“Foolish,” the soulful Hip Hop/R&B ballad by American singer Ashanti, has surpassed 300 million streams on Spotify. It is Ashanti’s third song to reach the milestone.
Released on February 11, 2002, “Foolish” marked Ashanti’s debut single and served as the lead track from her self-titled debut album, “Ashanti.” This emotive masterpiece was brought to life through a collaboration of musical talents, with Ashanti, Etterlene Jordan, Mark DeBarge, and her then label head Irv Gotti produced the unforgettable hit.
In Australia, Foolish achieved Platinum certification (70,000), In the United Kingdom, it earned Platinum (454,000). In the United States, it was certified 2× Platinum, indicating sales and streaming figures exceeding 2,000,000 units.
This song spent an impressive ten consecutive weeks at the number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, as well as the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, marking Ashanti’s second number one and third top ten hit on both charts. To this day, “Foolish” remains Ashanti’s highest-charting single as a lead artist.
The allure of “Foolish” extended far beyond American borders, and it became a top-ten hit in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.
The song earned a nomination for “Best Female R&B Vocal Performance” at the 2003 Grammy Awards, and it won the Soul Train Music Award for “Best R&B/Soul Single – Female.” In 2009, Billboard honored “Foolish” by ranking it 19th on its “Hot 100 Songs of the 2000s Decade” list, highlighting its enduring impact.
The Irv Gotti directed music video has surpassed 200 million views on YouTube and depicts a tumultuous relationship, with Ashanti at the center of a love triangle. Terrence Howard played the role of her unfaithful partner, and the video featured appearances by Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta reality star Althea, Charli Baltimore, Vita, Ja Rule, and Irv Gotti himself. The video’s narrative was inspired by the classic film “Goodfellas.”
