Ari Lennox held no punches back when reflecting on her experience opening for Rod Wave on his “Nostalgia Tour.” The Dreamville singer recently went on her Instagram Live to describe the “very hard and lonely” experience.
“To be treated like that — I mean I’m not the first,” Lennox said. “I mean, there are a ton of people who’ve experienced violence and disrespect. I was on that stage and people would have s— on their screens saying, ‘Next.’ And I can’t deal with s— like that. I’ll flick you off; I’ll curse you out. I don’t play that because I will never do that. I would never let anybody do that to you.”
The most viral example of the disrespect Lennox faced on the tour was when a fan threw a water bottle at her while she was performing.
“I will f—ing f— you up,” Lennox yelled at the crowd. “That’s the f— right. Who did it, b—? Come here, b—. Come here. Let’s do it.”
Ari Lennox goes off after being disrespected again by fans on Rod Wave’s tour
Can we get Ari on a tour with her peers that have similar fan bases? https://t.co/ekrQmdHBrA pic.twitter.com/FSEnJKCZHl
— Glock Topickz (@Glock_Topickz) November 30, 2023
The next show, she wore a helmet on stage.
There’s something so iconic about Ari Lennox wearing a helmet onstage last night. She’s truly a troll😂 pic.twitter.com/3eS88GAcYm
— Ari Lennox "Get Close" Out Now! (@welovearilennox) December 1, 2023
“It’s one thing to hate me; that’s fine,” Lennox said. “Like you hate me, but it’s another thing to be like, ‘Get this b—- off stage,’ or have your signs or assault me. What is this aggression? You’re that pissed? But it’s also like thank you because there’s a lot of bills I caught up on. So, thank you.”
Lennox said the experience was a drag for approximately two and a half months. She also had her wardrobe stolen on the road.
“It was just a very hard two and a half f—ing months,” Lennox said. “Very hard and very lonely, too.”
She said she’s asked her agents to open up for bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Imagine Dragons, but was told no because of the lack of fit. When the offer came to open up for Wave, she was elated.
“Of course … this is a great opportunity to show people I can sing and get some fans,” Lennox said. “I was wrong. Now, I get why not — it does not make sense to open up for anybody. I don’t care who you are, I’m sorry … well, I don’t know. Maybe it will matter. Maybe some fans are sweeter than other fans, but that type of music? I’m good. It’s f—ed up, but it is what it is. It’s a certain type of energy where people are just disrespectful as hell. I’ve watched it with Rico Nasty. Same s—. Like there’s a certain type of fan base where you’re aggressive? I’m OK.”
Ari Lennox talks about a “very, very, hard and lonely” time opening up on tour w/ Rod Wave
“I get why it does not makes sense to open up for … anybody. I watched it with Rico Nasty. There’s a certain type of fan base that you’re like, literally aggressive” https://t.co/lwSjv4rfSQ pic.twitter.com/RrMUIEqfkD
— Glock Topickz (@Glock_Topickz) January 7, 2024
In 2021, Nasty was constantly disrespected on tour while opening for Playboi Carti. She even jumped into the crowd in Portland to confront a fan after getting hit in the head by a water bottle.
“Crazy how I wanted a tour bus my whole life, and now I just be on the tour bus crying myself to sleep every night,” Nasty posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I wish I was dead just as much as y’all do. Trust me. Y’all win.”
After the public challenged him to speak up, Carti brought Nasty on stage during one show to show solidarity.
