Ashanti (born Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas on October 13, 1980 in Glen Cove, N… Read Full Bio ↴Ashanti (born Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas on October 13, 1980 in Glen Cove, New York, United States), is a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model & fashion designer who has been performing since 2000.
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.
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.
The Pledge
Ashanti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
[Ashanti]
(There's no me)
In the beginnin'
When no one else was around
You were there
(Don't you know that I would never...)
And now, that everything is good
You gotta know
I'll ride out wit'chu
Foreva
[Verse 1: Ashanti]
I neva thought that I could finally stay
That always got me comin' back again
Somethin' about the way you move
Ya got me hooked on you, no matta what I do
I neva felt this way for anotha
It's feelin' kinda strange but I love it
You gotta know that I will neva leave
You did that thang to me
And you will where I be
[Chorus: Ashanti]
There's no me, without you
I can't be, without you
Don't you know that I will never leave, leavin' you
All I need, need is you
[Verse 2: Ashanti]
You're always there to make me feel so right
You got me thinkin' bout you day and night
Thinkin' bout how my life is now
How you make me smile, and I love your style
We've been togetha through thick and thin
Whateva troubles you're in, I'm in
You gotta know that I would neva leave
You did that thang to me
And you will where I be
What you've done to me
You know that I can't see, myself
Livin' without you
Bein' without you
Breathin' without you baby
What you've done to me
You know that I can't see, myself
Livin' without you
Bein' without you
Breathin' without you baby
[Chorus]
[Verse 3: Caddillac Tah (Ashanti)]
Yeah, now it don't matta if you hatin' us more
We gon' get that dough
Tha camp is strong
Can't do nuttin' else but flow
I chant this cause
I'm lettin' you all know
(It's Murda, murda) Yeah
Now you know I'ma put my life on the line for yours
Pullin' nine out the drawer
Strap up when it's time for war
Stack up, every penny money over these broads
Back up, against the wall in the right or wrong
I pledge allegiance to I-N-see, it's the clique
Until I die I'ma ride for my niggas, through thick
And thin, playa and we playin' to win
Steady ballin', soarin', long diggin' these broads in
Now my brothas keep my slugs a street and pluggin' heat
Ya fuckin' wit ma family so undastand be
There's no me without them, all we got is us
Me and Ashanti tearin' it up
Nigga what
[Chorus: x 2]
[Verse 4: Ashanti]
Murder I-N-see
You know that I can't see, myself
Livin' without you
Bein' without you
Breathin' without you baby
What you've done to me
You know that I can't see, myself
Livin' without you
Bein' without you
Breathin' without you baby
Murder I-N-see
[Caddillac Tah]
(Laughing)
Murder INC
Yeah
My nigga says
And my princess
Ashanti
We got eachotha ya'll
Nowhere
(There's no me)
In the beginnin'
When no one else was around
You were there
(Don't you know that I would never...)
And now, that everything is good
You gotta know
Foreva
[Verse 1: Ashanti]
I neva thought that I could finally stay
That always got me comin' back again
Somethin' about the way you move
Ya got me hooked on you, no matta what I do
I neva felt this way for anotha
It's feelin' kinda strange but I love it
You gotta know that I will neva leave
You did that thang to me
And you will where I be
[Chorus: Ashanti]
There's no me, without you
I can't be, without you
Don't you know that I will never leave, leavin' you
All I need, need is you
[Verse 2: Ashanti]
You're always there to make me feel so right
You got me thinkin' bout you day and night
Thinkin' bout how my life is now
How you make me smile, and I love your style
We've been togetha through thick and thin
Whateva troubles you're in, I'm in
You gotta know that I would neva leave
You did that thang to me
And you will where I be
What you've done to me
You know that I can't see, myself
Livin' without you
Bein' without you
Breathin' without you baby
What you've done to me
You know that I can't see, myself
Livin' without you
Bein' without you
Breathin' without you baby
[Chorus]
[Verse 3: Caddillac Tah (Ashanti)]
Yeah, now it don't matta if you hatin' us more
We gon' get that dough
Tha camp is strong
Can't do nuttin' else but flow
I chant this cause
I'm lettin' you all know
(It's Murda, murda) Yeah
Now you know I'ma put my life on the line for yours
Pullin' nine out the drawer
Strap up when it's time for war
Stack up, every penny money over these broads
Back up, against the wall in the right or wrong
I pledge allegiance to I-N-see, it's the clique
Until I die I'ma ride for my niggas, through thick
And thin, playa and we playin' to win
Steady ballin', soarin', long diggin' these broads in
Now my brothas keep my slugs a street and pluggin' heat
Ya fuckin' wit ma family so undastand be
There's no me without them, all we got is us
Me and Ashanti tearin' it up
Nigga what
[Chorus: x 2]
[Verse 4: Ashanti]
Murder I-N-see
You know that I can't see, myself
Livin' without you
Bein' without you
Breathin' without you baby
What you've done to me
You know that I can't see, myself
Livin' without you
Bein' without you
Breathin' without you baby
Murder I-N-see
[Caddillac Tah]
(Laughing)
Murder INC
Yeah
My nigga says
And my princess
Ashanti
We got eachotha ya'll
Nowhere
The Pledge, by Ashanti, is a love song that depicts the singer's unrelenting attachment to her lover. The opening stanza of the song explains that there was no one around for her before, but her lover was there, and so the commitment he displayed, made her want to be with him forever. Ashanti goes on to say that her lover's charm, way of expression, and sensitivity leave her spellbound, and it's difficult for her to imagine living without him.
