Bio Drafts: Ravie B.
“The bottom line is that I like my first drafts to be blind, unconscious, messy efforts; that’s what gets me the best material.” — Jennifer Egan
There is no one in the world who captures God’s Creations quite like Raven B. Varona, otherwise known as Ravie B. The quintessential creative is similar to your average creative- except she’s able to have lunch with The Carters and pick their brains like your cooler, older cousins. Prior to her becoming Your Favorite Rapper or Brand’s Photographer, Ravie B. clocked in from 9–5 with passion brewing in her soul. It wasn’t until the 2017 Made in America festival where she seized her moment. Frustrated at the fact that she couldn’t shoot Jay-Z, like any other concert photographer, she decided to enjoy the concert with her friends and casually shoot her shots in the crowd. It wasn’t until after she carefully edited her shots and uploaded her pictures to Twitter when she called Hov out and demanded that she be placed in the pit. The very next day, Lenny S. and Guru both messaged her separately saying that Jay saw her tweet and personally asked her to shoot the 2017 Meadows Festival in the pit. Fast-forward after the New York Show, she was packing her bags to join the 4:44 Tour as Jay-Z’s Official Photographer.
You’re probably wondering why anyone would boldly call out our generation’s greatest rapper in any context outside of rap beef. Well, Ravie B. knew she had to keep her lights on and fund her dream. So she did the one thing that no one else had ever done besides the illustrious Gloria Carter and our Saviors Beyoncé and Blue Ivy: she made him think twice. Anyone who has the power to make Shawn Carter change his mind is a legend. Ravie B. just happens to hang out with them and call them over for Thanksgiving and Engagement Parties (Congratulations!) while making money and memories that we’ll never share outside of social media.
Armed with her Starbucks Coffee and her Canon camera, she goes beyond man-made limits to capture intimate, candid moments via close-ups that show each clothing fabric thread and pristine melaninated/ non-melanated pore which would make Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa look like a Spongebob meme. Her angelic, mythical long shots of concert crowds and Mother Nature herself, flash or no flash, destroy the very concept of what we originally perceived as photography. Ravie B.’s work is not merely for mortal understanding, but for God herself to praise as it belongs in every museum gallery on the planet. Not only has she worked with the Carters, she has acquired a stellar resume enhancing the personal styles of model Tiana Parker, Colombian singer J Balvin, journalist Taylor Rooks, U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Captain and Champion Megan Rapinoe, exemplary artist Janelle Monae, and countless other fantastic individuals that we are blessed to call celebrities. Renowned brands that Ravie B. has also officially worked with on her successful Odyssey include Lady Foot Locker, Nonprofit Organization FC Harlem, Teen Vogue’s Generation Next, and New Balance x Mets to name a few beautiful Instagram posts.
Ravie B. is not just another photographer. She is a miraculous Black Photographer, God’s Eyes used to portray the magic and miracles behind the human experience. A Black Woman exhibiting Black Girl Magic and Black Excellence from the switching of the lens to the click of the shutter button. Click! Now you have your precious memories captured in perfection. Book her now while you can still save and spend your hard-earned money because where Ravie B. is going, she’ll only need her wings, Starbucks, and her extra set of eyes to document unknown wonders.
