Ashanti Celebrates Self-Titled Album’s 15th Year with Throwbacks and Crashing Buskers

Ashanti marked her way to the music scene in the early 2000's, performing with Ja Rule and Murder Inc. Now, 15 years after her self-titled debut album hit the shelves, the sultry singer shares some stories about her famous tracks and how it felt working with the face of Murder Inc.

Taking some time to talk to Billboard, Ashanti remembers the time when she was working on her first hit single "Foolish." According to her, Jay Z was initially booked to join Ashanti on the song but then decided by producer Irv Gotti decided otherwise. A verse from the late Notorious B.I.G. was later on added to the remix version of the song.

Regarding working with rapper Ja Rule, Ashanti stated that they possessed a certain chemistry. She, later on, adds that even if they don't meet for a few months, once they get onstage, they connect as if they hang out every single day. The Grammy-winning songstress also brought up some instances that they perform with matching outfits, even without talking about it beforehand.

Keeping herself busy, Ashanti recently appeared on the web series "Crashed" on Verizon's go90 service. In the said appearance, the "Princess of Hip-Hop and R&B" visited a fan who happens to be a street performer, also known as a busker. According to Yahoo, Ashanti even joins in on some of the fun and sang with the lucky fan on a live street performance of her chart-topping song "Foolish."

Citing Mary J. Blige as her main source of inspiration, Ashanti is known for her pretty and sultry soprano voice. She held multiple records, like being the first female artist to take the top two spots in the U.S. Billboard Top 100 and being the second artist to have the first three songs enter the Hot 100 top ten. The award-winning and chart-topping singer currently has five albums under her belt and is reportedly working on a sixth album.