Ari Lennox

Ari Lennox

Ari Lennox is an American singer and songwriter from Washington, D.C. Born Courtney Shanade Salter in 1991, she records for Dreamville and is known for R&B and soul-oriented music with neo-soul and pop elements.

Career

She begins uploading music online in 2012 and releases her debut mixtape, Five Finger Discount, in the same period. In 2013 she follows with her debut EP, Ariography, and in 2014 she continues to put music out independently, including the single “Bound”.

In 2015, she appears on Omen’s album Elephant Eyes on “Sweat it Out”. Later that year, her music circulates within Dreamville, and J. Cole wants her to work on references for Rihanna. She signs to Dreamville Records and becomes the first female artist on the label.

Her label debut EP, Pho, is released in 2016 and helps establish her wider profile. She also appears on Dreamville’s collaborative project Revenge of the Dreamers II on “Backseat” with Cozz, and later features on J. Cole’s “Change”. In 2017 she opens on the 4 Your Eyez Only Tour.

Albums, singles and collaborations

In 2018, Lennox contributes to several label collaborations, including EarthGang’s “Nothing but the Best” and Bas’s “Icarus”. She releases “Whipped Cream” as the first single from her debut album Shea Butter Baby, followed by “40 Shades of Choke”, “Grampa”, “No One” and “Pedigree”.

She appears with J. Cole on “Shea Butter Baby” from the Creed II soundtrack, and the song is later issued as a single from her debut album. Shea Butter Baby is released in 2019.

That year she also tours as a supporting act with 6LACK on the From East Atlanta With Love Tour, launches her first headlining tour, and later performs with Lizzo on the Cuz I Love You Too Tour. The headlining run includes a U.S. leg ending in Washington, D.C., and a European leg in December.

Later releases and recognition

In 2020, Lennox releases singles including “Bussit”, “Chocolate Pomegranate” and a cover of “If You Want Me to Stay”. She also appears on recordings with Kiana Ledé, Skip Marley, 6LACK and Spillage Village.

In 2022 she appears on Dreamville’s D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape on “Coming Down” and “Blackberry Sap”. That year she also releases “Hoodie” and the surprise EP Away Message, which includes “Queen Space” featuring Summer Walker.

Style and influences

Lennox describes her voice as “vulnerable but soulful; imperfect but pretty”. Her sound is associated with classic Motown, modern R&B and new-age soul, and her voice is compared to Erykah Badu. She cites 1990s and 2000s R&B singers including Mariah Carey, D’Angelo, Whitney Houston, Aaliyah, Lauryn Hill, Amerie, Ciara, SWV and Mary J. Blige, as well as soul singer Minnie Riperton, among her influences. She also mentions Kanye West as an artist she admires and from whom she discovers other music.