By Brandon Ladd
OzFest makes its annual return to campus on May 6, festivities will conclude with a concert featuring Ari Lennox, B-Lovee and Angelo Mota at 7 p.m. in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena.
These artists may not be the most well-known to some around campus, here is your guide to getting to know the performers:
Ari Lennox:
Lennox is the headliner, she is from Washington D.C. and is currently signed to J. Cole’s record label, Dreamville Records. Her legal name is Courtney Shanade Salter, but around 2011 she decided to perform under the name “Ari Lennox,” drawing inspiration from the character Mary Lennox from The Secret Garden. Lennox released music on soundcloud independently before catching the attention of Cole.
Currently her most popular song is her 2021 single, “Pressure,” which currently has 20 million plays on Spotify. The song reached No. 66 on Billboard in the U.S and No. 1 on the R&B chart. Her 2019 album, “Revenge of the Dreamers III,” was the No. 1 album in the U.S for some time and was RIAA: Platinum.
B-Lovee:
B-Lovee is from the Bronx and a 20-year old rapper. He grew up listening to Jay Z, Meek Mill and Rick Ross according to a 2021 interview, citing his uncles listening to these artists when he was a kid. His style is described as drill rapping, a style that started in Chicago the past decade. It is known for its visceral rhymes about their experiences and enemies, all over ominous and sometimes fast-paced beats.
XXL Magazine wrote a feature piece on B-Lovee in late 2021 saying, “One of the hottest young drill rappers in the area is Bronx-bred rhymer B-Lovee. The rising artist rose to prominence on fellow Bronx drill rapper and close friend Kay Flock’s track “Brotherly Love” earlier this year. B-Lovee has also made a name for himself with solo songs like the Wayne Wonder-sampled “IYKYK” and TikTok hit “My Everything” over the last eight months. He’s quickly gaining millions of views on YouTube and plenty more streams on Spotify. Things are moving quickly for the young rap newcomer.”
Angelo Mota:
Mota is a hip hop/rap artist who is currently averaging around 279,000 views a month on Spotify. His most popular song “Madonna” currently has 3 million plays on the app. Mota spent last year collaborating with Well$ on an album called “Zaire,” a project that dates back to 2015 for the two friends.
The album is named after the son of a cousin of Well$ and close friend of Mota, as the two completed the project together in anticipation of the birth of Zaire. They used it as a guide to life for the soon-to-be born baby.
Mota is a New Jersey native and has been performing virtual events for $5,000 to $10,000 throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Image via oswego.edu
