Nothing Was The Same: Artists We Thought Would Be Hot Forever
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Ashanti
Say what you will now, but when Ashanti first came out with her self-titled debut album, it was major. So major that at the time (2002), it set a Soundscan record for the biggest opening week sales for a new female artist. Back then she was also the first female entertainer to hold the top two spots on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time (for “What’s Luv?” with Fat Joe and “Foolish”). Yeah, she was kind of like a big deal, and also went #1 with her second album, Chapter II.
But after the release of her third album (Concrete Rose), the interest in her sound waned as competition heated up. And like labelmate Ja Rule, she left Murder Inc. behind to go it alone. She hasn’t reached anywhere near the level of success she had in the early 00s, but she’s having success with acting these days.
