wanna yell like crazy.... some of these responses look like a 5th grader wrote it.... for the ppls who like Ashanti n Aaliyah thanks for sayin that ya'll like her n respect her... n for those certain ppl that has a 5th gr. level extract of sayin that "she looks like a monkey wit her hair like that, or she looks ugly wit or wit out make-up" get a LIFE!!!!! GROW THE **** UP ITS 2004 ya'll................

p.S. This is ma opinion I do have the right to say wut eva i have to say n I hope no one gets offended by this message.

hahahaaaa we on a roll now yall! Thats the way it should be!

ok look we have been on this subject for tooooooo long mybe its time we moved on so imma move on to somethin else. i think we all have different oppinions on both ashanti and Aaliyah but who are we to say whos best we'll just go for the one we like best. we aint experts so just except it if aaliyah wasn't good she wouldn't have been famous. and if Ashanti wasn't good ahe wouldn't be famous either. So stop fighting it out and make peace. Besides Aaliyah wouldn't want us to start hatin people up in here just for her benefit!
Peace out,
lil'liyah

ashanti does not look like **** both aaliyah and ashanti is pretty i m a aaliyah fan myself so i dont agree what you saying i believe you just hatin on ashanti because you probably look like ****

excuse me to the person who said ashanti looks better i dont think so i think you hating on aaliyah aaliyah can sing dance and act thats something ashanti dont know how to do ashanti do her same little dance yes she can sing and thats about it aaliyah can do it all

Aaliyahlvr1 stop hatin gurl

hatin pls ashanti and aaliyah are both pretty and besides there is no such thing as ugly god made all of us in his creation and i dont think aaliyah like that people argueing who do better or who look better i know i dont have time to be worry about this anyway i got other important things to worry about

I wouldnt call that s*it that ashanti is doing singing. That crap is bs. She on elephants and trying to be down with the Da INc. Please she needs to ahead with that jacked up eye of hers. Please

yall need to leave this **** alone aaliyah wouldnt want yall be saying who better than who or who sing better now that aaliyah as gone back to heaven with the rest of the angels yall dont need to be talkin like this i m a big fan of aaliyah and there is nothing wrong with ashanti i dont think shes trying to aaliyah i think she s trying to be better but remember aaliyah will always be the queen of r&b regardless how hard anybody try to be better than her just let ashanti do her thing and let aaliyah rest in peace

Sorry to but in, but I think to say somebody what look's like this


http://www.musicomh.com/singles/ashanti.jpg


is ugly, is going a bit far, unless your talking about an ugly which is not visible to the naked eye. i.e ugly attitude!

Beside's someone who is ugly is not going to be THAT photogenic

Aaliyah is the bomd there is no comparison. She can sing, dance, dress, and she's pretty. Ashanti can't do none of them, all she can do is sell records, adn i don't know why. You can't compare some like ashanti to aaliyah because they are on two different ends of the street.

@ Dymepeech: Incase you was referring to me, I wasn't comparing. Beside's there's a lot of pretty girl's/artist's out there, who can sing, dance ,dress, etc!!

Silentsoundz: I don't refer to anybody, adn i know that there arwe alot of artist out there that can do all of tht stuff, but i'm just saying that Ashanti is not one of them.That's all I'm saying.

Lmao: yall is dumb but aaliyah is the **** and will always be!!

all u haters are all jeolous. why are u all so obsessed over dissin ashanti. leave the girl alone. no human is perfect. we have all had our bad days. so what if shanti has a few bad days. if u say all this **** about her being so ugly how come when u see on tv and live with not much make up on she looks more beautiful than u ever will. beauty is not all from the outside u need to start lookin at peoples inside like i do thats why i thiink your uglyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

im a fan of Aaliyah, and i know that she judged people from the inside not the outside. so thats wot i do. ne way Ashanti is v. pretty

How the hell can you compare Aaliyah to Ashanti? I mean, Ashanti looks like a monkey. Take a look at the before/after picture of her and then youll know what Im talking about. She has the worst skin complexion ever: full of pimples. She has the worst teeth ever: full of yellow plaque. She is literally SCARY. Aaliyah, on the other hand, is fine. I mean, she has, at least, decent features. Plus she can sing. Which is someting Ashanti can't do, obviously. Have you ever seen her live? Its pathetic. She has a terrible voice. Aaliyah's voice and is so pure compared to Ashanti's.

i dont know wot all u jealous gurls r on about, ive seen Ashanti sing live and i was blown away! another thing all u r stuck on the same picture of Ashanti (which ive seen and its not even that bad, thats wot any average person actual looks like with no make up, duh!) u ignore all the ones in which she looks stunning and only look. its called jealousy. i wouldnt worry about its natural for those less lucky than some.
p.s
im not hatin on Aaliyah, cos she was beautiful but Ashanti's just as beautiful.

