Ashanti and Ja Rule share first taste of upcoming collaborative album
After teasing the idea of a collaborative record for quite some time, Ashanti finally confirmed that a collaborative full-length studio effort with former Murder Inc. label-mate Ja Rule is around the corner. Now, the first track from the currently untitled project, 'Encore,' has just leaked online ahead of the album's official announcement, reports Complex.
Having previously teamed up for a number of crossover classics and instant hits such as 'Always On Time' and 'Mesmerize,' the pair have clearly been inspired by Jay-Z and Beyoncé's collab album 'Everything Is Love.' Rule previously tweeted as much, saying “Iconnic… The Carters… New album is dope!!! @ashanti I think we should do one of these joint albums haha.”
It looks like the inspiration has trickled into the first track from the collaborative effort as well, which shares its name with Jay-Z's 2003 'Black Album' cut 'Encore'. Rule even drops the chorus from the original track on this reworked track as Ashanti shows off her pipes in the background.