Ari Lennox Almost Passed Up A Deal With Dreamville Out Of Fear Of Losing A $10/Hour Job
Adulthood is hands down the worst hood I've ever lived in. With the pressures of securing a bag, starting a family, and managing to keep your sanity at the same damn time, I'm just about ready to put in my two weeks when it comes to this whole adulting thing.
But the truth is, quitters never win, and winners never quit, that is, unless that means quitting your 9-5 at a Public Storage to meet J. Cole and sign a record deal that will change your entire life. At that point sis, you just have to let Jesus take the wheel. Ari Lennox recently told the hosts of theYes, Girl! Podcast that she was in this exact predicament before signing to Dreamville in 2015.
Although in the past, Ari has told a number of creative stories about how she actually signed to the label, the real tale is a lot less glamorous than tap dancing at a strip club in Alaska. The singer said that after J. Cole heard about her music through the grapevine, she had a chance to get flewed out and make the connection of a lifetime; there was only one problem: her minimum wage job. She explained:
"Yeah, I felt like no. I'm not doing this. I'm not getting on this plane. I was scared of planes and then also just got this job. It was $10 an hour. To me, that was way more important than meeting J. Cole."
Like most of us, Ari says that at the time, she was way too concerned with surviving to actually take the time to live. The pinnacle adulting is having your own place, and Ari said that although her job at the time didn't fulfill her dreams, it damn sure paid the bills.
"Because I really wanted an apartment really bad. I wanted to be not an F up. You know what I'm saying? And I always was getting fired and quitting jobs, so I was not going to ruin Public Storage, and I was excited about Public Storage because I knew eventually I could be one of those property manager people that had their own apartment on site. So I had these big dreams for Public Storage."
Ari is a testament to the fact that nobody can block your blessing (or your bag) like you can. Eventually, she became conscious of this fact, said f*ck it and hopped on a plane to LA, where they collaborated together for the first time for "Facetime", but after leaving and not hearing from Cole for months, she began to doubt her decision:
"Two months went by, I was like, 'Man, of course, I quit Public Storage for nothing. Nothing's going to come out of this.' But Cole did finally say, 'Yeah, we're thinking about signing you or whatever.' Real casual. I was like, 'Oh snap.'"
After four years of bomb singles and EPs, Ari recently released debut album, Shea Butter Baby and is rubbing shoulders with artists she may have never met if she played it safe and stuck around where she was comfortable. She explained:
"I just remember years ago being in a bed with my mom, looking at that screen, seeing Janelle Monae killing it and just wanting that so bad and then to fast forward and to be there."
Check out Ari's full interview here!
Featured image via Giphy
Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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ItGirl In Motion: DonYé Taylor Asked Herself This Question When Creating Her Brainchild
"Being an 'ItGirl' is all about being yourself and taking all of the elements that make you who you are and displaying them at your highest capability," creative brainiac DonYé Taylor says in the introduction of the limited video series, "ItGirl In Motion."
In partnership with Hyundai, xoNecole has unveiled the limited series in conjunction with our inaugural ItGirl 100 list. The list boasts 100 Black women who not only innovate and take up space when it comes to putting on for their cities, but also as the driving force behind brands that create impact for the culture. ItGirl DonYé Taylor is one of the 100 featured ladies who put her purpose into action.
ITGIRL IN MOTION with DONYE TAYLORwww.youtube.com
As a marketing consultant, content creator, and CEO, a driving force behind DonYé's ambitions has been to show others how she sees the world by "creating art and doing things that shift perspective." In founding her brainchild, Nüclei, which is coincidentally also home to the ever-so-chic chrome brain piggybank, DonYé briefly touched on the inspiration behind the brand. "I was like, 'What would it look like if I were to be of service to myself?' And that's what made me create Nuclei," she said.
Watch the video above to take a peek into the life of the LA-based ItGirl, the importance of Black women receiving our "flowers" while we're here, and the three things she believes are absolutely essential to any ItGirl.
See our ItGirl 100 list in full here. Click through the gallery below for some BTS moments of DonYé and our partnership with Hyundai.
CREDITS
Director: Mikkoh @mikkoh
Production Company: @30inthemorning
AD/Gimbal Op: @jeffreyrattanong
DP: @jucelandrin_
Editor: @30inthemorning
1st AC: Bonnie Delgado @bonniebellevue
2nd AC: Liz Robles @lizfatimarobles
FPV Drone Op: Kai Kevin Goh @kaivertigoh
Gaffer: Nelson Nguyen @nelson_ftw
Key Grip: Ames Hoang @mangothemaker
SLT: Jamon Tolbert @jamon.tolbert
Sound Mixer: Deyo Forteza @introducingdeyo
PA: Breyona Holt @exquisite_eye
PA: Aminah Muhammad @aminahmuhamm
BTS: Marika Belamarich @marikarosegold
Featured image by Marika Belamarich for xoNecole