ASHANTI BEGINS A NEW CHAPTER

On the 20th anniversary of her self-titled debut, Ashanti is busy rerecording it - and taking ownership of her future: "I love what Taylor Swift did" Ashanti douglas was set to become an Olympic athlete, but her life ended up going in a different direction. In 2002, Ashanti - who is celebrating the 20th anniversary of that self-titled debut - found mainstream success with Murder Inc. Records, where she composed hooks for some of the label's rappers and sang on fan-favorite singles like Ja Rule's No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit "Always On Time" (2001) and Fat Joe's No. 2 Hot 100 smash "What's Luv?" (2002). Two decades later, the singersongwriter spoke to Billboard about rerecording Ashanti and retaining ownership of her masters, publishing the children's book My Name Is a Story (July 12; HarperCollins Publishing), producing and starring in the upcoming film The Plus One and being honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in April. Why is it imperative that women, especially women of color, enter this new arena? Because it's a world that's dominated by men and it's the future.