Hailing from Harlem, NY and Englewood, NJ; Raina Simone is a New York City–based independent rapper, poet, producer, and musician delivering lyric- driven, cinematic hip-hop rooted in consciousness, storytelling, and emotional precision. A graduate of Howard University, her work blends academic rigor with cultural intuition resulting in performances that are immersive, intentional, and resonant. Raina Simone has proven the depths of her skills as heard on BET, On The Radar Radio, Sway’s Universe, BarsOnI95, Shade45 XM, FromTheBlock, Hot97, Power105.1, and V100.7.

Filmed by Howard University classmates, in 2021 a viral freestyle gaining 3 million views in 24 hrs, “Sometimes I Rap” to Nas and Lauryn Hill’s “If I Ruled the World” instrumental; launched Raina Simone into the Rap game. The freestyle gained social media cosigns from the likes of Erykah Badu, Public Enemy, Chris Brown, Chakabars, Joy Reid, Lebron James, Shaq, and many more. Having previously identified solely as a producer, Raina Simone began releasing music as an artist as well. The following year, a second freestyle would go viral as a response to drill music. The freestyle was re-released 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.

In 2023, Raina Simone appeared as a feature on the song “Minority Report” by Ransom and Nicholas Craven feat. Talib Kweli. Self-produced, excluding three songs, Raina Simone’s debut album “Old Soul, New Conscience,“ was released in October of 2024 to critical acclaim in the lyricist world. The album amassed over 1.5 million organic streams in its first year and achieved international airplay. Two months after the release of “Old Soul New Conscience,” “Ruler” became a breakout single following a “From the Block” performance that garnered 5 million views across platforms. In May of 2025, Raina Simone sold out her first headlining show at SOB’s. Though they did not proceed following first round voting; as of October 2025, Raina Simone’s debut album "Old Soul New Conscience,” and single, “Ruler” were on the ballot for Grammy Consideration for Best Rap Album, and Best Rap Performance respectively. In November of the same year, Raina Simone performed as one of 4 headliners for the 14th Annual James Moody Jazz Festival at NJPAC alongside Slick Rick, Chuck D, and Rakim. In 2025 Raina Simone was named BET’s Amplified Artist, in which her musical journey was documented in a special BET Amplified episode and live performance taping series broadcast across all BET platforms. In 2025, Raina Simone also became an official brand ambassador for SoundCloud’s new playlist feature in collaboration with “We The Culture” in which her name, face, artistry, and likeness were used towards billboard campaigns internationally.

As of 2026, most recently, Raina Simone’s song “Charge it to the Game” has been licensed for use by The New England Patriots, and is set to be a theme song for the official NFL team. With timeless records from the previous album continuing to take on lives of their own, Raina Simone is currently working on her sophomore album titled “The Native Sun,” which she plans to release in the summer of 2026. 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. Raina Simone is the preservation of Hip Hop amongst Generation Z.