#SoDreDoesVinyl | Shea Butter Baby by Ari Lennox

Shea Butter Baby celebrated a 4-year anniversary yesterday, but I'll admit it's always been in my rotation since it dropped. We love all things Ari around here, so you know her studio debut album will always get preferential treatment on the spins. 

Vibing with this album always feels like I'm in a cotton candy daydream sequence, draped in pink cashmere, sipping chardonnay in a cloud of spice-tinged smoke. I'm in my own private lounge, and Miss Ari enters stage left, adorned in a white mink fur and endless pearls. She croons the blues front & center, yet her tone seems to fill the room from a faraway place. Her smooth, sticky-sweet voice envelops the space much like the imaginary smoke I'm surrounded by. And as moments pass, Ari sings on about the loneliness that settles in like an uninvited guest once the excitement of buying her new apartment wears off. Even if I don't feel like what she's singing in the moment, I FEEL what she's singing, all the time, if that makes sense. As I've told y'all before--- Ari can sing about bathwater and I'd be with it. But anyways...

My favorites from Shea Butter Baby are "Broke," "Up Late," "I Been," and "Whipped Cream" (if you know me, you know that "Whipped Cream" had a hold on me in 2019 😩). I sometimes add "Pop" to the list, depending on who I'm talking to. Either way, this album rides ALL THE WAY THROUGH for me and I never tire of it. 

Are you an Ari Lennox fan? 

What are your favorite songs from her? 

And do you love Shea Butter Baby as much as I do?

#SoDreDoesVinyl | Crenshaw by Nipsey Hussle

Turntable Tuesday is an IG segment my birthday twin + kindred spirit @lifeaccordingtorhonda and I started to showcase what's hot on our turntables these days. Whether it be our latest vinyl purchase or whatever is getting the most spins around our way, we want to share the deets with you guys every other Tuesday. Check the hashtag #2dopechicksgovinyl to follow along!

In this week's edition of #TurntableTuesday, I'm sharing my latest vinyl purchase: "Crenshaw" by Nipsey Hussle. "Crenshaw" is most known as the legendary mixtape that released 1,000 limited edition copies at $100 each through Nip's All Money In record label. This is one of my favorite mixtapes from Nip, as it illuminates a true talent, master storyteller hustling his way to the top, taking no days off. In the coming years we would realize the greatness that was Nipsey Hussle, witnessing his growth in the rap game as well his dedication to his community. Unfortunately his life was cut way too short, too soon. 

My favorite track from this mixtape is "All Get Right." Not only does it ride heavy, that sample from "Who Am I" by the O'Jays gives this track a smooth, old-school vibe. Nip's dreams were materializing and this was a declaration of sorts, for him and his camp. 

Other favorites are "H-Town," "Summertime in That Cutlass," "Come Over" and "Don't Take Days Off." Quite honestly, the whole mixtape rides for me. Some days "More or Less" is a vibe for me and some late nights I'm really feeling "4 In The Mornin." There's a track for all my moods. 

What records have you been vibing to lately? 

And are you a Nipsey fan, too? 

If so, what's your favorite Nipsey Hussle song?