Ashanti is a vet in the music game and became a household name for classic hits like “Foolish,” “Rock Wit U,” “Rain On Me,” and so much more. The 2000s Princess of R&B sat down with Paper Magazine and said that she’ll be discussing vulnerable topics that she has never touched on before in her new music.
“I think people will be like, ‘What did she say?’ which is a really cool thing,” she said. “I can’t say names of anyone else involved yet. But the feedback has been great so far — I’ve had conversations about there being a real void for true, soul-touching R&B, and that’s what I feel I’m accomplishing with this record.”
She also weighed in on the difference in the music industry now, and says labels have shied away from the “community aspect of things.”
“I feel like we’ve definitely moved away from the community aspect of things,” Ashanti said when discussing the current state of her industry. “There are not a lot of labels that are a crew that really celebrate together. If I was doing something, Ja [Rule] and everybody came. If Ja was doing something, me and everybody came. I don’t know where we are right now, it’s a weird space. But I do see a lot of rappers — men and women — making up instead of tearing each other down, and I’m really happy about that. It’s a ray of hope for me.”
