Ashanti

b. 1980

Glen Cove, New York

Singer, songwriter, model

Twenty years ago, it was almost impossible to listen to any radio station without hearing Ashanti. She carried the music label Murder Inc. on her back for three consecutive summers. By the mid-2000s, Ashanti established herself as one of the most recognized artists of the decade.

Her debut album, Ashanti, landed at number one on Billboard 200 and sold over six million records worldwide. Ashanti gave us massive hits like “Baby,” “Happy,” and of course, “Foolish,” a DeBarge sample. It’s worth noting that Ashanti also wrote all of her most famous songs. 

Outside of singing, she played in Coach Carter and John Tucker Must Die, solidifying her as the omnipresent icon of the early millennium.