Although Ari Lennox is one of her generation’s most-praised female R&B artists, she’s never shied away from giving flowers to her peers and predecessors.
Name-dropping the likes of everyone from Tweet, Victoria Monet, Stevie Wonder, Sam Cooke, Jazmine Sullivan, Maxwell, and others as inspirations across various interviews in the past, Lennox definitely waves her genre’s flag high and proud.
Along that same vein, Ari recently made headlines for not only giving rousing fanfare to Brandy‘s latest project, ‘Christmas with Brandy,’ but also for revealing she’d love to do a duet with the singer-actress.
Around the same time, she gave the diva’s ‘Boy is Mine’ co-star and fellow R&B icon Monica a similar ovation.
Hop inside to see what Lennox said.
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Hot on the promo trail for her recently released single, ‘Get Close,’ Lennox dropped by Hot 97’s ‘Nessa on Air‘ to dish about the DZL-produced tune, its parent album, mental health, past battles with sobriety, romance, and so much more across an hourlong chat.
When Nessa brought up the ‘Pressure‘ performer’s admiration of Monica, she lit up.
“She was just my childhood; that voice was everything,” she said about the R&B veteran in the clip above. “It was beautiful, she was talking that RAW, just beautiful, heartfelt, ‘homegirl’ love. I believed her and I just felt her soul. She was and is literally an artist that was on repeat all my life. I’m just a superfan.”
Going on to praise the GRAMMY winner’s influence over her professional and personal life, Ari even shared that she would love to perform the 2003 ‘After the Storm’ hit single ‘Knock Knock’ (produced by Missy Elliott) as a tribute one day.
“Probaby ‘Knock, Knock,” she said when quizzed on what Monica song she think she could do justice to. “I could see that being like me. I love Missy Elliott; I loved them together. When they worked together, it was everything.”
Click here to watch the full ‘Hot 97 interview.
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Brandy and Monica weren’t the only R&B divas getting love from Lennox recently.
Taking to WBLS, the 32-year-old also showered royal praise on Queen of NeoSoul Erykah Badu.
“I haven’t worked with Erykah, [but] I want to; I love her,” she told WBLS in a recent interview (as seen above). “She’s everything.”
Part of their connection, Ari explained, was due to positive feedback Badu rendered over her critically acclaimed song ‘Whipped Cream.’
Click PLAY on the clip above to see the full interview.
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I love how she’s giving Monica her flowers!! Monica is still that girl
I could hear her remaking Knock Knock. Would be 🔥🔥🔥
See Ari knows REAL LEGENDARY TALENT. No mention of that vocal pamphlet LMAO
Yet you sat here and mentioned Brandy . “The vocal pamphlet” – sooo tired 🙄 AND JOKES ON U, Ari indeed praised Brandy and stated how she wanted to work with her. She praised her Christmas album too. 🤡
Did she also announce a Trenches release date? It’s only been 6 years………….
SHELVED
Love when Monica gets the flowers she deserves.
Monica haters are weird simply because this woman sings her songs, spreads love and minds her business all while being beautiful and unbothered. Clearly she has some of you broke bottoms triggered. Seek help for that !!
Ari will go far because she HONORS and STUDIES the greats. She is a student of music. So sweet and humble but most of all: TALENTED! Monica is one of our GOATS. She’s so unsung. Give her all the flowers she deserved. She’s accomplished a hell of a lot 💐
Yea tbh I don’t see why we don’t hear more praise about Monica. I love Brandy but I think Monica has always been more vocally talented. Brandy cannot do what Monica does sorry not sorry.