Ashanti is the debut studio album by American singer Ashanti, released on April 2, 2002, by Murder Inc. and Def Jam Recordings. It was recorded in New York City and Los Angeles between 2001 and 2002, during the period of time where Ashanti was writing for other artists. The album features guest vocals from Gotti, Ja Rule, and the late the Notorious B.I.G. Contributions to the album's production came from a wide range of producers, including Irv Gotti, 7 Aurelius, Chink Santana, Jared Thomas and Reggie Wright.
"Mesmerize" is a song by American rapper Ja Rule. It was released on December 16, 2002, as the second single from his fourth studio, album The Last Temptation (2002). Containing a sample from the 1974 song "Stop, Look, Listen " by Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye, the song was produced by Irv Gotti and features R&B artist Ashanti. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 2003, making it Ashanti's and Ja Rule's fourth top-10 hit as a duet.
"Lean Back" is a song by American hip hop group Terror Squad. It was released as the second single from their second studio album, True Story, on June 1, 2004. An uptempo hip hop song built for the club environment, it contains vocal performances from group members Fat Joe and Remy and production from Scott Storch. It topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, starting on August 21, 2004, and topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart for seven weeks. Worldwide, the song reached the top 20 in several other countries, including Denmark, where it peaked at number five.
"Foolish" is the debut solo single by American singer Ashanti. It was released as the lead single from her self-titled debut album (2002) by Def Jam Recordings, AJM, and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records on February 11, 2002. It was written by Ashanti, Etterlene Jordan, Mark DeBarge and Irv Gotti, while production was overseen by Gotti. The song heavily samples DeBarge's "Stay with Me". Due to the inclusion of the sample, Mark DeBarge and Etterlene Jordan are also credited as songwriters. A promotional version of the single called "Unfoolish" features a verse from The Notorious B.I.G. from his song "F--king You Tonight".
"Always on Time" is a song by American rapper Ja Rule from his third studio album, Pain Is Love (2001). Produced by Irv Gotti, the song was written by Ja Rule, 7 Aurelius, and Gotti. Originally set to feature Brandy, it features guest vocals from singer-songwriter and labelmate Ashanti. The song was released as the album's second single on November 27, 2001, through Island Def Jam Music Group, Def Jam Recordings and Gotti's Murder Inc. Records.
"Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix)" is a song by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her remix album J to tha L–O! The Remixes (2002). The song was marketed as a remix of "Ain't It Funny", but is actually an entirely different song with the same title. It features guest vocals from Ja Rule (Jeffrey Atkins) and Caddillac Tah (Tiheem Crocker). It was written by Lopez, Atkins, Tah, Cory Rooney, Irving Lorenzo, and Ashanti. Over a reworking of the beat to Craig Mack's "Flava in Ya Ear" (produced by Easy Mo Bee), Lopez sings about "dropping a boyfriend who keeps messing up".
"Lose Control" is a song by American rapper Missy Elliott featuring American singer Ciara and American hip hop artist Fatman Scoop. It was released as the lead single from Elliott's sixth studio album, The Cookbook, on May 23, 2005. It contains samples from Hot Streak's "Body Work" and Cybotron's "Clear". The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, number two in New Zealand, and in the top thirty in various countries.
"Happy" is a song by American singer Ashanti from her self-titled debut album (2002). The track was written by Ashanti, Chink Santana, and Irv Gotti, with production overseen by Santana and Gotti, and contains a sample of Gap Band's "Outstanding" (1982), written by Raymond Calhoun. "Happy" was released as the album's second single on June 17, 2002, reaching number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number six on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Elsewhere, the single entered the top 10 in the Netherlands while reaching the top 20 in Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
"Breathe" is a song by American singer Blu Cantrell from her second studio album, Bittersweet (2003). A remixed version featuring Sean Paul was released as a single in February 2003, several months after the album version was released in November 2002. The album version of this song was produced and co-written by Ivan Matias and Andrea Martin. The remix featuring Sean Paul was produced by Ivan Matias, Andrea Martin, and Mark Pitts. The song peaked at 70 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became a hit in Europe, most notably in the United Kingdom, where it topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks in August 2003.