The chorus of "There's no me, without you" is a plead by Ashanti for her lover to understand that she can't exist with him. Her world revolves around him, and the thought of being apart is unbearable. The verses are directed to her partner, and they reveal her devotion, love, and promise to always stand by his side through thick and thin.
In the last verse, Caddillac Tah joins Ashanti, echoing the same love and loyalty to the I-N-see camp, and its affiliates, buying into the ideology of their unbreakable bond, a pledge worth living and dying for. Thus, the song is an ode to love, and loyalty, forming a brotherhood and sisterhood that move to the same beat.
Line by Line Meaning
In the beginnin', when no one else was around, you were there
You were there for me when no one else was, right at the beginning.
And now, that everything is good, you gotta know, I'll ride out wit'chu, foreva
Even though everything is good now, I want you to know that I'll still be with you forever.
I neva thought that I could finally stay, that always got me comin' back again, somethin' about the way you move
I never thought I could stay with someone for so long, but there's something about the way you move that keeps me coming back.
Ya got me hooked on you, no matta what I do, I neva felt this way for anotha
I'm hooked on you, and I've never felt this way for anyone else.
It's feelin' kinda strange but I love it, you gotta know that I will neva leave
Even though this feeling is strange, I love it, and I want you to know that I'll never leave you.
You're always there to make me feel so right, you got me thinkin' bout you day and night
You're always there for me, and I can't stop thinking about you day and night.
We've been togetha through thick and thin, whateva troubles you're in, I'm in
We've been together through everything, no matter what troubles you face, I'll be there.
Livin' without you, Bein' without you, Breathin' without you baby, What you've done to me, You know that I can't see, myself
I can't imagine living, being, or breathing without you. You've done something to me that's made me unable to see myself without you.
I pledge allegiance to I-N-see, it's the clique, Until I die I'ma ride for my n****s, through thick and thin
I am loyal to I-N-see, that's my clique, and I'll be with them through everything until death parts us.
Me and Ashanti tearin' it up, N***a what, Murder I-N-see
Me and Ashanti are killing it, you know it! Murder I-N-see!
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Missing Link Music, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: GREGORY E. JACOBS, JEFFREY B. ATKINS, ASHANTI S. DOUGLAS, NASIR JONES, TUPAC AMARU SHAKUR, STEVIE WONDER, SEVEN MARCUS AURELIUS, IRVING DOMINGO LORENZO, ERIC VANDELL BAKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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@trey092001
This track was super slept on. Ashantis hook and Nas verse 100. Classic shit. Music will never be this good again
@issacthekid
news bad Maybe Nas just wasn't as ignorant as your stupid ass..?
@pthemuthafucka5038
Ja is nothing like pac stupid fuck . Maybe inspired a little by pac but the rule is a fucking genius.
@JPfromthaHood
Amen ๐
@rakimtheking
Bro Rule killed that too. Tbh he had the biggest presence on the track.
@ShiestyPLOWuTang
This song trash
@noellavelle90
You can literally feel Pac's energy/spirit in the beat & flow of this song ๐๐พ
@danielogbonna2470
Fact
@kevinpettiford6950
Yeah they did that straight classic
@andrewsmith3257
Is this a mashup or a real collab? PAC and Nas we're not friends