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Throughout her decades-long career, Ashanti has scored chart-topping singles, a Grammy Award and her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame — but not without enduring quite a bit of music industry drama along the way.

"Honestly, I'm not sure if another artist would be able to deal with what I've dealt with," the R&B icon tells PEOPLE in this week's issue, opening up about the highs and lows she's endured since hitting the scene more than 20 years ago.