A-Men to that

look at this pic

That girl is pretty!
She looks better on this pic!

This is a pic of Aaliyah witout Make up
Shes the one to the right!

Isn't that Stacey Dash Aaliyah's with??? That's a good picture

I'd say Aaliyah and Ashanti look about the same without Make up.

What's the big deal?

this is beauty

I agree she looks great in that picture, but it is so obvious she has heaps of make up and has been primped and preened, her face almost looks plastic. She looks more like a doll than a person. A beautiful doll, but still a doll.

Yall Ashanti is my girl or whatever but I loved Aaliyah, and Ashanti looks a whole lot worse in her picture without make-up than Aaliyah because Aaliyah is still pretty in her picture if you ask me. But that's just my opinion!

I'm sorry... I didn't send a picture of Aaliyah w/o makeup, it was just a picture w/o much light and was very dark... She was wearing make up for like a movie or video (forgot which one)

Sorry I had ya'll thinking that was Aaliyah w/o makeup... I will find a picture though...

Maen while these are what the women ere saying:

Aaliyah ( Four Page letter)

yo turn my music up....
up some more...
up some more....
up a little bit more....

mama always told me to be careful who i love,
and daddy always told me make sure he's right.
i always had my eyes on this one paticular guy
i was to shy so i decided to write

(chorus) i'm sending him a 4 page letter
and i enclosed it with a kiss,
and when i write him, he better get it on time
(repeat)

people always say that i play myself for you
they say that you don't even notice me (me x6)
baby when i get the nerve to come to you
promise me that you won't dis me

(chorus)

(bridge)
i'm writing you a love letter tonight
you better keep watch cause the mailman's coming
(ohhh yes he is....ohhhiii)
i'm writing you a love letter tonight (tonight)
better keep watch cause the mailman's coming
(ohhhiiii)

(chrous x2)

ohhhhh get it on time....

Ashanti (happy)

Happy Lyrics

Ashanti f/ Ja Rule

[Ja Rule]
Whoo, Right back at ya
It's the world's most talented record label,
MURDER INC
And that angelic voice you hear in the backround
Oh that's our princess of hip-hop and r&b
Yo, Miss Ashanti

Boy you feel me with so much joy
You give (whatever it is I need)
My love, here to stay, won't ever leave
So glad (that you fell in love with me)

(My love is so good)
That I wouldn't be without you babe
Couldn't see me without you babe
(My love is so good)
That I wouldn't be with out you babe
Couldn't see me with out you baby

(All my life) I've been searching for ya
(Everyday) So glad, that I, found ya boy
(All my life) I've been, feeling for ya
(Everyday) I'm so happy, baby, yeah

Boy you, got me feeling so good
You take (all my pain away from me)
Without you around I couldn't be
And I'm (glad you fell in love with me)

(My love is so good)
That I wouldn't be without you babe
Couldn't see me without you babe
(My love is so good)
That I wouldn't be without you babe
Couldn't see me without you baby

(All my life) I've been searching for ya
((Everyday) So glad , that I, found ya boy
(All my life) I've been feeling for ya
(Eveyday) I'm so happy baby, yeah!

I'm so happy that I fell in love
I thank God he sent you from above
I'm so happy that I found someone
I thank God he sent you from above

(All my life) I've been searching for ya
(Everyday) So glad, that I, found ya boy
(All my life) I've been, feeling for ya
(Everyday) I'm so, happy, baby, yeah

(All my life) I've been (I've been)
searching (searching) for ya
(Eveyday) So glad (So glad) that I
(that I) found ya boy
(All my life) I've been (I've been)
feeling (feeling) for ya
(Everyday) I'm so (I'm so) happy (happy)
baby

Oooooh, that I wouldn't be without you babe
Couldn't see me without you, baby

Alicia Keys ( Fallin')

I keep on fallin’
In love
With you
Sometimes I love you
Sometimes you make me blue
Sometimes I feel good
And times I feel used
Lovin' you darlin’
Makes me so confused

I keep on
Fallin’
In and out of love with you
I never loved someone
The way that I love you

Oh, oh , I never felt this way
How do you give me so much pleasure
And cause me so much pain
Just when I think
I've taken more than would a fool
I start fallin’ back in love with you

I keep on
Fallin’
In and out of love with you
I never loved someone
The way that I love you

