Jay-Z and Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence, photographed together in 1997. At the time they were in the Quad Recording Studios in Midtown Manhattan, working on In My Lifetime, Vol. 1's standout track "Where I'm From," and also "I Know What Girls Like." Born in Dominica in 1968, Lawrence's family immigrated to the United States when he was two years old and settled in the East Elmhurst neighborhood of Queens. He showed artistic talent early, and would be accepted into Manhattan's specialized High School of Art and Design.
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Being a hip-hop producer these days seems almost as glamorous as being a rapper. Beatmakers like Zaytoven and London on da Track are signing big record deals, putting on new acts, and getting just as much fame as the artists they make beats for while spending more time in the studio doing what they love and avoiding grueling tours, video shoots, and promotional runs.
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Producer Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence was record-hunting in 1996 when he found soul singer Yvonne Fair's "Let Your Hair Down" and tried, as he tells Rolling Stone, "giving it a sinister soundtrack feel." The track, which Diddy originally passed on, was still in rough form – no sound effects, no extra percussion. But when Jay-Z heard what would become "Where I'm From," the rapper, inspired, immediately began recording his personal verses two bars at a time. "It gave me a vision to make the track sound more dramatic based on Jay's flow," Lawrence says.
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Ron is a producer who is best known for his time as part of Bad Boy Records’ Hitmen production collective. Ron teamed up with Deric “D Dot” Angelettie, Diddy, Stevie J, and Nashiem Myrick to create iconic hits for Biggie, Mase, Diddy, Faith Evans, Mary J Blige, The Lox, and many more. After that run ended, Ron made beats for the likes of Beyoncé, Aretha Franklin, and Luther Vandross.
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A thin twist on the OREO cookie you love.
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Val Anthony Ronald Lawrence, better known by his stage name Amen-Ra, is an American filmmaker, and former record producer and rapper from New York City, New York. On his work, he is credited as Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence.
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When you think about Biggie Smalls, JAYZ, Faith Evans, Mase, Puffy, you can't help but wonder, who is behind all of those fantastic hits. Well the Hitmen, D. Dot, Stevie J, Nashiem and our special gusest Ron Amen-Ra Lawrence.
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Just over one week ago, Warren G’s G-Funk documentary screened at South By Southwest. Another major Rap development of the early 1990s, Bad Boy Records will be the next Hip-Hop doc’ to hit screens this season. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: The Bad Boy Story, directed by Daniel Kaufman is scheduled to screen at Tribeca Film Festival on April 27. Tickets are available tomorrow.
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Ron “Amen Ra” Lawrence may not be a household name producer, but he’s made hits that many know. The Dominica-born, Queens, New York-raised producer is an integral part of Puff Daddy’s Hitmen collective at Bad Boy, with credits on Biggie Smalls’ “Hypnotize,” Puffy’s “Been Around The World,” and The LOX’s “Money, Power, Respect.” The longtime musical partner of Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie recently took his talents to film.
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