Ari Lennox

A forthright lyricist and understated vocalist who has singled out the likes of Minnie Riperton and Mýa as two of her many inspirations, Ari Lennox has been the one-artist R&B contingent of J. Cole’s Dreamville roster since 2015. The singer and songwriter made her commercial Dreamville debut in 2016 with the Pho EP and followed up in 2019 with her first album, Shea Butter Baby, which hit the Billboard 200 chart at number 104.

Five Finger Discount
Originally from Washington, D.C., Ari Lennox (born Courtney Shanade Salter) made her first moves during the first half of the 2010s with the Five Finger Discount mixtape, the Ariography EP, and tracks such as “Bound,” all of which she uploaded from 2012 through 2014. In 2015, she began an alliance with J. Cole’s Interscope-affiliated Dreamville label through a featured appearance on Omen’s “Sweat It Out” and a showcase on the Revenge of the Dreamers II compilation standout “Backseat.” The next October, Dreamville issued Lennox’s Pho, an EP that entered Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop chart at number 40, led by the Hollywood JB collaboration “Night Drive.” She contributed background vocals to Cole’s chart-topping 4 Your Eyez Only and opened for Cole during the rapper’s extensive 2017 tour in support of the album. Throughout 2018, Lennox was featured on cuts by labelmates Bas and Masego, released a handful of stray tracks, and appeared beside Cole on the Mike WiLL Made It-produced Creed II soundtrack. That song, “Shea Butter Baby,” became the title track of Lennox’s first album. Released in May 2019, Shea Butter Baby reached number 104 on the Billboard 200. Around the same time, “Shea Butter Baby” itself registered on the Adult R&B Songs chart.

Ari Lennox plays a Tiny Desk Concert (Ben de la Cruz/NPR).

You may also like

6lack

Dazed slow jams are the primary mode of Atlanta-based contemporary R&B/rap artist Ricardo Valentine, a singer-slash-MC who goes by the name 6LACK ("black"). Prior to connecting with LVRN (Love Renaissance), the creative agency that has supported fellow Georgia native Raury, Valentine was signed to a label that he felt restricted his creativity.

Beyonce

One of the most recognizable figures in contemporary music, Beyoncé rose to fame in the late '90s as the central member of pop-R&B group Destiny's Child, and the following decade embarked on a multi-platinum, record-breaking solo career with Dangerously in Love (2003), her first in an unbroken string of number one pop solo albums. Chart-topping singles such as "Crazy in Love" (2003), "Irreplaceable" (2006), and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (2008), combined with sold-out world tours and Grammy awards, all heightened her profile in the 2000s. Billboard named her female artist of the decade, while the RIAA acknowledged that, with 64 gold and platinum certifications, she was the decade's top-selling artist. Once Beyoncé released her self-titled fifth solo album in 2013, it was evident that the powerhouse vocalist, songwriter, and dancer wasn't merely an entertainer but a progressive artist as well. The notion was affirmed throughout the remainder of the decade with Lemonade (2016) and Everything Is Love (2018), the latter of which was a collaboration with husband Jay-Z.

Big Sean

Calling on the same single-minded inspiration that drove greats like the Notorious B.I.G., Kanye West, and Eminem, Detroit rapper Big Sean moved from energetic self-released mixtapes to platinum-selling albums. Signed to Def Jam subsidiary GOOD Music, Sean scored hits from the time of his first studio album, 2011's aptly titled Finally Famous.

[There are no radio stations in the database]