Oh baby
I,I,I, I’m fallin’
I,I,I, I’m fallin’
Fall

I keep on
Fallin’
In and out of love with you
I never loved someone
The way that I love you

Im fallin’
In and out of love with you
I never loved someone
The way that I loved you

I'm fallin’
In and out of love with you
I never loved someone
The way that I loved you

Check out my puc of who it bes

That angelic voice

Not bad for someone who sings off key.
— Iann Robinson, MTV2 News

After 30 years in the business, I should be told by a 15-year-old white kid who should get an award on my show?
— Don Cornelius, Los Angeles Times, 21 August 2002

Dreams are real,
All you have to do is believe.
— Ashanti, "Dreams"

What a year it's been for Ashanti. How thrilling, brilliant, stressful, and confusing. Only this summer everything was going so well, better than any 21-year-old dancer-singer might have had the nerve to wish for. Her self-titled debut album (for which she wrote all 12 tracks) went platinum, selling nearly 1.5 million copies; she had three hit singles; she was performing her signature duet with Ja Rule, "Always on Time," every place on earth. Sure, there were carpers, like proud metalhead Iann Robinson, noting the limits of her pretty voice. But aside from such details, really, life must have looked sweet.

And then -- the backlash. As soon as it was announced that Ashanti would win the 2002 Soul Train Lady of Soul Aretha Franklin Entertainer of the Year Award, folks were restless, mumbling that perhaps there were more "deserving," more accomplished, more "diva-esque," or just plain more experienced performers out there (previous winners include Mariah Carey, TLC, and Jill Scott). California high school sophomore Rommel Zamora decided to do something about it. On 31 July, he set up an online petition called "Better Candidate For Aretha Franklin Award," and by the time the Award was actually awarded, on 26 August, some 28,000 people had signed.

Addressed simply to "Soul Train," the petition reads, in part, "It is an insult to other entertainers who are more deserving of this award and Aretha Franklin. Ashanti simply lacks singing ability and stage presence. She doesn't demonstrate the qualities of an entertainer and hasn't been out in the public for a full year. Better candidates for this award should be Faith Evans, Alicia Keys, India.Arie, or Aaliyah. Please sign this and you will help our current, hardworking artists by protesting against ordinary, mediocre artist from getting a highly praised award." (See Zamora's website and Soultrain.com's "Rebuttal.")

The dissent hit a nerve. Perhaps needless to say, the Soul Train folks didn't take kindly to this questioning of their decision. Don Cornelius Productions, the parent company of Soul Train and the Soul Train Awards, took it rather personally (as his comments to the Los Angeles Times suggest), making it a matter of property, not surprisingly related to gender, race, and age. Oddly, Soultrain.com's first startling strategy was to indict BET.com (as "white-owned," among other things) along with young Zamora (who is of Filipino descent, despite Cornelius's presumption that he is white) for "fostering a vicious and wrong-headed hate campaign against the super-popular, black, female, Murder, Inc./Def Jam recording artist Ashanti."

Flabbergasted by the virulence of the objection to his protest, Zamora went on to post the response he received from the Soultrain.com webmaster: "As for the, grossly, uninformed moron who came up with the, totally crude and clumsy, idea to initiate his own hate campaign and Internet rock-throwing attack against a perfectly honest, time tested and time honored process, which he very obviously has no knowledge or understanding of, whatsoever, we urge you to cease and desist from your malignant abuse and misuse of the services being provided by www.petitiononline.com and to, immediately, take steps, with the help and support of all Ashanti petition signers, to open your own Internet website, which should, appropriately, be entitled, 'I'm a ****ing loser, I'm not talented or successful, I don't know **** about the music industry and I need to get a mother****ing life!!'"

Tactful.

Granted, Soul Train can name its own Award recipient, and it's certainly not the first time that popularity (as it is apparently indicated by profits) has been a criterion for giving out prizes (see, for instance, the Oscars, the Emmys, the Grammys, the MTV Video Music Awards, the Golden Globes, etc.) The "rock-throwing" was only exacerbated once the Soultrain.com webmaster got into this fray. Moreover, framing the issue in terms of racism seemed a knee-jerk response, and only made the situation more difficult for the honoree. By the time the Awards took place, wagons were circled, many in the name of protecting Ashanti (whose acceptance speech was demure and brief). This is a standard position for her at this point in her career. She reports that the Murder, Inc. guys tend to treat her as a "little sister," but if it affects romantic possibilities, she's not complaining. She's busy working. And in large part, her work -- so broadly crossed-over -- challenges racist presumptions and divisions between communities, in commercial as well as political terms, as these are, now, closely and inexorably linked.

