In the case of Ari Lennox‘s debut album, Shea Butter Baby, Dreamville’s First Lady takes on inner and outer beautification elements and rewards listeners with the rich sounds of soulful R&B reminiscent of early 2000s Erykah Badu or perhaps, India Arie.
For many, the first introduction to the D.C.-bred singer was on 2015’s Revenge of the Dreamers II track “Backseat” with Cozz and on J. Cole’s “Change” off his 2017 album 4 Your Eyez Only, though she was also featured on Omen’s Elephant Eyes track “Sweat it Out,” before officially signing to Dreamville in 2015.
Shea Butter Baby essentially satisfies a thirst for the kind of rhythm and blues that feels good to spirit, much like a home-cooked meal after returning home from college for the first time. It’s a coming-of-age project, filled with honest words backed with real instrumentation and speaks for a generation of Black women who just want to be themselves — and clearly, no one, not Ari anyway, is waiting for permission.
| 1 | Chicago Boy | 4:48 |
| 2 | BMO (Break Me Off) | 2:26 |
| 3 | Broke | 4:02 |
| 4 | Up Late | 4:26 |
| 5 | Shea Butter Baby | 3:31 |
| 6 | Speak to Me | 3:44 |
| 7 | New Apartment | 3:56 |
| 8 | Facetime | 2:31 |
| 9 | Pop | 2:18 |
| 10 | I Been | 3:41 |
| 11 | Whipped Cream | 4:48 |
| 12 | Static | 4:11 |
