Ari Lennox #BlackGirlMagic
Bringing old school R&B music to your ears
“Sometimes women are put in this box where we’re only supposed to talk about certain things. I want to be braver and riskier. I think people want to hear that kind of honesty and frankness.” -Ari Lennox
Ari Lennox is sassy, sensual, and soulful. She just happened to be the first female artist signed with J. Cole’s Dreamville Records, and knowing what a talented artist J.Cole himself is, we can definitely trust Ari to be the same as rising talent. Lennox is a Washington D.C. native, and she started gaining fans ever since she released her first EP in 2013.
She definitely knows how to create that smooth jazzy vibe as she plays with the rhythm of her songs. It’s so sexy, and I’d say she’s like Dreamville’s SZA in a way. Of course, she has her own signature, like how her songs have that old school style, and honestly it’s fresh to hear such music in an era where there are plenty of modernized electro music. You can hear the good ol’ R&B spice within her songs, and maybe it’ll stir up a sense of nostalgia; like it did for me.
You can really tell Ari is creating the type of music she actually likes and is passionate about. It shows through each song of hers, and although not all songs are the same, there’s something so distinct about her style. She’s free, and her performance is breathtaking while she maintains this casual vibe. I think the naturalness of that is beautiful, and it surely makes her music more relatable. She’s all about showing self-love through her music; for instance, hidden depths underneath superficial concepts like showing us how there’s better and sexier things than sexuality itself. I feel like in our current music industry, we need such words of thought and encouragement instead of simply listening to demeaning lyrics. Ari Lennox manifests that special Black girl magic where she shows us how to feel good about ourselves in our own skin; to be accepting of our own selves.
She hasn’t released any new music recently, but I can’t wait for more of the world to know about this R&B gem. Keep a watch out for her.
-Chloe