Ari Lennox has been putting out a solid, but relatively sparse discography since her debut album Shea Butter Baby, which came out back in 2019 on J. Cole’s Dreamville Records. It’s been over two years since her previous album Age/sex/location, and we haven’t heard a whole lot from her in that time away, save for a couple of non-album singles. Despite being consistently great and having garnered a loyal following, she’s not the type of artist you hear about all the time. According to her, that’s her label’s fault, and she wants out.

Lennox took to her social media recently to air her grievances over Dreamville — an Interscope imprint — and their treatment and mismarketing of her: “I try to do things the right way, and nobody takes me seriously,” she said in an 18-minute clip explaining why she wants out of her label contract. “I’m trying to be respectful, but I feel played right now… I just wish I had a label that cared, that would want to protect me. I wish I had a label that was out here trying to explain why I need advertisement for my record.” She then wrote:

Interscope and Dreamville have been playing with me all month and I’m so exhausted. I’m so tired of people treating me like they’re sorry for me and like I’m the face of mental health. I’m ok and I’ve never been happier. What I don’t like is being signed and lied to and manipulated. Not one person at those labels ever knew how to market or protect me. Y’all don’t know the half. Constant let down and neglect. This industry stuff will never be for me.
Х

See her post below.

Ari Lennox just dropped a post on Instagram saying she wants out of her contract from Interscope/Dreamville due to marketing pic.twitter.com/8AK38r8f13

— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod (@big_business_) October 30, 2024