Ari Lennox Vows To Avoid South Africa After A Podcast Interview Goes Terribly Wrong

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As more and more artists commit to podcast appearances as part of their usual media relations duties, more and more tensions have begun to arise between interview subjects and the more-or-less unregulated space. While podcasts have been notorious for sparking viral moments like the tet-a-tet between Kanye West and Big Sean on opposing episodes of Drink Champs, sometimes these interviews touch on broader issues like the double standards between men and women, resulting in moments that highlight just how podcast hosts can violate boundaries.

A recent example arose today, as Ari Lennox trended on Twitter due to her response to a recent podcast interview that left her vowing to eschew any future appearances in South Africa as a result of a host’s disrespect. During an interview with Johannesburg-based show, Podcast And Chill With Mac G, Ari was visibly distraught by the host’s question, “Is somebody f*cking you good right now?” “That’s a wild question,” she responded. “Why ask it that way?” While Mac G advised her that he was quoting one of her own songs, she was less than enthused about it in hindsight, finally responding two days later with her unfiltered thoughts on her treatment.

“I’m just like… why was I alone on a call full of people?” she wondered on Twitter. “Why didn’t anyone intervene? And why wasn’t parts of the interview destroyed like the team promised? Why did it happen to begin with? I just feel slow and ambushed and blindsighted. Just because I happily and freely sing/write about sex don’t make any kind of creepy disrespect warranted. I clearly was in immense shock and hate that I didn’t react differently.”

Although she pointed out that she doesn’t “want anyone feeling sorry for me,” she was quickly bombarded with messages blaming her for the line of questioning. When one reply read, “If you hate being treated like a piece of meat then stop marketing yourself as a butchery,” Ari expressed her wish never to visit the country. “South Africa! Y’all got it!!! Heard you loud and clear. This won’t be a place I will ever visit. Really got grown men justifying rape and predatory culture. Disgusting.” As responses kept coming in, she shut down the number-one criticism she’d received. “No rebranding necessary you misogynistic bitch!” she said. “I enjoy how I express myself in my music.”

Ari’s no stranger to misogynistic tweets. In 2020, she sparked another debate about the treatment of Black women and obnoxious beauty standards when a commenter compared her to a rottweiler. Fortunately, she’s got new music on the way in 2022, which should give people something else to talk about.