Ashanti's speedily rising star certainly did much to jumpstart an unsteady hip-hop/R&B industry (read: "black" music, however you understand that term), following a series of blows: the deaths of Aaliyah and Lisa Lopes, the aching economy following 9-11, Whitney and Mariah, R. Kelly and MJ, even, to an extent, the resurgence of "rock" in the form of pretty young white boys and girls who write their own material and, you know, play instruments. That's not to say that hip-hop or R&B was going anywhere. But while acts like B2K and Bow Wow, Eminem and P. Diddy, have certainly held their own amid the tumult, the most unexpected recent development may have been Ashanti S. Douglas, whose pleasant, thin vocals and uncomplicated dance moves made her seem -- at least until the Soul Train mess -- like a soothing balm for anxious consumer souls.

If nothing else, the girl's numbers are impressive. In a few months, she accumulated credits for co-writing remixes of J. Lo's "Ain't It Funny" and "I'm Real," as well as writing and performing the hooks for Big Pun's "How We Roll," Fat Joe's "What's Luv?" and "Always On Time" (the irresistible "I'm not always there when you call, but I'm always on time"). These last two gigs, along with her own first single off her album Ashanti, "Foolish," made her the only artist since the Beatles to have three Billboard top ten singles at the same time, and certainly the first black female artist to come anywhere near such a mainstream "measure of success." Ashanti sold some 502,000 copies in its first week of release, cementing her place in industry history by surpassing first week sales by Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, and Lopez (and knocking Celine Dion off the chart top, which can only be a good thing).

These are the kinds of numbers that make everyone take notice, including, obviously, the folks at Soul Train. Ashanti took it more or less in stride, traveling hither and thither to promote her album, performing "Always on Time" a bijillion times, sometimes in a headband, always placing her hand to her face in the universal "call me" gesture, gently swaying her hips and sashaying across the stage -- on MTV and BET, for Urban Aid 2, even for that corniest of venues, the World Music Awards. Call her a team player. Or, as Gotti Himself puts it: "Ashanti delivers at the highest level, and she has this personality that makes people love her. She's got too many people feeling her, too many hit records and too much heat for her to stop. She can't lose."

Gotti's aversion to losing is well known (check The Source's October 2002 cover story, regarding the possible signing of Nas to the label, and the various beefs this may boost). Still, the business (believes it) thrives on controversy and conflict, that is, designating winners and losers. So, as sultry and adorable, tranquil and heartening as Ashanti may be, nay-sayers will say nay. Even before the noise started about the Soul Train Award, folks were citing Ashanti's shortcomings: Dotmusic's James Poletti calls "Foolish," "straight-up soul treacle that delivers that all-important familiarity"; the Atlanta Journal and Constitution's Craig Seymour refers to her "lazy croons"; Entertainment Weekly's Jon Caramanica says, "Her voice is supple and pretty but rarely rises above a whisper, making it a background instrument even when it's [her] turn to shine."

For all the complaints, it's clear that Ashanti appeals broadly. And to all appearances, this is precisely a function of her low-key, wholly nonconfrontational affect. The girl is grateful, compliant, amiable. She is, in a word, happy.

Even when pressed to comment on the vagaries of her chosen trade, Ashanti wisely tells MTV.com that she doesn't worry too much about so-called "competition." She sees "room" in the world for all the R&B-ish new girls -- Tweet, Truth Hurts, Fundisha, Sharissa, Amerie, et. al. -- each in her "own lane." Ashanti's lane begins in Glen Cove, New York, where she was born. She started singing in a gospel choir at age 6, sang R&B in a local talent contest in 1994, signed with Jive at 14. While in high school, she honed various skills, a member of the English Club and the track team (Princeton offered her a track scholarship). She also took up dancing (at the Bernice Johnson Cultural Arts Center and with Judith Jamison of the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, among others). But music was her calling. She sang professionally (at the Soul Café, China Club, Madison Square Garden, etc.). Though the Jive contract and a couple of others with Epic and Noontime didn't pan out, her deal with AJM Records led to Gotti.

Supported by her "momanager" Tina (who plays her mom in the "Foolish" video), Ashanti has recently been deemed "the princess of hip-hop and R&B," making her the honored subordinate to queen Mary J. Blige, and successor to Aaliyah (who was also so deemed). Such requisite affectation of royalty hardly seems necessary, but it fits with the Gotti gang's mafia affectations. She has nothing but good to say about the boss man: "He pulls certain things out of you to make you your best," she told MTV.com's Shaheem Reid ("In Gotti We Trust," 29 July 2002). "He's like a genius when it comes to creativity, to music, concepts of videos and the business. He gets it done, by hook or by crook."

