About 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. In middle school, Raina spent her school days at the Horace Mann School, a private independent school in The Bronx,NY. Faced with culture shock and forced to find self; Raina Simone quickly began utilizing poetry and beat making to express her thoughts on her surroundings. A dedicated advocate of education and academia; Raina attended Howard University as well as NYU in pursuit of a Masters of Public Administration. 

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 released the first single, "Swervin," from her upcoming debut album which is prepared to be released early Spring of 2024. The debut album, “Old Soul, New Conscience," she says, "is the first real introduction. Everything before has been a warmup for what we’re about to." Most recently, Raina Simone appeared on "Minority Report" by Ransom and Nicholas Craven feat. Talib Kweli.

Taking inspiration from family narratives, personal experiences, and insightful interpretations on life; Raina Simone is a renowned story-teller ensuring that Hip Hop in its purest form continues to live on through Generation Z.