Ashanti - COLLECTABLES BY (EX) [CD]

Personnel: Ashanti (vocals); Ashanti; Erin Thompkins (vocals); Free, Hussein Fatal, Ja Rule, Method Man, Paul Wall , Black Child, Caddillac Tah, Charli Baltimore, Merce (rap vocals); Rob "Fonksta" Bacon, Sherrod Barnes (guitar); Selan Lerner (keyboards); Jerry Barnes (bass guitar); Bashiri Johnson (percussion). Audio Mixers: Glen Marchese; Ken "Supa Engineer" Duro; 7 Aurelius. Photographer: Tony Duran . Arranger: Sherrod Barnes. Given Ashanti's tenure for Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. label, the R&B star's strong ties to hip-hop are not surprising. Even though Gotti's company softened its image a bit by changing its name to The Inc. Records, Ashanti stayed true to her rap-friendly background, releasing the rhyme-laden COLLECTABLES BY ASHANTI in 2005. Consisting primarily of remixes and previously unreleased tracks, this compilation boasts a legion of gruff-voiced MCs, including Ja Rule, Method Man, Caddillac Tah, and Black Child. As always, however, the expressive singer shines the brightest when carrying her own tunes, as on the gentle, chiming "I Love You" and the beat-laden "I Found It in You."