Born I

“You Are Enough.” This is the mantra of rapper, author, and meditation teacher Ofosu Jones-Quartey aka Born I.

Hailing from the Washington DC area, Born I is an artist holding space at the intersection of hip hop and mindfulness. A lyricist who can move seamlessly through genres, Born I’s diverse influences include Wu-Tang Clan, Andre3000, and Alice Coltrane.

To date, Born I’s music has received over 20 million collective streams across platforms, with a presence in hip hop, EDM, and hybrid genres.

Born I is also an experienced meditation practitioner and certified teacher. He is the male voice on the popular meditation app Balance, and he leads mindfulness retreats across the country, placing an emphasis on self-compassion and his music as a method of teaching. His latest album “AMIDA” is an expression of hip hop as a form of meditation.

In 2020, Born I released an EDM/hip hop album “11:11” receiving more than one million streams. He followed this with the release of his autobiographical hip hop album “In This Moment,” which was a finalist for “Best Rap Album” at the Washington Area Music Awards (Wammies).

A multi-hyphenate, Born I is also an accomplished author. His two children’s books, “You Are Enough” and “Love Your Amazing Self,” encourage young people to practice self compassion, mindfulness, and self acceptance. His latest book, “Lyrical Dharma: Hip Hop as Mindfulness” will be published in 2025. He has shared his book, music, and mindfulness offerings in numerous venues—from the University of Toronto to The Grammy Museum

In April 2023, Born I joined the monks and nuns of Plum Village Monastery on a music and meditation tour of North America. September of the same year saw the release of Born I’s most recent Album “AMIDA”, a spiritual, lo-fi hip hop album exploring life, death, and his Buddhist faith.

Whether he’s rapping over singing bowls in an art gallery (a new expression he dubbed “Hip Hop Soundbath”), sharing mindfulness with families, or performing with pyrotechnics at EDC Las Vegas, Born I has a singular message: You Are Enough. His vision of bringing the worlds of hip hop and mindfulness together expands the potential of both music and wellness, now and in the future.

“I want to create music and experiences for people to understand that it’s ok to be exactly who you are. You are enough.” – Born I