Ashanti is most famous for her eponymous Grammy Award-winning debut album Ashanti which featured the hit song Foolish. The album set a Soundscan record as the most albums sold by any first-time female artist in the chart's history, outselling debuts by Alicia Keys and Lauryn Hill. Later that year, she was acclaimed as the "Princess of Hip-Hop & R&B" by the media and capped off her successful debut by winning eight Billboard awards and two American Music Awards.
Ashanti cites Mary J. Blige and Ella Fitzgerald as her musical influences. Praised as a gifted songwriter by her peers and critics alike, Ashanti has written/co-written the bulk of all her music. She is currently an independent artist on her own record label entitled Written Entertainment.
It was when she was noticed by Murder Inc. mastermind Irv Gotti that Ashanti began to blossom. Gotti noted her dancing and acting abilities in addition to her vocal skills. In 2001, Ashanti was first featured as a background vocalist on rapper Big Pun's song How We Roll. In the same year, Ashanti was featured on fellow labelmate Caddillac Tah's singles Pov City Anthem and Just Like A Thug. 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. She appeared as a background vocalist on I'm Real (Murder Remix), a collaboration by labelmate Ja Rule and Jennifer Lopez (she also appeared in the music video for Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix), the 2nd duet between Lopez & Rule), and was featured on Fat Joe's What's Luv? and Ja Rule's Always on Time. What's Luv? and Always on Time were released simultaneously and became two of the biggest hit songs of 2002. Ashanti became the first female to occupy the top two positions on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart when Always on Time and What's Luv? were number-one and number-two respectively.
Following the success of her collaborations with Ja Rule and Fat Joe, Ashanti released her debut single, Foolish, which contained a sample of the 1983 song Stay With Me by DeBarge (also utilized by Notorious B.I.G. in his 1995 hit One More Chance). She became the second artist (after the The Beatles) to have their first three chart entries in the top ten of the Hot 100 simultaneously. Ashanti's self-titled debut album, Ashanti, was released on Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. record label in April 2002. It debuted at number-one on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart, selling over 503,000 copies in its first week (the most successful first week sales for a debut R&B female artist up through that point--record later broken by Mary J. Blige's The Breakthrough). The album has been certified 3x platinum in the U.S and platinum (300,000 copies) in the UK. The album has sold over 6.5 million copies worldwide. Ashanti penned all 12 songs on the album, most written on-the-spot in the studio.
Ashanti's follow-up singles, Happy and Baby, were not as successful as her debut single but did peak in the top ten and top twenty in the U.S. respectively. During the summer of 2002, Ashanti appeared on Ja Rule's Down 4 U with labelmates, female rappers Vita and Charli Baltimore. The song appeared on a Murder Inc. compilation titled Irv Gotti Presents The Inc. Ashanti's debut album earned her many awards including eight Billboard Music Awards, two American Music Awards, a Lady of Soul Award for "Aretha Franklin Entertainer of the Year," and a Grammy Award.
In July 2003, Ashanti released her second album, Chapter II, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 326,000 copies in the U.S.. The album went Platinum, selling 1.5 million copies in U.S. The album's success was somewhat eclipsed, however, by all the negative drama surrounding the Murder Inc. camp at the time (i.e., the FBI investigation and the G-Unit feuding). Chapter II's first single, Rock wit U (Awww Baby), became a hit, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Its video, which showed Ashanti in a bikini frolicking on a beach and riding an elephant named Bubbles, was nominated for two 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. A remix of the song contains interpolations of Michael Jackson's Rock with You. The second single, Rain on Me, reached the number-seven spot on the Hot 100 and number two on the Hot 100 R&B Songs chart. Chapter II was nominated for a 2004 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album, and Rock wit U (Awww Baby) and Rain on Me were nominated in the categories of Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, respectively. At the end of 2003 in November, Ashanti performed at The American Music Awards and was nominated in two categories.
