After being relatively inactive since the release of her 2008 album The Declaration, Ashanti has been one busy gal. Back in the limelight as she gears up to release her latest opus, Braveheart, the R&B singer took some time to clear the air about her past before moving on.

The former first lady of the Irv Gotti-helmed recording label Murder Inc. recently did an interview with Power 99 in Philly in which she talked about making amends with her former crew. Ashanti revealed that she patched things up with the Inc.’s flagship artist Ja Rule before he began a two-year prison stint last June. She also reunited with Irv after some years of not speaking.

"It was a lot of emotion, a lot of questions," she shared. "There's no animosity between us. Time was needed to heal… Everything is all positive. We had our black cloud and now we're all good."  

With her past drama cleared up, the Long Island native is moving forward with a slew of future projects. One of which is a role in the sequel to the basketball flick Coach Carter and a spot in the film I Love Cinema.

"It's a little bit more risqué, more sexy than I've ever been. It's weird because she [her character] almost has a split personality. She's a teacher, but she has one of those sides."

In addition to the movie roles she's signed on for, Ashanti's fifth studio album will include guest spots featuring Busta Rhymes, R. Kelly, Rico Love and Keyshia Cole. The singer is especially proud of the Cole-assisted track, although it's unclear if the cut will make the album.

"The record is dope," she said. "I love it."
As previously reported, the R&B singer revealed that she recently joined the ranks of the many artists who are either ditching (or getting ditched by) their major label affiliations for the more suitable independent labels. The Grammy Award-winning singer just announced that she has established her own label, Written Entertainment, under a partnership with Entertainment One Music.
Ashanti's soon-to-be-released album will be the first project to come out of the deal.
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