It’s unclear whether Jessie Reyez is preparing to release a new album soon, but the Toronto singer has certainly increased her output lately, suggesting that may be the case. In May, she teamed up with Big Sean to share “Shut Up,” a bold, boastful banger, then, in August, the dropped “Ridin” with Lil Wayne, smoothing things out for a more lusty approach. Today, she shared another unexpected collaboration, moving away from rappers to fellow R&B chanteuse Ari Lennox, who duets with Jessie on “Just Like That,” a Latin-accented love ballad that promises her loyalty despite the attention she gets as an international recording star.
“Got blue checks in my request / But I don’t pay them no mind,” she croons on the chorus. “‘Cause the last time left me broken / But you came by, and we vibed.” The song’s a testament to the healing power of true love in the wake of a bad breakup, a running theme through both artists’ output to date.
While fans wait to see what Reyez has in store for her next release, Lennox is unfortunately asking for a release from her current recording contracts, citing a lack of support. She made the request shortly after releasing her own new single, “Smoke,” the video for which reflected her growing interest in addressing mental health concerns.
You can listen to Jessie Reyez’s new single “Just Like That” featuring Ari Lennox above.
Ari Lennox released her latest single, “Smoke,” earlier this month. Apparently, she’s not pleased with the level of reach the song has achieved, or more specifically, she’s upset with how her label, J. Cole’s Dreamville Records, handled the release. In fact, Lennox is at the point where she wants to be done with the label.
In a recent Instagram Live broadcast (archived here), Lennox spoke at length about her issues with Dreamville. At one point, she declared her desire to be dropped from the label, saying:
“I wish I had a label that wouldn’t have me out here trying to explain why I need advertisement, why I need advertisement for my record. […] You cannot expect an artist to be anything without advertisement. Like, you can’t. You can’t. Why am I begging for advertisement? Why am I paying for my own Google ads? No, it’s not OK.
So, I just want to be released, and it’s just that simple. And I’m tired of being nice, and I was trying to do everything the right way, but now I’m pissed. This was my final straw. I have communicated effectively and no one cares, so now we’re here in toxic-ass social media world, or this is how I’m deciding to express myself in a toxic way. But, we’re here, and I don’t know how else to get it through people’s thick head. Like, stop playing with me.”
Later, she continued, “I love making music. I loved every moment of making ‘Smoke.’ It was my freedom song, and I dropped it, and the label neglected me. They left me there by myself. […] Dreamville literally is telling me to my face they don’t believe in advertisements, they don’t believe in Google ads. What am I supposed to do with that information?”
For the record, this is a long-festering situation between Lennox and Dreamville, as Lennox also said in 2022 that she wanted to be done with Dreamville.
Ari Lennox has been part of Dreamville Records since day one. She was the first female artist, and first singer, to appear on the label, and she’s been part of every Dreamville compilation to date. Lennox has displayed fantastic musical chemistry with the likes of J. Cole and JID over the years. Unfortunately, the unity of the Revenge of the Dreamers comps has not extended to the business side of things. Ari Lennox took to Instagram on Tuesday night to put the label on blast for mishandling her career.
Ari Lennox cited Dreamville and its parent label, Interscope, for failing to prioritize her career. She claimed that both sides have been “playing with her all month,” and she’s fed up with it. She also accused Dreamville of being clueless when it came to how to market her strengths as an artist. “I’m so tired of people treating me like they’re sorry for me and like l’m the face of mental health,” she opined. “I’m ok and l’ve never been happier. What I don’t like is being signed and lied to and manipulated.” Ari then claimed that “not one person at those labels ever knew how to market or protect me.”
Ari Lennox may have decided to take the gloves off, but she still alluded to there being a lot more drama behind the scenes. “Y’all don’t know the half,” she added. “Constant let down and neglect. This industry stuff will never be for me.” The caption she provided with the Instagram message may have been the most scathing indictment of Dreamville and Interscope of all. “I want out of my contract,” she wrote. Lennox also tagged both labels.