In November 2003, Ashanti's Christmas album, Ashanti's Christmas was released. The album containing 10 Christmas songs, six classic covers and four she wrote herself. To coincide with the release Ashanti premiered a Christmas Medley video for the album. While on BET's 106 & Park, Ashanti said the concept of the Christmas Album came from a guest spot she did on Steve Harvey's radio show. While playing a game with Stevie Wonder, he began playing Christmas medleys on the piano and Ashanti began singing them, giving her label head the idea to push for a Christmas Album. Ashanti went into the studio to record the album during the summer of 2003. According to soundscan, the album sold just around 100,000 units in the U.S.
Before Concrete Rose was released, Ashanti did some major promotion for her single Only U, when she premiered it at the 2004 Vibe Music Awards. In 2004, Ashanti was invited back to perform at VH1's Divas 2004. She appeared on stage with Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Jessica Simpson, and others. She performed Diana Ross' single "I'm Coming Out", and she performed a soul-influenced rendition of Chaka Khan's funk driven "Ain't Nobody. Later that year Ashanti collaborated with male R&B newcomer and labelmate Lloyd on the song Southside, which was released as his debut single and was a moderate hit. Wonderfulโwith Ja Rule and R. Kellyโpeaked at number five in the U.S. and at number one in the UK, and Jimmy Choo with rapper Shyne reached number fifty-five on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. Alongside artist such as Wyclef Jean, Mary J. Blige, Eve, Brandy, Fabolous, Jadakiss, Missy Elliott, and many others, Ashanti participated in a cover of "Wake Up Everybody" in support of ACT, the left-leaning political action committee.
In December 2004, Ashanti released her third studio album, Concrete Rose, the title of which took on Tupac Shakur's pseudonym "The Rose That Grew from Concrete". The album debuted at number seven in the U.S with first week sales of 254,000 copies, and eventually became her third platinum certified album; according to Nielsen SoundScan, it has sold 871,000 copies. The first single, the gold-certified Only U, reached number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and became her biggest hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number two. 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. Ashanti used her own money to deliver the second video to her fans, with Gotti acting as director. The single was released only in the U.S., where it failed to chart, and the UK, where it reached the lower end of the top forty. In 2005, Ashanti graced the stage at the MTV Japan Music Awards, where she performed her hit single, Only U. She also won a Style award during the show. She performed alongside huge acts like Mariah Carey and Korean star Rain.
In December 2005, Ashanti released a remix album of Concrete Rose titled Collectables by Ashanti. It features six remixes of previously released tracks and four newly recorded songs, including the single Still on It, which features rappers Paul Wall and Method Man. The album was an opportunity for her to fulfill her contract with Def Jam (and have the option of working with another label), and did not fare well on the charts.
Her fourth studio album, The Declaration, was released on June 3, 2008. Ashanti ventured out and acquired producers and collaborators primarily outside The Inc. for the first time. She said the album was a representation of the freedom she felt she had at that time in her career. "I'm steering my own ship and taking the lead on everything. You can definitely hear the growth; I'm working with producers I've never worked with before". Irv Gotti was quoted as saying, "she's having her little Janet Jackson Control moment. Every artist has their moment when they feel they need to take over their own music and this is hers".
The album debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 with sales of 86,000 copies, Ashanti's lowest first-week sales for a studio album. As of September 2008, The Declaration had sold 230,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. Two singles released during 2007 in advance of the album's releaseโSwitch featuring Nelly, and Hey Baby (After the Club) featuring Mario Winansโdid not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Hey Baby (After the Club) reached number eighty-seven on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and the third single, the L. T. Hutton-produced The Way That I Love You, reached number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and peaked at number thirty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The final single, the Jermaine Dupri-produced Good Good, became a minor urban hit, peaking at number thirty on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Also featured on The Declaration is the Nelly collaboration Body on Me, which is the third single from his 2008 album Brass Knuckles.
In May 2009, Irv Gotti announced that he was officially releasing Ashanti from The Inc. Records, stating that "The relationship has run its course. The chemistry of what's needed โ we're in two totally different places. You're talking to somebody that took her and shaped and molded her and put her out there for the world, and it blew up. We [hold the record] for the [fastest] selling debut by a female R&B artist โ 503 [thousand]. We did it! My views and philosophies and her views and philosophies are not meeting up." Gotti also admitted that he and Ashanti have not spoken to each other in a long time. A rep for Ashanti did not respond.
