Wikipedia bills R&B princess Ashanti as “an American singer-songwriter, record producer, actress, dancer, and model.” She’s certainly talented, and has more than enough foxiness and celebrity to spare, so what’s she doing at the frickin’ Emerald Queen? My theory: Had she been born 10 years earlier, she would be a Celine-and-Mariah level diva, but fickle ol’ fate has dealt Ms. A the misfortune of coming up under the golden shadow of a certain other fabulously s baby diva (the one with a new record who rocks a big, big B) whose stranglehold on the position of hip hop go-to girl is Fort Knox solid. Fancy Ashanti an urban, eye patch free, Elle Driver. Even though she’s number two and pissed off, she’s not about to admit it. The difference is, instead of contending with superhuman killing machine the Bride, she must cope with casino gigs and being consistently one-upped by superhuman booty machine Beyonce.

Fri., Dec. 12, 8:30 p.m., 2008