ARTIST OF THE MONTH - UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

Introducing: Raina Simone Raina Simone is a Hip Hop artist from Harlem, NY and Englewood,NJ. By the age of 3, Raina Simone could play the piano, and was beginning to piece together lyrics. By middle school, Raina spent her days playing tennis, maintaining involvement in community service initiatives, and making music. Attending  the Horace Mann School, a private independent school in The Bronx,NY; Raina quickly faced adversity as it pertained to issues regarding race. Faced with culture shock and forced to find self; Raina Simone quickly began utilizing poetry  to express her thoughts on her surroundings. A dedicated advocate of education and academia; Raina would go on to attend Howard University as well as NYU in pursuit of a Masters of Public Administration.  Drawing inspiration from the likes of Tupac, J Cole, Kendrick Lamar,  Jay Z, Big Pun, Nneka, Miles Davis, Mariah Carey, Ashanti, Janet Jackson, Drake, and early Kanye West; Raina's appreciation for Hip Hop's music theory was always coupled with a love for music history and studying rap craftsmanship. Avid rap heads raised in the 80's themselves; Raina's parents quickly instilled within her the importance of understanding the inception of the art form. The infamous rap group Public Enemy quickly became a focal point of Raina's studies. Similarly, elements of Southern Blues studied as a product of Raina's maternal grandfather began to influence Raina's sound as well. Filmed by Howard University classmates; In 2021 a viral freestyle titled "Sometimes I Rap" to Nas and Lauryn Hill's "If I Ruled the World" instrumental; launched Raina Simone into the world of rap music. Having previously identified solely as a producer, Raina Simone began releasing songs as a rapper/singer/songwriter. The following year, a second freestyle would go viral as a "response to drill music." Originally freestyle'd on New Jersey platform "Blades and Bars," the freestyle was rereleased as "To My Hearts Outro," the outro on Raina Simone's first EP "To My Hearts" released in 2022. On the streets of NYC Generation Z refers to a close friend or loved one as "my heart." Titled, "To My Hearts" an ode written to loved ones; this EP is a nonconventional approach in response to the discourse of the commercialization of drill music at the cost of black inner-city life and black art alike.  Raina Simone has proven the depths of her skills, as heard on On The Radar Radio/Sway's Universe/Bars On I95/Shade45XM's The Punchline Academy/Hot97/Power105.1/V100.7. A recent Howard University graduate; Raina Simone has also been acknowledged for her critical analyses regarding the portrayal of race, women, and sexual orientation in Hip Hop.   In 2023, Raina Simone appeared on "Minority Report" by Ransom and Nicholas Craven feat. Talib Kweli. Raina Simone has proven the depths of her skills, heard on On The Radar Radio, Sway’s Universe, BarsOnI95, Shade45XM's The Punchline Academy, Hot97/Power105.1/V100.7. Raina Simone has also been acknowledged for her published written critical analyses regarding race, women, gender, and sexual orientation in Hip Hop.  On October 25th, 2024; Raina Simone released her debut album "Old Soul New Conscience."Taking inspiration from family narratives, personal experiences, and insightful interpretations on one's identifiers; Raina Simone is a renowned story-teller ensuring that Hip Hop in its purest form continues to live on through Generation Z. The album touches upon a wide range of topics and explores diverse sonic landscapes rooted in storytelling and history. The album features Ransom, R2r Moe, J.P., HD4President, Youngsta CPT and DJ Jayhood. Showcasing both her skills as a producer, and an artist; Raina Simone delivered what many coined a modern Hip Hop Classic.  The album has amassed over 600k streams, and over a million views across platforms. The breakout single “Ruler,” from the album, has gained significant notoriety and has garnered airplay on 16 radio stations including Hot 97. Raina’s talents have attracted cosigns to the likes of Ransom, Chuck D, Erykah Badu, Shaq, Chris Brown, Ghostface Killah, and more renowned contributors to the art form. In partnership with BET’s amplified; Raina Simone is BET’s artist of the month for the month of April 2025. As new listeners continue to discover the hidden treasure that is “Old Soul New Conscience,” Raina Simone is currently working on the Deluxe version of the album approach in which she’s taken a DJ Khaled-like producers’ approach to adding new features and textures to the songs already on the album. Additionally, there will be 3 new records. Raina Simone is dedicated to leaving a long lasting impression on listeners by way of cultural preservation, and achieving longevity in the sharing of our narratives through hip hop.