by Fat Joe, and "Always on Time" by labelmate Ja Rule, which peaked at numbers two and one on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively; the latter, with her 2002 debut single "Foolish", made her the first female artist to occupy the top two positions the chart simultaneously.

[5] She wrote and provided background vocals for Jennifer Lopez's 2002 single "Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix)", which peaked the Billboard Hot 100.

[7] The album received three nominations at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards, while its lead singles, "Rock wit U (Awww Baby)" and "Rain on Me", peaked at numbers two and seven on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively.

Ashanti has acted in several productions, debuting in the film Coach Carter and starring in the TV special The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (both 2005), the latter of which attracted nearly eight million viewers.

She also appeared on the 2001 The Fast and the Furious soundtrack as a featured artist on Vita's 2001 hip hop remake of Madonna's "Justify My Love" and on the solo track "When a Man Does Wrong".

Following the success of her collaborations with Ja Rule and Fat Joe, Ashanti released her debut single, "Foolish", which contains a sample of the 1983 song "Stay with Me" by DeBarge (also used by The Notorious B.I.G.

[26] Many said that established artists such as Mary J. Blige and Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott or critically acclaimed singers like Alicia Keys and India Arie were more deserving of an award that carries the name of a musical legend.

"[27][28] Just before the release of her second album, Ashanti headlined VH1 Divas Duets alongside Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Beyoncé, and Lisa Marie Presley.

The album went platinum, selling over 1.5  a million copies in the U.S.[7] Chapter II's first single, "Rock wit U (Awww Baby)", became a hit, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.

In the "Rain on Me," mini-movie music video—directed by Hype Williams and co-starring Larenz Tate—Ashanti portrays a troubled young woman in an abusive relationship.

A second single, the ballad "Don't Let Them", garnered little chart success after Def Jam refused to fund a music video due to Irv Gotti's legal troubles during his money laundering trial.

[34] Later in 2005, Ashanti was invited to Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball, which honored some of the most influential and legendary African American women of the twentieth century in the fields of art, entertainment, and civil rights.

In 2006, she starred in the teen comedy John Tucker Must Die, which opened and peaked at number three at the U.S. box office (competing with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Miami Vice) and grossed $68,818,076 worldwide.

In mid-2007, MTV News reported that the first single from The Declaration was "Switch",[37] which was produced by Shy Carter and released digitally in the United States on July 24, 2007.

It was later reported that "Switch" may not be included on the album's track listing, and that the first single would be "Hey Baby (After the Club)" it was released to radio and digital outlets on October 16.

[42] The song contains elements of Elton John's 1974 single "Bennie and the Jets", and has the same melody arrangement as Michael Jackson's "The Girl Is Mine".

[46] On October 27, 2008, Ashanti took part in The Yellow Brick Road Not Taken, a one night only concert to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Wicked, featuring songs written by Stephen Schwartz, that were cut from the show.

After a four-year hiatus, Ashanti released the song "Never Too Far Away", which was featured in Morgan Creek's film Dream House starring Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz with Naomi Watts.

The lead single from her fifth studio album, "The Woman You Love" featuring American rapper Busta Rhymes, was released online on December 15, 2011.

[47] Ashanti teamed up with Meek Mill and French Montana for the second single "No One Greater", which was produced by 7 Aurelius, Irv Gotti and Chink Santana.

[50] In November 2012, it was reported that she had landed her first series regular role in the seventh season of Army Wives, playing Latasha Montclair.

[52] In the fall of 2013, she appeared in a guest spot on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit alongside Clay Aiken and Taylor Hicks.

[54] In August 2013, Ashanti announced her plans to once again work with Ja Rule, who'd been released from prison in July of that year following a six-year sentence stemming from a gun charge.

Ashanti collaborated with Michelle Obama for her #Let'sMove campaign to spread awareness of drinking water with her new video and song "Let's Go" released in 2015.

[62] Between 2017 and 2018 she returned to the music scene with several collaborations including the single "Say Less" with Ty Dolla Sign, the track "The Road" by Machel Montano, and the song "Start This Shit Off Right" with Mack Maine, from the album "Tha Carter V" by Lil Wayne.

[66] In November 2019, Ashanti guest-starred as herself in two episodes of the third season of The CW's Dynasty reboot: "Mother, I'm At La Mirage" and "Something Desperate".

[74][75] Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic noted her reputation for using her "swooning voice" in duets with Big Pun, Fat Joe, and Ja Rule.

[76] As a young girl, Ashanti was influenced by Ella Fitzgerald, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Prince, and Tupac Shakur, but she cites Mary J. Blige as the main reason she wanted to pursue a singing career.

Further musical influences include Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Smokey Robinson, Donna Summer, and Blue Magic.

"[81] In 2005, Ashanti helped by recording public service announcement and raising money for the Southeast Asia tsunami disaster.