Ashanti's fragmented rise to pop stardom is one of the more overlooked journeys in music when discussing how hard work pays off in the industry. The Long Island singer/songwriter had been performing in shows, on records, and in videos for ten years when she became the first female to simultaneously feature on the Billboard Hot 100's two top songs, when Ja Rule's "Always on Time" and Fat Joe's "What's Luv?" charted neck and neck in 2002. And she did it all before dropping her debut single, "Foolish."
Over the weekend Ashanti reflected on her career taking off, while paying tribute to Diddy on Instagram. As history would have it, the Bad Boy Records boss was responsible for discovering her when as a young teen she sang some Mary J. Blige for him and Biggie in the studio. What began as a development deal with the label would eventually fall through, and send Ashanti into limbo as she navigated her way through deals with Jive and Epic, to eventually wind up with Murder Inc. But she never forgot where she came from.
"I sat in Puffs office when I was 13... which is when I met Notorious B.I.G," Ashanti wrote, in the caption of a trailer for Diddy's new documentary, Can't Stop Won't Stop: A Bad Boy Story. "We almost did a deal but I ended up in a different situation... the next time I saw Puff was after "Foolish" exploded it was hilarious and he gave me the biggest hug!!! Always been love #cantstopwontstop @diddy."
Source: instagram.com
