On the male-dominated label Dreamville, that just released “Revenge of the Dreamers III: Director’s Cut,” Ari Lennox is a standout. Lennox, the first woman to be signed to Dreamville,  breaks up the redundant rap style of the other artists on the album. Her beats highlight her largest asset — her voice. While Lennox is not the most featured artist on the album, her melodic vocals add depth to an otherwise bland collection of music. The album carries a whopping 30 tracks, which is something generally avoided in contemporary rap.

Dreamville, the label owned by rapper J. Cole, released the deluxe album on Jan. 16, 2020. J. Cole requested the presence of over 100 artists to a studio in Atlanta to contribute to what became “Dreamers.” The album features all eight of the artists signed to the label, from JID to EARTHGANG and everyone in between, as well as those outside of the label. Throughout the 30 plus artists featured throughout the album, Ari Lennox is the gem.

Da Baby adds dimension in the opening song “Under the Sun,” and his unique rapping style is varying yet consistently clean. In the rest of his contributions, though, the artist’s songs begin to blend into one another. The production is very drum-heavy, with little distinction in beat pattern from each track. Unless you’re an avid fan, it can be difficult to distinguish each artist from one another. The slow strumming guitar intro in “Self Love,” the ninth track, is a refreshing  diversion from the hard rap beats. The song hinges on pizzicato played on a Spanish guitar, with plucky strings that breaks up the album’s  monotony. 

“Got Me,” a star-studded affair featuring rappers such as Ty Dolla $ign and Dreezy, is a standout feature for Lennox. The track has a somewhat throwback sound and the heavy use of a high hat creates focus on the vocals. Many of the songs on this album follow a similar hype or trap beat — something that is not the main staple for Lennox music. 

Lennox’s “BUSSIT,” one of the lead singles, is another highlight of the power in Lennox’s vocals, which is exemplified by the simplistic percussive beat. The song is one of the few that features just one artist and is followed by “Passcode,” which lets Lennox’s voice shine through with a minimalist production that isolates her voice. 

J. Cole sees the direction of his label furthered by Ari Lennox’s vocal skills. “Revenge of the Dreamers,” is saturated with rappers that can sound very similar in their vocals and production. Lennox is a fresh perspective, pushing the label forward. The simplicity in production, only using two or three sounds behind the vocals, helps create more intrigue in the artist. It gives the listener more time to focus on the voice as opposed to the instruments in the song.