Ashanti talks sexual harassment in the record industry with Maria Menounos.

During her appearance on the SiriusXM podcast Conversations with Maria Menounos, Ashanti revealed a particular story about a producer who crossed a professional line. Ashanti stopped short of naming the producer, contending that harassment has been a constant issue for her in particular. The men in positions of authority have long confused peer to peer work relationships as opportunities to make sexual advances. Ashanti
recounted how this particular producer upped his asking price after she rebuffed his advances.

“I’ve come across a situation where there was a certain producer that, you know, he had his little crush or whatever, but it wasn’t anything new, you know? And once I said ‘no,’ all of a sudden the track became $45K.”

Ashanti quickly called his called his behaviour into question. The producer responded by suggesting they take a shower together in lieu of coming up with a payment plan for the recording session. It’s unclear whether Ashanti stood her ground or actively suppressed her anger in the moment, but she does recall calling upon her big brother to scare the living daylights out of the producer. The producer went on to gift Ashanti with three free beats, two of which he also mixed and mastered.

The whole segment is available here.