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Ari Lennox is giving all the sensual notes in her latest video for “Shea Butter Baby,” which features J. Cole. The songstress is signed to the rapper’s Dreamville records imprint and is the lone female artist on his lineup, and she sure is holding it down. The visual is the latest to drop off Mike Will Made-It‘s “Creed II: The Album.” Watch all the sultriness below:
The warm-brown tones, intimate vibe, and the unique sexiness of Lennox’s tone is a mood all in itself. How can you not love the look of brown skin or the feel of brown love after watching that? The duo first performed the track live during Dreamville’s “Overtime” concert in Charlotte for NBA All-Star weekend, and it was magical!
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The almost movie-like video tells the story of two lovers learning each other in a relationship, and how to live with one another backed by the 27-year-old’s neo-soul sound that’s just so poetic. Even her mentor wanted a piece as he rapped about the memory of a past love: “Coconut oil, the scent of your body still lingers on sheets.”
This isn’t the first time the two have collaborated. In 2016, the songwriter appeared on the North Carolina native’s album, “4 Your Eyez Only,” but she considers “Shea Butter Baby” as their first “full” collaboration, according to Billboard. “He’s always changed my life and he’s always looking out, but this is the first time we have a full collaboration and we’re both killing it together. [‘Change’] was like me being a sweet bird in the background. In this song, we’re killing it together,” she said. The reactions to the visual have been unreal:
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This song is also the title melody off Ari’s upcoming debut album, which boasts the same name. According to the Dreamville site, she’s inspired by some of the greatest female vocalists of all time, like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Whitney Houston, and you can see that influence in her music. Prior to this single, the D.C. native released an EP in 2016, “PHO,” and within the past year delivered with tracks like “Whipped Cream,” “Grampa,” “Pedigree” and “No One.”
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