Ari Lennox Releases Smoothly Stellar Debut Album "Shea Butter Baby"

BY Erika Marie 13.8K Views
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The Dreamville singer delivers a vibe.

Just in time for her tour to begin, Ari Lennox releases her anticipated Shea Butter Baby debut album. The Dreamville artist made waves with her J. Cole-assisted single of the same name, and now she's hoping to take the world by storm. The singer delivers a soulful record that reminiscent of Erykah Badu and Jill Scott classics of the past, but the Washington, D.C. songwriter creates an on-fire neo-soul sound of her own that breathes life into R&B.

Shea Butter Baby is as smooth as its title, and J. Cole and J.I.D make guest appearances to add their flavor to her mix. Lennox continues to solidify herself as "one to watch" by living up to the hype, and the talented artist revealed to Billboard last year that before singing to J. Cole's Dreamville Records, she wasn't sure that he even liked her music. "I didn’t really think Cole was into me," Lennox stated. "He was cool, but he was talking about Earthgang the whole time."

"'Cause Earthgang is probably one of the most brilliant groups out, so I was definitely honored to be learning about them through Cole, but I was jealous," she admitted. "I was like, ‘Damn, he loves them! I wish he would love me like that. Damn the shade.’ But it wasn’t like that all, Cole is just hard to read sometimes."

Tracklist

1. Chicago Boy
2. BMO
3. Broke ft. J.I.D.
4. Up Late
5. Shea Butter Baby ft. J. Cole
6. Speak To Me
7. New Apartment
8. Facetime
9. Pop
10. I Been
11. Whipped Cream
12. Static


About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.