Ashanti has long been about her business and is sharing a valuable lesson with those eyeing a career as long and fruitful as hers, and that lesson is in ownership.
During a visit to The Tamron Hall Show, the R&B veteran revealed that she now owns the masters of her 2002 self-titled debut album – which is home to hits such as ‘Foolish’ and ‘Baby.’ It also held the record for the highest first-week sales of a female debut album for seven years.
As for fresh plans for the LP, Ashanti also shared that she is gearing up to re-record the project.
Head below for quotes and clips…
On finally owning the masters to her debut album:
“You know, it is, again, it’s so surreal. I have an amazing legal team, and I got my first record deal when I was 14 years old, so understanding and seeing how things have changed so much from then to now and conceptually understanding what you’re signing is so imperative, it’s so important nowadays. The fact that I’ll be able to re-record my first album, and put everything together.”
On the opportunity to re-record her first album:
“It’s so humbling. It is such an honor. I’m so grateful. It’s such a blessing, you know, the fact that we are still here, we’re living through a pandemic, and these blessings are still coming in, it just makes me so happy again, so humbled and such a believer. There’s a higher power, you know what I mean and I think that just being as a person and praying and putting your heart into things you get that energy back, you know, and I think that’s so important. So I’m just really really happy.”
On her writing process as a young woman penning her debut album:
“You know what is the most bizarre thing? So I used to live in the basement of my house. I wanted to feel like I had my own apartment. So I used to be downstairs in my own section and I would put on the Cartoon Network on mute and I would just write. It sounds so crazy, but I would be watching, like having cartoons on, playing the beat, and then just writing.. It was just, I don’t know, it made me feel comfortable. It allowed me to kind of get into my zone, You know that was one scenario. The other scenario, I would be in the city at the studio. Murder Inc studio, and I would be the only female and there would be guys and they like rolling dice and doing things that guys do and throwing money on the table and you know there’s a lot of stuff in the air, and I wouldn’t be in the corner, you know, and just writing.”
On meeting SZA, Grammy-nominated artist who was an Ashanti superfan back in the day:
“You know, that moment for me – I’m like a little bit emotional – it was so surreal because it was so genuine and I’m a fan of hers and she actually posted the pictures of herself and me, when she was at the signing of the book, and I was like, ‘oh my gosh!!’ Like I was so touched and stunned and I just felt the love and, you know, I’m about women empowerment and encouraging women. So for us to have that exchange and for it to be so organic and so genuine, I didn’t want to stop hugging her! Oh my gosh I’m like, ‘you’re like my sister!’ you know. So it was such an amazing, amazing feeling and again it was just so natural and so organic. So I really appreciated it and she’s amazing.
On her unexpected reunion with her ex Nelly after six years:
“I really didn’t expect it, I didn’t know he was gonna be there, honestly. So when I saw him kind of coming across the stage, I was just like, ‘oh…’ and it was so weird because we haven’t seen or spoken to each other for over six years so that was the first time in six years, so it was a weird feeling. I always, like when we first broke up, I would be like, ‘ Oh my God, when I see him.’ You know I went through that, and then it was like, ‘Oh, I’m okay.’ You know what I mean. So it had been so long, I didn’t know how to feel or what I was going to feel when I actually did see him. So, that’s what it was like.”
More power to her.
![Nelly & Kelly Rowland Reunite to Perform Their 2002 Hit 'Dilemma' at the 2024 Baby2Baby Gala [Video]](https://thatgrapejuice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/kelly-rowland-baby2baby-thatgrapejuice-2024-dilemma-nelly-464x260.jpg "Nelly & Kelly Rowland Reunite to Perform Their 2002 Hit 'Dilemma' at the 2024 Baby2Baby Gala [Video].")
Girl BYE! Who want that ish re-recorded? Lawd.
If you own the masters, why would you re-record??? Is she missing a screw? The only reason Taylor and JoJo re-recorded was because they didn’t own their masters. Wtf
You’d know about missing a screw or more 🤪
Stfu ashy Luggage. Ashanti is a free woman so she can do whatever she wants. U judgemental psychotic b I t c h 💅🏿
Yaaaaaaaas drag that lunatic Ashy Luggage! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
She’s not Taylor or JoJo. She owns her masters and can do as she pleases with her music. Simple.
Yes queens drag that nasty smelly Ashy Luggage 🤣🤣🤣🤣
It’s such a stupid bag of ashy crâp 🤣🤣🤣
Maybe she owns the re recordings
She owns the originals so what’s the point?
That photo shoot… 😂🤣😂 I can’t…. Looks like she was taking a dump on rooftop 💅🏿
LMAO
Ma’am. . .you haven’t even finished the album you’ve been working on since 2014 and you ready to re-record you debut album? Ain’t much changed about your voice since 2002, chill out since! Wasn’t cute Taylor did it but she had the fan base to back it up.
Taylor had a reason to do it – she didn’t own her masters.
Ashanti can sit on my face just like that just sayin lol
And y’all stop hating on the b****, all the washed up stars from the 90s and 2000s are doing it.
That’s the power of TLC, I am trying to remember who popularized this rerecording thing before they did
TLC and their re-recorded songs sound like Korean karaoke, literally the worst ever.
I also didn’t see the point in re-recording if she owns the masters, but knowing Ashanti, there’s definitely some financial benefit . This is what irks me about Ashanti recently, nothing seems to be passionate or about the love of music, all she talks about is the money and being paid.. and it’s so off putting as a fan. I know everybody is tryna make they coins, but it’s all she really speaks about and it’s just giving greedy to me. Doesn’t seem like she cares at all about the music.
& She spites herself really, because she could be globally successful again with the Right backing and especially with a machine behind her but she doesn’t want to sign a deal, she wants to do everything herself so she keeps all
the money – BUT then because she’s so tight with that money – she gives us one dry 2 minute single every other year and one video if we lucky. I can’t . Like girrrrrl c’mon. Independent Ashanti is not doing it, she wanna spend her days touring nightclubs singing always on time and foolish muting 50% of the track for the Audience to fill the gaps … it’s tired now.
💯
This post got me reminiscing on that time Ashanti thought the ONLY YOU song & video would repair her dying career after the massacre that was the CRAZY IN LOVE. That only you video was very Beyonce 😂, great attempt tho but there’s no repairing yourself once HURRICANE BEY strikes your CAREER, ask Keri
Girrrrrrrllll I was like .. Ms.Ashanti u a dancer now huh 👀 🤣🤣🤣 people use to kill her for that two step , but Beyoncé made the girls wanna dance 🤣
😄😄😅😅
You all are so fckn stupid. Including Shayla Queefy 💀
Why wouldn’t she re-record?!! Dummies this is a brilliant business move. Her album were #1 albums when she was at her prime, but those residuals DID NOT go to her…
Now having FULL ownership, she now can rebrand her #classic hits and make a profit but also re-establish herself. Best hits albums, tours, all of that.
But you all are as dumb as a fckn doorknob 🚪 to comprehend that. LOL 🤪