Courtney Shanade Salter, known professionally as Ari Lennox, is an American singer and songwriter from Washington, D.C. She is the first woman to be signed to J. Cole's record label, Dreamville Records. She released her first EP on the label on October 21, 2016 titled Pho, where she began gaining recognition. Her debut studio albumShea Butter Baby was released on May 7, 2019.
Early life
Courtney Shanade Salter was born on March 26, 1991 in Northern Virginia and spent her formative years in the Washington metropolitan area. Her stage name was influenced by Mary Lennox, a character in the film adaptation of The Secret Garden.
Musical career
2012–2017: Career beginnings and ''Pho'' EP
Ari Lennox began uploading her music on the internet in 2009. She released her debut mixtape, Five Toe Discount, and debut EP, Courtography, in 2013. In 2014, she independently released the single "Bound". On July 21, 2015, she was featured on Omen's album Elephant Eyeson the track "Sweat it Out". Later that year, her music was circulating around the Dreamville team, as J. Cole wanted her to work with him on some references for Rihanna. On December 8, it was announced that she was signed to Dreamville Records. She made an appearance on the collaborative album Revenge of the Dreamers II, on the track "Backseat" with Cozz. On October 21, 2016, she released her debut EP titled Pho. Ari Lennox later appeared on J. Cole's song "Change", and performed as an opening act on the 4 Your Eyez Only Tour during 2017.
2018–present: ''Shea Butter Baby''
In 2018, she went on to guest feature on two songs with her label-mates: EarthGang on "Nothing but the Best", and Bas on "Icarus". On July 16, 2018, Ari Lennox released the first single, "Whipped Cream", from her debut album, Shea Butter Baby with an accompanied music video on September 5. On November 9, she released two more singles called "40 Shades of Choke" and "Grampa". On November 13, she then released two more singles called "No One" and "Pedigree". She then appeared on the Creed II soundtrack with Cole on a track entitled "Shea Butter Baby" on November 16, and released as a single on February 26, 2019 for her debut album of the same name. The track was accompanied by a music video on February 20, 2019 and surpassed 3 million views via YouTube within the first week. In December 2018, she was a supporting act on the From East Atlanta With Love Tour with 6LACK. On March 27, 2019, she announced her first headlining tour, with the first leg beginning on May 12 and ending on June 14 in her hometown Washington, D.C. Her debut album, Shea Butter Baby was released on May 7, 2019. Several times on this tour she was opened by Baby Rose and Mikhala Jené. She also went on the road with Lizzo on the "Cuz I Love You Too Tour" from July to October. The second leg of her headlining tour was in Europe, during December 2019. In February 2020, Ari Lennox was placed on BET's "Future 40" list, which is a list of “40 of the most inspiring and innovative vanguards who are redefining what it means to be unapologetically young, gifted & black”.
Artistry
Ari Lennox describes her own voice as "vulnerable but soulful; imperfect but pretty." Her voice has been compared to Erykah Badu. Referencing her artistry she explains, "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 said in multiple interviews that she is inspired by 90s and 2000s R&B singers such as Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, Bilal, Whitney Houston, Aaliyah, Lauryn Hill, Amerie, Ciara, SWV, Mary J Blige, among many others, and soul singer Minnie Riperton. In an interview with The Fader, she also mentioned her admiration of Kanye West and how she found multiple other artists through him. The Gateway described Ari Lennox's sound as "successfully blends individual slices of classic Motown, modern R&B, and new-age soul into one seamless product."
