Ashanti settles dispute with producer

Ashanti has put to rest her dispute with her first producer in an out-of-court settlement.Genard Parker had been seeking $2.3 million (£1.22 million) from the award-winning R'n'B singer as he claimed that he had helped to launch her career by recording demo songs when she was 16.But all litigation was dropped yesterday in a decision which Ashanti said she was "very pleased about".The 25-year-old singer told the Associated Press that she would "rather be in the studio writing".No details of the agreement have been released by either of the parties in the dispute.In a trial last year Ashanti was ordered to pay Parker $630,000 for breaking her contract with him, but the judge decided just $50,000 of the award should be paid as he believed the jury could not sufficiently judge the facts of the case.In 2002 her self-titled debut album won a Grammy award and two American Music awards.As well as being a successful singer, Ashanti has also made headway in the acting world, with appearances in Coach Carter and John Tucker Must Die.