Ashanti Pays The Price Of A Producer

27 July 2005

A court has ruled that R&B star Ashanti must pay a former producer around $800,000. Genard Parker sued Ashanti for a breach of contract after she made the big time. Back in 1996, Parker signed a then unknown Ashanti Douglas to a production deal when she was 16 and worked with her for a year. According to the singer, she and Parker made music out of a home studio and the facility was so unprofessional that she had to record her vocals in the bathroom.

Although, an expert testified that Parker might be owed up to $2.2 million, his attorney called the massive amount of money a "huge victory." In the end Ashanti never acknowledged that Parker had got her started and without his help she would not be where she is today. Ashanti lived on Long Island when she began working with Parker. She later signed to Murder Inc. now known as The Inc. At that time, Parker released her from her contract with the agreement that he would produce two songs on her first album. Parker never got his royalties from that agreement, so he took them to court.