Firstly we should understand her background.According to Wikipedia,Courtney Shanade Salter(born March 26,1991),known professionally as Ari Lennox is an American singer and songwriter from Washington DC.She is 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 music genre is RnB and neo soul.
The album , "Shea Butter Baby" was released on May 7 2019. According to Donna-Claire Chesman(May 13,2019,Ari Lennox Is a Soulful Gem:Interview)states that Shea Butter Baby is a modern triumph with wonderful old school sensibilities.Moreover on the interview Ari Lennox stated that, "This is for Black women because we don't just don't get enough love and I want little girls to look at me and I want them to say,'I'm proud of my Blackness.I'm proud of my skin.God made no mistakes when he created us".
There are twelve songs.These are:
Chicago boy
BMO
Broke ft.J.I.D
Up Late
Shea Butter Baby ft.J.Cole
Speak To Me
New Apartment
Facetime
Pop
I Been
Whipped Cream
Static
From my point of view,there are two songs which seem to be based on Ari Lennox personal experience which are "New Apartment" and "I Been".If we look at the lyrics,"New Apartment",there is use of descriptive language shown at the end of the song to describe her feelings [Outro].
"I'm sad.And then,I just started thinking
about life,like I'm lonely.And then,I started
thinking about my couch and my table and my
chairs and all this fucking shit that I
have,and it's just like,all the furniture you
get does not keep you warm at night.Your
furniture is not gonna fucking have sex
with you.Your furniture is not gonna
fucking teach you how to Dougie. It's not
gonna teach you how to roller skate.And
then I realized,oh my god,I need people".
From the lyrics above,there is an element of sadness because she does not have anyone to share her life with(romantic relationship).Moreover this is like an advise to us that sometimes we need people in our lives especially the one's who care about us.Her interview with DJ Booth clearly shows that this is one of her important songs on her album,"Shea Butter Baby".Ari Lennox stated that,"....it's good to have a few connections with people because someone else's energy can really help you if you're feeling dangerously low or anxious. Moreover she said,"What I've found most exciting is spending time with family".This is why the son,"New Apartment" is based on her personal experience.
The song ,"I Been" by Ari Lennox clearly shows that it is based on her personal experience.If we look at the lyrics,it seems like a story[Outro].
"You know,life is too short to be blockin'
your blessings like that,to be blockin'potential
blessings,like....yeah,you may never get
married again,you may never find the love
of your life again,but,hey,that's life.And
please don't be in a situation where that
person's tearing you down mentally,emotionally,
physically,y-we've heard it a million times.
I think emotional abuse is way worse than
physical,sometimes.'Cause that just fucks
up your whole mind. You could develop whole disorders
like that-whole disorders. You guys,tell me why this old
nigga from my past hit me up,talkin'bout some...
"Is your name Courtney?Did you go to Poplar Tree,in
the first,second,and third grade?And you had like a
lightskin sister?And you,um,you had a crush on me?"
I was like,"Yeah,that sounds like me",but my
thing is,like,nigga,like you feelin' yourself.
You're feelin' yourself a little too hard,talkin' 'bout
"you had a crush on me."Nigga,yes,at like,
fucking seven.Relax,relax
From the lyrics above,she gives advice that we should not let bad experiences to get in the way of us living our lives.Moreover,the use of the word,"Courtney" is Ari lennox's real name hence this song is obviously based on her personal experience.
The title of the album,"Shea Butter Baby" is probably a symbol of all black women to be proud of being black. From her interview with DJ Booth she stated that,"...somebody from Dreamville,a guy named Matty[McNeal],he's the one who used to call me Shea Butter Baby" hence everything about this album is Dreamville,to the core.
At the DJ Booth interview,she stated that the best advice Cole gave her for the album was,"Don't be afraid to save the best records for the album and let other songs that are just as beautiful but just don't quite fit,don't be afraid to let them have their own space" hence without Dreamville this album would not exist.
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