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Ari Lennox has apologized to J. Cole for the way she handled her final days at Dreamville Records.
On Friday, March 6, the R&B artist sat down with The Breakfast Club to talk about her new album Vacancy. During the discussion, DJ Envy asked about the moment she realized that it was time for her to leave Cole's record label. Lennox said she felt it was time to go after her 2024 song "Smoke" dropped without any promotional support from the label. She didn't put all the blame on the label and said that J. Cole was the "greatest co-sign" she ever had. After reflecting on her dramatic exit, Lennox said she regrets it.
"I think it was just a really emotional time for me, and I regret it honestly," she said. "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. I sent him a voice note. I'm a little afraid to give him a call but I do apologize."
In October 2024, Ari Lennox shared her frustrations with the label in a lengthy post on her Instagram Story. She claimed that the executives at Dreamville and Interscope didn't know how to market her music or protect her best interests. A few months later, TMZ confirmed that she left J. Cole's label but remained on Interscope. The split appeared to have been mutual. Before he left, Lennox hit the stage at the final Dreamville Festival and thanked Cole for helping her accomplish her dreams over the past decade.
"It was never Cole," she continued. "Cole was never the issue. I think it was just literally a marketing thing but it is what it is."
You can watch Ari Lennox's entire interview with The Breakfast Club on Netflix now. Catch another moment from their discussion below.