A Rose is Still a Rose is the thirty-fourth studio album by American recording artist Aretha Franklin. It was released on March 10, 1998 by Arista Records. Conceived after a longer hiatus and a complete departure from her previous studio album What You See Is What You Sweat, the album includes influences of 1990s hip hop as well as modern-day contemporary R&B and soul music. Throughout the project, Franklin worked with many famed hip hop producers and rappers, such as Lauryn Hill, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Jermaine Dupri, and Daryl Simmons.