J Cole Leaves Ari Lennox Shocked At London Concert

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CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 17: J. Cole watches the action during the NBA All-Star game as part of the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend at Spectrum Center on February 17, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 05: Ari Lennox performs at Fox Theater on February 05, 2023 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Steve Jennings/Getty Images)
The Dreamville artists performed "Shea Butter Baby" together in London.

Ari Lennox is taking over Europe for the age/sex/location tour but her concert in London was something else, thanks to a surprise guest. Lennox hosted two concerts at the Eventim Apollo in London this week. As she closed out the second night, she was joined by the Dreamville head honcho, J. Cole. The K.O.D rapper creeped out from backstage and apparently, didn’t give Ari much of a notice. As Ari Lennox dove into “Shea Butter Baby,” J Cole jumped on stage to help her perform the song.

As you could imagine, the fans loved the moment. The surprise cameo from Cole clearly caught her off-guard, in the best way possible. In a video shared on her Instagram page, Ari Lennox covers her mouth in shock as J Cole, with a grin from ear-to-ear, comes through to perform his verse on the song. “I can’t believe @realcoleworld and @dreamville surprised me at my London show like this,” she captioned the post which included a video of the special moment. “I love y’all so much.” 

J. Cole’s On A Roll

J. Cole’s surprise appearance at Ari Lennox’s concert comes just after he announced a deluxe edition of Born Sinner for the 10-year anniversary. The rapper announced that a gold vinyl of the project will be available to celebrate the milestone. “Born Sinner turns 10 next month!,” the caption reads. “@realcoleworld [Purple devil emoji] in celebration we’re releasing a gold deluxe vinyl edition available for preorder now!” Although many fans were undoubtedly excited about the new drop, many also reflected on how it’s been 10 years since the project dropped. 

Additionally, J Cole also recently came through with a stunning verse on Lil Durk’s latest single, “All My Life.” Serving as the lead song off of Almost Healed, J. Cole earned massive praise for his verse, especially as he tackles the concept of retirement and the rising number of deaths in the hip-hop community. Hopefully, we’ll get some news on It’s A Boy in the near future. For now, check out his appearance at Ari Lennox’s concert above and share your thoughts in the comments. 

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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