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.

Your thoughts?

The post “I’m a Superfan”: Ari Lennox Praises Monica’s Influence & Says She’d Love to Remake the R&B Diva’s Missy Elliott-Produced Hit ‘Knock Knock’ appeared first on ..::That Grape Juice.net::.. - Thirsty?.