"Hook" might be the operative word with respect to Ashanti. Not only has he put her skills in that area to good use, it was also Gotti's idea to use the melody from El DeBarge's "Stay With Me" as the hook for "Foolish." Ashanti was understandably nervous about the citation, since most everyone on the planet knows it as the hook on Biggie's "One More Chance," but Gotti prevailed and the song rocketed to incessant radio and video play. The video's visual track, with Terrence Howard playing the gangster Ashanti can't not love ("And though my heart can't take no more, / I keep on running back to you") allows her to look lovely (in expensive outfits) and put upon by selfish paramour (so malevolent that he turns to give you, hapless viewer, the "Thriller" evil eye at video's end). Labelmates Ja, Charli Baltimore, and Vita (who has since left Murder, Inc.), and Gotti too, all appear as kibitzers, advising Ashanti or Howard, underlining the girl-boy discord that makes the story go.

Again, Ashanti has it all ways -- in spite of the gangster setting and her fancy outfits (and a scene where she's in bed with Howard), she comes off as cute, chastely sexy, unsullied. The hugeness of the song and video had as much to do with Ashanti's "speaking for" women who put in time with bad boyfriends as it did with the fact that she actually ends up not leaving said boyfriend. It's a challenge, but not too much. Boys can get the point or not. Girls can sympathize. And even if she hasn't been asked to perform it as much as the twofer, "Always on Time," the song made Ashanti a household name.

In order to "give back," or more precisely, to acknowledge her history, the lifetime it's taken her to arrive at her overnight success, Ashanti decided to shoot her second solo video, for "Happy" in Glen Cove; or, rather, she raised the idea with Gotti, who okayed it and agreed to shoot it. The song proper begins with Ja's predictable exclamation: "It's the world's most talented record label, Murder Inc. / And that angelic voice you hear in the background, / Oh that's our new princess of hip-hop and R&B, yo, Miss Ashanti." From here, pipes float into the mellow mix, Ashanti's voice takes center stage. It's a basic love song, a "thank you" to a wondrous boyfriend (the opposite of the villain in "Foolish," and who was supposed to be played in the video by Allen Iverson, who was at the last minute detained by his own work, with the Sixers), gliding rhythms and lyrics.

The video's narrative concept is fiercely, even deceptively simple. Exquisite Ashanti answers the phone "at home" one morning, and when she hears Ja's unmistakable voice, informs him that her hometown is honoring her that very day. She invites him to gather up the crew and "come through," then proceeds to prepare herself. She heads to the beauty shop, selects outfits offered up by her own crew of girlfriends, who also conveniently serve as backup dancers whenever the opportunity presents itself -- in her front yard where a platform is neatly awaiting their slinky moves, on the sidewalk in front of the beauty shop, and then, at the celebration itself, where a crowd greets her with signs and hurrahs. Ashanti's costumes (she wears several) are gauzy but never gaudy, her dance steps are adorable and not suggestive, her lyrics amiable and singularly unchallenging: "Boy you fill me with so much joy, / You give whatever it is I need. / My love here to stay won't ever leave, / So glad that you fell in love with me."

This delightful display of affection fits with Ashanti's accompanying lyrics, sort of. Her fans are heaven-sent, in a way. The Murder, Inc. protectors arrive just in time to stand around her, proudly looking on like she's a great new product they've designed. If she's happy, they're happy. That seems to be the point, for now. Someday, this little sister will be growing up. It remains to be seen how the property and profits questions will work out.

— 16 September 2002

The comment about aalliyah wasit it this:


"I look up to Mary J and Aaliyah was a younger version, Aaliyah changed rnb and hip hop around a little, she had her own style and music and she is very unique, and I'm like if she can do it, I can do it."


Funny how somebodies words can be changed around if only one person hears it

thatz somethin ta think about

AMEN SISTA PREACH U SAID A MOUTHFUL CAUSE I WAS ABOUT TA CUSS DAT TRICK OUT DAT SAID AALIYAH CAN'T SING AND U JUSS PLAIN STUPID IF U THINK THAT ASHANTI LOOKS EQUAL TO AALIYAH AND FOR UR INFO ASHANTI CAN NOT SING LIVE LESS WELL DANCE U SHOULD GET KICKED OFF FOR JUSS SAYIN SOMETIN SO U JUSS NEED TA GIVE IT UP BECAUSE SHE (ASHANTI) IS

is what?

lame

Why is she lame