Ashanti has seen better days. The singer, most known for her Notorious B.I.G-sampling hit "Foolish," recently cut ties with her label The Inc. Like Ashanti, The Inc. (formerly known as Murda Inc.) is a fragile shell of its former self. Irv Gotti, a delusional, self-obsessed svengali of sorts, has been at the reigns of the label and its former crew of all-stars, Ashanti, Ja Rule and Lloyd, since the label's inception. But the ties that bond appear to be fraying. Lloyd and Ashanti have officially split from Irv and The Inc. and reports are circulating that Ja has split too, leaving Irv Gotti with the undeniable, irresistible, awe-inspiring talent of Vanessa Carlton on his label. Marlon Wayans must be delighted.
Ashanti's last studio album, 2008's "The Declaration," had more false starts than a track meet. Single after single failed to garner much buzz, until "The Way That I Love You" managed to grab some airtime. But that mild success couldn't pull in listeners for the long haul and the album debuted at #6 with 86,000 copies sold. Following the embarrassing failure of "The Declaration," Ashanti hightailed it to off-Broadway, landing a role in "The Wiz" and that's where she's remained since.
WNBC's program "Talk Stoop" caught up with Ashanti and asked her about fame, music and celebrity.
Nothing has changed about Ashanti. Everything from that god-awful, donkey-like cackle (see the 1:00 minute mark) to her curious sense of fashion (are those ostrich feathers on that Easter dress?) remain with the singer. The host also charitably refers to Ashanti as an actress, singer, model and dancer. Does Apple Bottom Jeans count as modeling?
Ashanti does sing a small rendition of The Wizard of Oz classic, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" toward the end, and admittedly her voice has gotten a lot better. But Brandy's version blows Ashanti's out of the water, leaving the Glen Cove dove in the dust. And eating dust is pretty much what the music industry has had Ashanti doing for a while now. The music world doesn't need an Ashanti right now, and truthfully it hasn't needed her for quite some time. Her Sweet Valley High poetry and airy vocals have been put to pasture in favor of singers better songwriters, better producers and more engaging stage personalities. With Lady Gaga able to swing from sensitive pianist to thrilling pop diva in one show, who needs a one-trick pony like Ashanti?
If Ashanti really wants back in she's gonna need to find a way to fit in, and she better do it fast cause J.Lo, Kelly Rowland and Cassie are busy trying to solve that exact same problem for themselves. Or maybe now might be the time to hang it all up, play wifey to Nelly (another who also needs to seriously consider early retirement) and have some babies. Maybe pursue a career in IT, get herself a DeVry education.