The text post that Ari Lennox made was accompanied by a nearly twenty minute Instagram Live in which she voiced her discontent with Dreamville. “I feel like I’ve been played,” she repeatedly stated. Ari Lennox told fans that she was willing to put up with other shortcomings on the label’s part as long as she could get her music out. Once she began to be sidled by delays, however, she decided to go straight to fans and clarify why she has yet to bless them with another album. It’ll be fascinating to see how Dreamville responds to Ari Lennox’s very public airing out.
It’s often said that love has the potential to drive us crazy, but in the video for Ari Lennox‘s new single “Smoke,” the Dreamville singer makes that message literal. Set in an old-timey mental institution, the video opens with Ari getting electroshock therapy and sees her terrorizing the orderlies, performing in a facility talent show (clad in a dress made from her hospital gown), and staging a getaway with her backup singers. It’s the R&B equivalent of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, all set to her doo-wop-accented new single.
Mental health has been on the DMV area native’s mind a lot lately; she recently shared an update with fans that she would be permanently departing from social media, despite how much she’s used it in the past. “I’m working on a plan to transition off of social media for good,” she wrote. “I don’t believe I’ll ever mature and be happy as long as I have it. So my last day of socials will be December 18th, my 2-year sobriety anniversary. I will be deleting my FB, IG and TikTok permanently.”
She noted she would have made this decision sooner, after so many hairy experiences online, but fear of losing business opportunities kept her online. However, she called herself “exhausted with my addiction to the internet and gossip and attention and validation and yearning to be in control and over sharing,” telling fans she’d keep in touch through her newsletter instead. Whether “Smoke” will precede a full-length album from the singer remains to be seen; she has until December to make the announcement.
However, that will soon all come to an end. Yesterday (October 11), Ari Lennox took to her Instagram page one last time to announce that she would be permanently leaving social media after December 18. While Ari’s online commentary and livestreams (which have been featured in her music) have become a thing of legend, it has landed her in hot water.
Instead of being tempted to access her profiles later, she seems to be planning to delete her accounts entirely. But she will remain in contact with support through an email newsletter. As sad as this may be to fans, Ari Lennox did confirm new music is on the way and a new tour is in the works.
Read Ari Lennox’s full statement below.
Hey I’m working on a plan to transition off of social media for good. I don’t believe I’ll ever mature and be happy as long as I have it. So my last day of socials will be December 18th, my 2-year sobriety anniversary. I will be deleting my FB, IG and TikTok permanently. The fear of losing brand deals, music sales, n****s and b*tches will no longer keep me here. To all of my beautiful fans, I’m just not happy nor thriving here. I have a very toxic and codependent relationship with these apps. My happiness is worth more to me, than using these platforms to promote. I truly believe I can get creative with marketing elsewhere. I’m so exhausted with my addiction to the internet and gossip and attention and validation and yearning to be in control and over sharing. I just want to be free and complete.
I would like to offer other spaces where you can find me and that’s YouTube.com/arilennox and Arilennox.com and on the singing stage or outside. I ain’t gone front like this has been cute, it hasn’t. I love y’all so much. Please subscribe to my mailing list on my website to remain updated on my 2025 album and tour or don’t (My single Smoke drops 10/18 ) also my bad if my drama causes any distractions or insensitivity as I’m aware of the constant horror going on in the world. I just need to give my sweeties a heads up. I’ll be good, and I’m excited for this journey. I’m an extreme person. It will forever be all or nothing with me. – Ari/Courtney
Throughout 2024, things just have not been goingAri Lennox’s way. The talented Dreamville R&B singer and songwriter has been tasked paying back the IRS a lot of money and it seems to not be going so well. She even messed around and said she would do essentially anything to pay off her debts. “I’m just gonna tell y’all my business. I need to pay this IRS. The strange things I’m finna do for change, just so i can just break even. I’m gonna crazy and then we start anew.”
