Virginia’s own, Audra The Rapper. Photo Courtesy of Instagram

Audra The Rapper is pretty dope. Her style is dope because of its variational influences. To steal Shirley Ceasar’s line: YOU NAME IT!

Although hailing from Richmond, Virginia, Audra was big on Jim Jones, Cam’ron, Juelz Santana, Hell Rell and Freekey Zekey of Harlem’s Own; the Diplomats. Additionally, she was a fan of the producer/lyricist product that is Kanye West and of Floetry.

Audra is also big on Lauryn Hill and in many interviews indicated that she was one of her biggest inspirations. 

That would make perfect sense! Back in 2010, she dropped Miseducation of Audra, an ode to Ms. Fugees, herself, Lauryn Hill.

She also tributed her on Instagram the other day:

Hey guys. I have this healthy obsession with this damn-near deity by the name of Ms. Lauryn Hill. So much so that my second project i released in my teens was an homage to her debut album. Well guys, She is going on tour with Nas and I havent had normal thoughts since hearing this. My first time seeing LBoogie was with Nas in college and I dropped $400 to get VIP tickets for them to try to cancel her set. @romarley came to my rescue that time tho. Well all of that to sayyy. I just got overly excited about being a fan and all those feelings that made me want to become a performer just made them self known full force. Hype for this. Good day

A post shared by Farrah Saucett (@audratherapper) on Jun 3, 2017 at 12:01pm PDT

Audra The Rapper’s wikipedia page says it best: unlike a lot of rappers, whose rap style have easily been categorized as Trap, Hardcore or Conscious, Audra The Rapper has partnered her lyrics with a variety of sounds, reflecting various styles and has described her style is “Ratchet Soul.” That said, she is literally an Escalade with Lamborghini doors; that’s balance!  delivery embraces a myriad of styles.

In a recent interview via Scoop B Radio Audra let it be know how much a student of the game she is and was. “I came up watching Behind The Music; you know what I’m saying,” she said on Scoop B Radio.

Check Out Audra The Rapper and Lee Mazin Chatting With Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson On Scoop B Radio:

She added:

“Like really getting an in-depth lifestyle look of the artists that I admired and sometimes it gave me a new appreciation for the artist and then it had me going back and listening to their music like I get that a little better. I’d see stuff differently, I’d hear stuff differently and I’d like it and I think what this show is doing is really giving you an in-depth look at five females in truthfully a male dominated industry but not even minding any of that. We not looking at ourselves as female rappers I personally hate that this is rap this is what we do this is all we know and we’re giving that to people so people are getting that real lifestyle look at this and how we handle our business.”

But Lauryn Hill wasn’t the only influence of Audra The Rapper’s. When I asked Audra how the Oxygen network television show, Sisterhood of Hip Hop, benefitted her career, she couldn’t help but credit the likes of Missy Elliott.“We’re supporting each other,” she said. “That’s reminiscent of the era of hip hop that I love; you know Missy and all of them.”

Then she took it back to it being Friday Night!

“Missy would have every female on her album,” Audra The Rapper said with a grin. “You know what I’m saying?”

If you’re not a child of 90s, it was a Missy track that also featured Angie Martinez during her rapping days, along with Lil Kim, the late Left Eye from TLC and So So Def’s Da Brat.

“Just that support that era of competition because it’s what we do. We’re in the same field we love it all the same, but we don’t have to knock each other. We don’t have to step on each other, because we all individually bring something different to the same game so why do I gotta hate on my sister? You know what I’m saying?”

Audra The Rapper has a voice to be the female leader of the new school! Stay tuned! 

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The post Audra The Rapper Tells Scoop B Radio About Missy Elliott’s Ladies Night: “Missy would have every female on her album” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

It’s been 18 years since fans were first exposed to the inner workings of Lauryn Hill’s psyche. Her debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, is a collection of knowledge that seems more relevant now than it was in 1998.
Though artists like Janelle Monae and Rapsody have fed the hunger for positive female role models in the hip-hop industry, Ms. Lauryn’s ability to bridge the gap between spirituality and self-empowerment has not been duplicated since her musical departure.
Her ability to be completely open and honest allowed her story telling ability to act as advice, offering alternative solutions to dealing with self-worth and social injustices.

In songs like “Everything is Everything” and “Doo Wop (That Thing)”, Hill depicts the internal and external struggles African Americans face daily. “Doo Wop (That Thing)” focused more on the perception young African Americans have about themselves, encouraging fans to realize their self worth. “Everything is Everything” voice the struggles African Americans face in their communities, urging them to use hip-hop as an outlet and not to give up hope on a better ending.

The soulfulness and honesty that came from her lyrics offers strength to a generation that has experience the darkness of police brutality and self-worthlessness. Though nostalgic, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill explains the reality the millennial are currently facing, providing a much-needed voice for their struggles.

The post “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” Speaks Louder Now Than in 1998 appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Hip hop artist Lauryn Hill‘s legendary piece of work The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill will soon be forever immortalized in the Library of Congress. Chosen under the requirements of being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”, the work will be archived to preserve it. More specifically, the Library of Congress had this to say of the work:

Lauryn Hill’s debut solo record, following the breakup of the Fugees, is a work of honesty in which Hill explores her feelings on topics that included the deep wonder of pregnancy, the pitfalls of modern relationships and the experience of the sacred. The album effortlessly fuses soul, rhythm and blues, rap and reggae. Hill’s vocal range, smooth clear highs and vibrato are stunning. The rapping is rhythmically compelling while always retaining, and frequently exploiting, the natural cadences of conversational speech. Standout guest performances include Carlos Santana’s soulful acoustic guitar solo on ‘Zion,’ and duets with Mary J. Blige and D’Angelo on ‘I Used to Love Him’ and ‘Nothing Even Matters,’ respectively.

The post “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” To Be Entered Into The Library of Congress appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.