"Get It Poppin'" is a song performed by American rappers Fat Joe and Nelly. It was released on May 24, 2005 through Terror Squad/Atlantic Records as the second single from the former's sixth solo studio album All or Nothing. Recorded at Jerusalem Studios in Miami, it was produced by Scott Storch.
"Girlfriend" is a pop and hip hop song by American boy band NSYNC. It was released on January 14, 2002, as the third single from their fourth studio album Celebrity. It was the group's last song to enter the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number five. "Girlfriend" additionally reached number one in Canada and charted within the top 10 in six other countries, including Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom. This was the last single and song the band released in their career before their reunion in 2023.
"Feel It Boy" is a song by Jamaican dancehall musician Beenie Man featuring American singer Janet Jackson from Beenie Man's 15th studio album, Tropical Storm (2002). The song was written by Beenie Man, Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, and Clancy Eccles and was produced by the Neptunes. Virgin Records released the song on 15 July 2002 as the lead single from the album. "Feel It Boy" peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart and became a top-40 hit in eight other countries, including the United States, where it peaked at number 28.
"Gangsta Lovin'" is the lead single from Eve's third studio album, Eve-Olution (2002). The song features R&B-soul singer Alicia Keys. Released in July 2002, "Gangsta Lovin'" became Eve's second consecutive number-two hit on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as her third consecutive top-10 hit in the United Kingdom.
As of March 2014, American pop and R&B singer Ashanti has released six studio albums, twenty-four singles, and twenty-one music videos on her record labels Murder Inc., Def Jam, and Motown.
"Make Luv" is a song by Italian music producer Room 5, which features the sampled voice of American R&B singer Oliver Cheatham from his 1983 hit "Get Down Saturday Night". Initially released in 2001, "Make Luv" first gained success in its 2003 re-release, reaching No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, where it remained for four weeks in March and into April of 2003. The song also reached the top 10 in Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Romania.
"Wonderful" is a song by American rapper Ja Rule. It was released on September 27, 2004, as the lead single from his sixth studio album, R.U.L.E. (2004), through Island Def Jam and Irv Gotti's The Inc. Records. The song features American pop-R&B singers R. Kelly and Ashanti. "Wonderful" topped the UK Singles Chart, reached number five on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaked at number six in both Australia and New Zealand, and became a top-20 hit in Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
"Into You" is the third single from American rapper Fabolous's second album, Street Dreams (2003), appearing in two versions: an album track with guest vocals by Ashanti, and a single featuring Tamia. The latter version also appears on Tamia's album More. After Irv Gotti of Murder Inc. Records refused to let Ashanti film a music video to promote the single, Fabolous reached out to Tamia to re-record a commercial version. Both the album and single versions received heavy radio play, resulting in all three artists being credited on the US Billboard Hot 100. The single was released through Elektra Records and DJ Clue's Desert Storm Records.
"Two Wrongs" is the lead single from Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean's third studio album, Masquerade. The song, released in the United States on 13 May 2002, features Claudette Ortiz of American hip hop group City High. The single reached number one in New Zealand, number five in Australia, and number 14 in the United Kingdom. In the United States, it reached number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 11 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. "Two Wrongs" is certified platinum in both Australia and New Zealand.
"I Need a Girl (Part One)" is a single by American rapper P. Diddy featuring Usher and Loon from the album We Invented the Remix. In 2004, the song was featured on the Bad Boys compilation R&B Hits. Along with "I Need a Girl (Part Two)", P. Diddy achieved a rare occurrence by having two parts of a song become chart hits. Part one peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart. It also charted on the UK Singles Chart at number four. The song was ranked number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart in 2002. The song contains a chord progression played on a Roland JV-1080 sound module, using a patch named "Flying Waltz".
"Caramel" is a song American hip hop trio City High, released as the second single from their self-titled debut album (2001). The single, released on September 11, 2001, features American rapper Eve. "Caramel" is the group's second-most-successful single, peaking at number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart in January 2002. The track interpolates the song "Silent Treatment" by the Roots.
