Audra The Rapper is an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

, and television personality. She is a cast member on the third season of

Oxygen Network Oxygen (branded on air as Oxygen True Crime) is an American television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming unit of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast, through its Cable Entertainment Group subsidiary. The channel primar ...

's hit series 'Sisterhood of Hiphop' executive produced by T.I. Audra started writing music at the age of six years old and recording herself at age thirteen in her mother's closet. She released her first mixtape, Sweet and Sour Vol. I at age 16 and sold it at local malls and car washes. Audra has released 5 studio projects including her most recent, 'Anti Love Songs' which she released under her own label alongside

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

's RED Distribution.

Early years

Audra was born in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

and raised in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

by her single-mother and grandmother. Audra has said music was a great inspiration to her, especially when it comes to

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and

RnB Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

. Listening to her grandmother spin Anita Baker,

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

and

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

made singing an early priority for her. Audra was raised in the church and joined the choir at age 5 and was leading solos by age 6. Audra says she was 6 years old when she got her first CD,

Brandy Norwood Brandy Rayana Norwood (born February 11, 1979), better known by her mononym Brandy, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress and model. She is known for her distinctive sound, characterized by her peculiar timbre, voice-layer ...

's (aka Brandy) self-titled debut album and it fixed her attention on having a music career. Audra has stated that her major musical influences are

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. ...

, The Diplomats,

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

, and

Floetry Floetry were an English contemporary R&B, R&B duo comprising Marsha Ambrosius ("The Songstress") and The Floacist, Natalie Stewart ("The Floacist"). The group recorded two studio albums and one live album and sold over 1,500,000 records worldwi ...

Music

In the summer of 2009, Audra The Rapper and

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...

crossed paths when by chance they were both at iPower 92.1 radio station in Audra's hometown of Richmond, VA. The two met a second time in October 2010 at a university homecoming concert in Richmond where Audra opened for Ross and her performance lead Ross to endorse, mentor, and co-sign her. Audra The Rapper on numerous occasions has said how

is her all time inspiration, so much so that Audra's 2010 mixtape, ''Miseducation of Audra'' was a tribute to Lauryn. 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".

Discography

Songs

* 2011 "Love Song Remix" ft

Mickey Factz Mark Williams (born July 13, 1982), better known by his stage name Mickey Factz, is an American Hip hop music, hip hop recording artist from the Bronx borough of New York City, New York (state), New York. Early life Mickey Factz attended Adlai E. ...

and Raheem DeVaughn * 2013 "Hit and Run" ft Abir * 2015 "China.Bus" * 2016 "Done.Did" * 2016 "Sometimes" * 2016 "Bxtchlxss"

Mixtapes

* 2007 ''Sweet and Sour'' * 2010 ''Miseducation of Audra'' * 2011 ''No Such Thing Does Exist''

EPs

* 2015 ''Retrospectrum''

Albums

* 2016 ''Anti Love Songs''

Videos

* 2014 "Nutter Butters" * 2015 ''No.Body'' * 2016 ''Sometimes''

Honors and awards

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rapper, Audra the Year of birth missing (living people) American women rappers African-American women rappers American hip hop singers African-American women singer-songwriters Living people Old Dominion University alumni Musicians from Richmond, Virginia Musicians from Virginia Beach, Virginia Rappers from Washington, D.C. Singer-songwriters from Virginia 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American women musicians Date of birth missing (living people) 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women Singer-songwriters from Washington, D.C. 21st-century women rappers 21st-century American women rappers