Ashanti went without credit for her contributions to Jennifer Lopez’s music career for years, and many Hip-Hop and R&B fans only learned the truth recently.
While it’s no secret that Ashanti has written songs for her peers as well as herself, her additions to some of J. Lo’s biggest hits went largely unnoticed. The iconic singer revealed her involvement on tracks like “I’m Real” and “Ain’t It Funny,” during her recent Verzuz battle against Keisha Cole, the first time many fans heard of it.
Ashanti expressed how it feels to finally get the credit she deserves during a recent interview with Metro UK.
“You should always care about credit for what you do regardless of what industry you’re in, it’s really important to give credit,” she said. “Especially nowadays because things are so smoke and mirrors. It’s not that it’s frustrating… the word has been getting out there over the past couple of years and I’m grateful so a lot of people know and they were surprised but it’s more of a ‘yeah, grateful that you know.'”
“It’s weird because obviously you get frustrated for not getting credit or not being properly labeled but then that turns into something you get admired for.”
Ashanti On Her “Rare And Special” Chemistry with Ja Rule
Ashanti also discussed her friendship with longtime collaborator Ja Rule and how they’ve maintained it for over two decades.
“It’s the weirdest thing, we have always had instant chemistry and we may not see each other for a month or so and then we may not even see each other before the show, but when we get on stage, it feels like we’ve been hanging out the whole day,” Ashanti explained. “It’s crazy because it’s always been like that from the very first we met.”
She said a “rare and special” chemistry is what keeps their bond tight. “It’s the reason we’re able to, 20 years later, still rock with each other and have that passion on stage because you can see it and feel it.”