She isn’t trying to dodge this at all, and even is looking to manage her finances better after all of this is resolved. While this does sound good, it sounds like it’s going to take Ari some time to fulfill her promises to herself. With her music being her source of income, if she’s not able to release any or perform it, she’s going to be behind the eight ball. It sounds like that’s the case because according to The Neighborhood Talk, the “Shea Butter Baby” singer just had to cancel her upcoming Los Angeles show.
She painfully addressed this on what appears to be an IG Live, revealing that low ticket sales are the root cause. “We just couldn’t sell tickets,” Ari said defeatedly. “So, that’s my life right now. I guess hopefully things will change once I drop the music, drop the album and it is though very telling.” You can tell from the audio that she’s very hard and critical of herself, as she says, “I take everything personally. You’re only as good as the music you put out, so it’s just like ‘goddamnit.’” Ari does feel that there is a solution and that would be to perform in Washington D.C., as she knows she has a loyal fanbase out there. Our hearts hurt for Ari right now, so we are sending her our best during this trying time.
What are your thoughts on Ari Lennox having to cancel her Los Angeles show due to low ticket sales? Is this one of the most tragic stories going on in music right now? Should Ari drop her new album/new singles before year’s end? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Ari Lennox. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.
Yesterday (May 25), the “Barbie World” rapper was arrested while traveling in Amsterdam, Netherlands. According to Dutch authorities, Nicki was detained for “exporting soft drugs” in relation to the pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes reportedly found in her possession. Now, the entertainer is speaking out regarding the incident.
Late yesterday evening, Nicki released a statement on her official X (formerly Twitter) account. “Thank you to everyone who prayed for me today,” she wrote. “May God cover you & all that is connected to you. May you be blessed beyond your imagination.”
In the second half of Nicki’s note, she explained why her Pink Friday 2 World Tour stop in Manchester, England was postponed despite her having been released by law enforcement. “After sitting in a jail cell for 5–6 hours, my plane still didn’t take off for another 20 mins once I boarded,” she wrote. “The flight was 50 mins. That’s why they had to do the big song and dance because they knew I’d still find a way to perform even if it came down to my last 90 mins in the building, which would have been until 11:30 p.m. The building was willing to go past 11 p.m. So grateful to them for that.”
Although Nicki’s scheduled show did not take place, she decided to host an impromptu meet-and-greet near her hotel.
She also promised to circle back to the city to makeup for the missed performance. “Please please please accept my deepest and most sincere apologies,” she wrote. “They sure did know exactly how to hurt me today, but this, too, shall pass. We will have another date for tonight’s show shortly, and I’ll probably be able to share it tomorrow. One July option & one June option is currently being discussed. I’ll find a way to not only make up the date with the performance. But I’m going to create an added bonus for everyone that had a ticket for this show. Promise.”
Thank you to everyone who prayed for me today. May God cover you & all that is connected to you. May you be blessed beyond your imagination.
Barbz, I’m @ the stock exchange hotel in #Manchester I arrived a little over an hour ago. After sitting in a jail cell for 5-6 hours, my…
Nicki didn’t let up on Dutch authorities. In a separate post, she pointed out that she wasn’t the only Black woman to seemingly have experienced racially charged mistreatment. Nicki reposted the statement shared after Ari Lennox’s 2021 arrest in the country.
She was “full of emotions”. She was arrested b/c she was full of emotions in AmsterDAM. Hmmmmm interesting. I didn’t know this was a “thing” there. Who spoke up for her? Could’ve easily been another Sandra Bland incident. I’m so happy she made it out alive & well. https://t.co/PxI3NWsRNS
Joe Budden has built a media career off of offending rappers, media personalities, and even other podcasters on his hit show The Joe Budden Podcast. This week, Ari Lennox got into it with the 43-year-old podcaster, after Joe Budden mentioned her in his discussion regarding the Big 3 beef. Lennox, who is signed to J. Cole’s Dreamville record label, did not take kindly to Budden’s comments and took to social media to fiercely clap back. This is not the first time this year that Ari Lennox and Joe Budden have engaged in a back-and-forth, though some fans wonder how deep this multi-platformed feud will go. Let’s delve into the statements made by both parties and trace the origins of the conflict.