BraveHeart, her fifth album on March 4, 2014. Upon release, the album garnered favorable reviews, with music critics describing Braveheart's sound as an "evolution of R&B" and praising the themes of empowerment, but criticizing the romantic clichรฉs and lack of interesting moments on the album. On the charts, Braveheart opened at number ten on the U.S. Billboard 200, becoming Ashanti's fifth consecutive top-ten album, as well as her first Independent Albums chart topper. It also debuted in the top-thirty of the UK R&B Albums Chart and top-forty of the UK Indie Albums Chart.
In 2017, she announced her seventh studio album, set to be released in 2018 or 2019. On November 6, 2017, she released the first single, โSay Lessโ feat. Ty Dolla $ign.
Always on Time
Ashanti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gave you my, baby be mine
Always there when you call, always on time
Gave you my, baby
Baby, I'm not always there when you call, but I'm always on time
And I gave you my all, now baby be mine
I'm not always there when you call, but I'm always on time
Come on and get a piece of this late-night lover
You know, the one that swing dick like no other (shit)
I know, I got a lot of things I need to explain
But baby you know the name and love is about pain
So, stop the complaints and drop the order restraints
Our sex life's a game so back me down in the paint
'Cause I can't wait no more
'Cause it's about a quarter-past three and shorty's eyein me
I got the Bentley valeted
And I'm just outside of Jersey, past the Palisades
And I love to see that ass in boots and shades
Sprawled out on the bed while I'm yankin your braids
Thug style, you never thought I'd make you smile
While I'm smackin your ass and fuckin you all wild
But we share somethin so rare, but who cares, you care
Baby, I'm not always there when you call, but I'm always on time
And I gave you my all, now baby be mine
I'm not always there when you call, but I'm always on time
And I gave you my all, now baby be mine
Girl, get a grip, come on, pull it together
It's only a sun shower, we been through worse weather
Like the stormy nights you wrote a "Dear Ja" letter
And took my Benz and keyed and cut the leather
Bitch, you know better, we live M-O-B
Money Over Bitches, Murder, I-N-C
I got two or three hoes for every V
And I keep 'em drugged up off that ecstasy
I'm a playground legend like Kirkland Pee-wee
Name a nigga in the league got more game than me
I play hard, there's so many women I fathered
Meet 'em with scars and send 'em home hot and bothered
Truth or dare, this life ain't apparently fair
And a love with no glare is a crystal stare
But we share, somethin so rare, but who cares, you care
Baby, I'm not always there when you call, but I'm always on time
And I gave you my all, now baby be mine
I'm not always there when you call, but I'm always on time
And I gave you my all, now baby be mine
Oh I'm, feelin like ya livin a, double life
'Cause you don't be comin home, sometimes
Baby, but you're always, on time, checkin for one time
You and I, got a special bond together
We go back like bombers boo, in the coldest weather
And when I play you play the same way you freak me baby I fuck you crazy
Then I'm gone
Baby don't really want me to get up and leave off that easy
She'll be wakin up wet for sheezy
Remind these bitches to mind they business
Believe me, this pimp game is very religious
And I'm built like the Don Bishop
Gon' keep this money-green Benz and my hoes as my witness
The life we share is a thug affair
But who cares, you care
Baby, I'm not always there when you call, but I'm always on time
And I gave you my all, now baby be mine
I'm not always there when you call, but I'm always on time
And I gave you my all, now baby be mine
Always there when you call, always on time
Gave you my, baby be mine
Always there when you call, always on time
Gave you my, baby be mine
The song "Always on Time" by Ashanti and Ja Rule is about a tumultuous romantic relationship. The lyrics suggest that Ja Rule is not always physically present when Ashanti calls him, but he always manages to arrive on time. The song's chorus repeats this sentiment, reminding the listener that despite the other issues in their relationship, Ja Rule and Ashanti's bond is reliable in a way that others are not.
