c/o Wiki ......... Courtney Shanade Salter (born March 26, 1991), known professionally as Ari Lennox, is an American singer and songwriter from Washington, D.C. She is the first female 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 album Shea Butter Baby was released on May 7, 2019. Artistry Ari Lennox describes her own voice as "vulnerable but soulful; imperfect but pretty." 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 names Ella Fitzgerald, Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, Bilal, Whitney Houston, Aaliyah, Lauryn Hill, and Minnie Riperton as her biggest influences. 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.