Ari Lennox seemingly first took issue with Joe Budden’s comments after a 2022 episode of Budden’s podcast, wherein the Mood Muzik rapper sided with radio host MacG in a disagreement with Lennox. It all began when Ari appeared on MacG’s Podcast and Chill, when the South African media figure asked Lennox if anyone was currently “f***ing [her] good,” a reference to her 2019 track “Pop.” On “Pop,” Lennox croons, “If you really love me, I’ll f*** you good/ F*** you good, f*** you good/ Treat you how you should.“
Ari appeared visibly bothered by this question, which she considered invasive. Shortly thereafter, she took to Twitter to announce her decision to cease all interviews. Joe Budden made fun of Lennox on his show following the moment, arguing, “if I say it in a song, it’s in the world. It’s on board to be discussed from people… Once it’s documented, it lives. It exists. That was something I used to battle with as an introspective artist.” Ari Lennox didn’t publicly respond to Joe Budden’s comments at the time, though fans were quick to take to social media in her defense.
The Pair Exchanged Words At The Start Of 2024
Ari Lennox goes off on Joe Budden and calls him a “limp dick stalker” and plans on suing him for his reaction to her experience opening up for Rod Wave on tour pic.twitter.com/E6l9R7UPjH
Ari Lennox and Joe Budden first exchanged words in January, when Ari departed her role as an opener on Rod Wave’s nationwide tour. Lennox explained to her fans via social media that she felt Wave’s crowd was fundamentally different than hers, prompting her to feel unhappy and unwelcome on stage with the Florida rapper. Budden, known for making jokes at the expense of trending artists in the news, ridiculed Lennox for airing her grievances publicly. On-air, he advised her to address these issues with her team behind the scenes rather than discussing them with her fans.
Ari Lennox took exception to these demands, and subsequently took to Instagram Live to respond, stating, “I don’t know what Joe Budden’s obsession is with me, but what I will say is that somebody needs to tell him to stop touching them dogs.” Lennox’s comment calls back to a bizarre September 2020 story that saw Budden come under fire for allegedly touching his pet dogs inappropriately. Ari Lennox continued to say of Joe Budden, “He’s weird, and he’s gross. He has smoke mouth. He’s disgusting! And he’s a failure, like Drake said.”
Budden Offered An Apology… Before Immediately Calling Her “Nuts”
In a January 23 episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, Joe responded to Ari’s comments with a mild apology, which many viewers found to be insincere. Before the episode even concluded, Budden fired back at the “Waste My Time” vocalist, using misogynist slurs and referring to her as “a bag of f***in’ mixed nuts.” Budden concluded, “This b**** is all the nuts combined and I think she’s done a great job of proving the exact point that I was trying to make in the last broadcast, and we shower her with love.” To Joe Budden’s credit, he and his cohosts have highlighted Ari Lennox’s music on numerous occasions before this spat, though that obviously doesn’t make his language any more acceptable.
J. Cole’s Latest Headlines Reignite Feud
Some parts of Joe Budden reacting to the J Cole apology and retraction of Might Delete Later diss track at Kendrick. pic.twitter.com/imfYFwruth
Things had gone fairly quiet between Ari Lennox and Joe Budden for a few months, prompting many fans to assume the beef had died out, not with a bang, but with a whimper. That is until J. Cole shocked the world by apologizing to Kendrick Lamar for dissing him on the record “7 Minute Drill.” Joe Budden and his cohosts subsequently reacted to the apology like many other pundits, by clowning J. Cole and stripping him of his title as one of the Big 3 rappers.