The verses of the song provide more context for their relationship. Ja Rule raps about the physical delights of their connection, noting that they have a rare "thug affair." He references other women in his life, suggesting that Ashanti is one of many. Despite this, he claims that he and Ashanti share something special and rare. Ashanti's verse is less direct, but she implies that Ja Rule may be living a double life, and that he is not always around when she needs him.
The song conveys a complex emotional dynamic between two people who are physically and emotionally drawn to each other, but cannot seem to make their relationship work. Despite this, they maintain a strong attraction and a bond that keeps them connected.
Line by Line Meaning
Always there when you call, always on time
I may not always be available when you need me, but rest assured that I'll come through when it really counts.
Gave you my, baby be mine
I've given my all to you, and I'm asking for your commitment and love in return.
Come on and get a piece of this late-night lover
I'm offering you a chance to indulge in a passionate physical relationship with me, no strings attached.
You know, the one that swing dick like no other (shit)
I'm confident in my sexual prowess and abilities to satisfy you like no other man can.
But baby you know the name and love is about pain
You're familiar with who I am and what I stand for, and I'm willing to endure any hardships that come with being in a relationship because that's just how love works.
So, stop the complaints and drop the order restraints
Stop complaining and trying to control everything in our relationship, let's let things flow in the moment.
Our sex life's a game so back me down in the paint
Our physical intimacy is like a game of basketball, and I need you to let me take lead and make the moves.
'Cause it's about a quarter-past three and shorty's eyein me
It's late at night, and there's a woman who's interested in me, so I need to hurry up and meet up with her.
And I love to see that ass in boots and shades
I'm attracted to the way you look in certain clothing and accessories, and it excites me.
Sprawled out on the bed while I'm yankin your braids
I enjoy rough, dominant sexual activities with you, like pulling your hair while we're in bed.
Girl, get a grip, come on, pull it together
You need to stop freaking out and overreacting and just keep it together.
It's only a sun shower, we been through worse weather
This is just a small obstacle in our relationship, and we've overcome much worse challenges before.
Like the stormy nights you wrote a "Dear Ja" letter
I remember the times when you were upset and wrote me a letter expressing your feelings, but we were able to get through it.
Bitch, you know better, we live M-O-B
You should know by now that we prioritize Money Over Bitches, and we're part of the Murder I-N-C crew.
Money Over Bitches, Murder, I-N-C
This line is reiterating our loyalty to the Money Over Bitches (M-O-B) philosophy and our crew, Murder Inc.
I'm a playground legend like Kirkland Pee-wee
I'm a well-known figure in my community and have a reputation for excelling in various aspects of my life.
Name a nigga in the league got more game than me
I'm confident that there is no other man who can outmatch my skills and charm with women.
And I keep 'em drugged up off that ecstasy
I'm not above using drugs to enhance my sexual experiences with multiple women.
Believe me, this pimp game is very religious
I take my lifestyle of having multiple women and being in control of them very seriously.
And I'm built like the Don Bishop
I have a strong confidence and presence, like a bishop in the church, and am respected by others.
Gon' keep this money-green Benz and my hoes as my witness
I'm going to hold onto my flashy car and my many women and use them as a way to validate my status and wealth.
Oh I'm, feelin like ya livin a, double life
I have a suspicion that you may not be completely honest and genuine in our relationship.
'Cause you don't be comin home, sometimes
You have a tendency to not come home at times, which adds to my uncertainty about our relationship.
And when I play you play the same way you freak me baby I fuck you crazy
We engage in rough sexual activities with each other, and it's a mutual agreement where we both get pleasure and satisfaction.
Then I'm gone
After we've finished our sexual encounter, I'm going to leave and go on with my life without worrying about the aftermath.
She'll be wakin up wet for sheezy
After our sexual encounter, you'll still be aroused and wet from the experience even after I've left.
Remind these bitches to mind they business
Tell other women to stay out of our relationship and focus on their own lives.
The life we share is a thug affair
Our relationship is intense, rough, and characterized by danger and risk-taking behaviors.
But who cares, you care
Despite the challenges and negative aspects of our relationship, we both still care about each other and our connection.
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Marcus Vest, Jeffrey Atkins, Irving D Lorenzo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind