Ari Lennox was a recent guest on The Breakfast Club, where she answered questions from Charlamagne Tha God, DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, and Loren LoRosa about her split from J. Cole's Dreamville label. During their conversation, the Vacancy artist admitted regret over how she handled her frustrations with the imprint, and offered an apology to Cole in particular.
As we caught on Twitter, Lennox recalled the release of her song "Smoke" and how both parties felt unaligned, likely due to miscommunication. Charlamagne said that he doesn't feel like Dreamville supported her, which she disagreed with. Ari called J. Cole "the greatest cosign I could've ever had" as an artist in Neo-soul, speaking to how he changed her life and opened her up to audiences and people who might not have listened to her otherwise.
"It was just a really emotional time for me. I regret it. Honestly," Ari Lennox remarked. "I feel like I should've never taken it to the Internet. I do want to apologize to J. Cole, I sent him a message on Instagram [and] a voice note. I'm a little afraid to give him a call, but I do apologize... But it was never Cole. Cole was never the issue. I think it just was literally a marketing thing, but it is what it is. This man flew all the way to London for me. This man surprised me as I'm performing 'Shea Butter Baby.' And I cried like a baby, I sounded like a walrus. I could not get the words out 'cause I was so shocked. That's how loving and selfless he is. So Cole himself, I will always care and respect him."
Why Did Ari Lennox Leave Dreamville?
For those unaware, Ari Lennox had called Dreamville out in 2024 for not supporting or marketing her single "Smoke" properly. While J. Cole never publicly responded to this, reports on her eventual exit from the label suggested there was no bad blood.
During Lennox's appearance on The Breakfast Club, she said she should've called or had a face-to-face with Cole instead of sending him a voice note about wanting to leave the label. But she said she was scared at the time, reflecting on other times when she could've reached out to him for help.