During episode 715 of The Joe Budden Podcast, which aired on April 10, Budden stated, “I don’t want to hear no more about that record. It sounded like he didn’t mean it. His voice was trembling like he didn’t mean it. His choice of words as one of the greatest lyricists says he didn’t mean it.” The former Slaughterhouse member continued to drag Ari Lennox back into the discussion, subsequently stating, “I don’t want to hear a f***ing peep out of Earthstone Twitter … Cole is on that — Y’all think I’d be playing with the Ari Lennox, Scottie… They do all that earthy college campus, grass root s***.”
Ari Lennox Fires Back
Ari Lennox reignited her feud with Joe Budden after recent comments he made about her on his podcast.
The singer shared a clip to her Instagram Stories of the moment Joe Budden was punched by rapper Consequence. pic.twitter.com/oaLbtgtlSj
True to her nature, Ari Lennox fired back at Joe Budden via Instagram stories, sharing a clip of a violent 2013 confrontation between Joe and rapper Consequence. In the clip, Consequence runs up behind Budden and punches him in the back of the head, causing Budden’s glasses to fly off of his face as other parties prevent the pair from throwing hands. Lennox spammed the brief video to her story a whopping 24 times in a row.
Lennox captioned the clip with some fiery words, stating “Knocked your little glasses off and everything. Keep my precious name out of your psychotic, animal-abusing, women-terrorizing, demonic trolling, nicotine-encased mouth. All this meth smoke for a woman but not for any man beating your ass in real life. Bald b*tch!” Clearly, neither party is ready to truly bury the hatchet. Joe Budden is likely to double down on his comments in the forthcoming episode of his show, meaning the feud will only continue to drag on.
Ari Lennox and Joe Budden are not fans of each other. The two have long traded insults, with the beef originating with Budden’s criticisms of Lennox’s expression of her experience as an opener on Rod Wave’s tour.
During the most recent episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, Budden criticized J. Cole’s diss retraction but took a jab at Lennox and Scottie Beam.
“Y’all think I be playing with the Ari Lennox, Scottie, they do all that earthy, college campus, grassroots shit,” Budden said. “If you listen to [Cole’s] raps, he just been trying to be the best rapper, the best MC. But you gotta listen to a n-gga’s story. It’s been college life.”
The mere mention of Lennox’s name set her off, as she shared a loop of Joe Budden being punched by Consequence in 2013. She also fired off a scathing response:
“Knocked your little glasses off and everything. Keep my precious name out of your psychotic, animal abusing, woman terrorizing, demonic trolling, nicotine encased mouth. All this meth smoke for a woman but not for any man beating your ass in real life. Bald bitch!”
You can see it all below.
Aye yooooo Ari Lennox posted Joe Budden gettin swung on in her story a bunch of times pic.twitter.com/U8GSZhAejQ
I’m working on a plan to transition off of social media for good. I don’t believe I’ll ever mature and be happy as long as I have it. So my last day of socials will be December 18th, my 2-year sobriety anniversary. I will be deleting my FB, IG and TikTok permanently. The fear of losing brand deals, music sales, n****s and b*tches will no longer keep me here. To all of my beautiful fans, I’m just not happy nor thriving here. I have a very toxic and codependent relationship with these apps. My happiness is worth more to me, than using these platforms to promote. I truly believe I can get creative with marketing elsewhere. I’m so exhausted with my addiction to the internet and gossip and attention and validation and yearning to be in control and over sharing. I just want to be free and complete. 
(My single Smoke drops 10/18 
) also my bad if my drama causes any distractions or insensitivity as I’m aware of the constant horror going on in the world. I just need to give my sweeties a heads up. I’ll be good, and I’m excited for this journey. I’m an extreme person. It will forever be all or nothing with me. – Ari/Courtney
(@ThisIsColbert) 
