Ashanti opens up about being racially profiled while shopping in New York City

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After releasing her fifth studio album, Braveheart, earlier this year, Grammy-winning singer/actress Ashanti is staying busier than ever.

Ashanti is currently in New York City filming a movie called Stuck, which is about six strangers trapped on a NYC subway train.

Tuesday, she wrapped up filming her video for her latest single, “Early In The Morning,” featuring French Montana, and last month, she joined Dougie Fresh, President Obama and Vice President Biden in a Just Believe video for Michelle Obama’s campaign to encourage kids to be more physically fit.

In an interview with theGrio’s Chris Witherspoon, Ashanti talked about her new film, Stuck, and discussed one of the hot-button issues the movie addresses: racism in New York City.

Ashanti opened up how she’s experienced being racially profiled while shopping in New York City.

“You know what’s the worst thing? If I have a hat on and sweats or glasses and I’m chillin and I go into a store, you may get someone follows and says, ‘oh may I help you?’ When they find out [who I am], they say, ‘oh that’s Ashanti, that’s Ashanti, oh my gosh how are you? Would you like some champagne? How may we help you?’”

Ashanti says she was a passenger on the New York City subway only one time in her life, but it was an experience that she won’t ever forget.

“I did [ride the subway] one time, and the one time I was with my mom and I had to be 12 or something… and I got mugged,” Ashanti said. “I had on a gold chain, a roped gold chain, and this guy pushed me through the turnstile and snatched the chain off of my neck. I was so mad that I threw a Snapple bottle at him! I was so mad.”

“I had to go to a police station, pick him out in a line-up, and then I found out he had my chain in a napkin and was selling it on the corner.”

Ashanti, who starred in a Lifetime movie and a Lifetime scripted series last year, weighed in on the upcoming Whitney Houston and Aaliyah biopics the network is developing. She revealed that she was actually offered the lead in one of the films but turned the offer down.

“I think it’s amazing that people want to pay homage and want to remind people and let people know what happened. But you have to be sensitive because this is real life. These people aren’t coming back. They can’t speak for themselves to say whether or not they want this done.”

The “Only U” singer also opened up about how Aaliyah impacted her career.

Follow theGrio.com’s Entertainment Editor Chris Witherspoon on Twitter @WitherspoonC.