Ashanti Producer Claims Abandonment

Ashanti‘s first music producer claims in a lawsuit that the singer abandoned him when she became commercially successful. It’s an allegation she denied on the witness stand in U.S. District Court in Manhattan July 18th.

Genard Parker was an established producer when Ashanti – whose full name is Ashanti Douglas – approached him in 1996 for help, his lawyer Jasmine Khalili said.

The attorney added that Parker helped Ashanti in his Bronx home-based studio for eight months when she was “just another teenage girl with a nice voice.”

When the singer signed with a record company, Parker was released from his contract with the understanding that he could produce two songs on her first album and receive a $50,000 advance plus royalties, Khalili said.

Following two records that sold more than 6 million copies, Parker claims Ashanti owes him millions in royalties.

On the witness stand, the singer denied that Parker played an influential role in her career.

Ashanti’s lawyer, Harry Stokes, said it was only after the success of the artist’s second album that Parker claimed his contract was violated and demanded money.

The producer testified that Ashanti was pleased with the work he did for her in 1996 and 1997.

The trial was expected to last three days, but Ashanti left after her testimony for Vancouver, where she is working on a movie.