Jah-I-Witenss Emcee / Genesis Osagboro

Born the son of musician/activist, Olamina of Awareness Art Ensemble (A.A.E.), a very influential force in introducing African culture and reggae music to the Mid-Atlantic region, Jah-I’s musical roots run long and deep.

In 2001, in the wake of the September 11th tragedy, Jah-I and a handful of live musicians formed the live hip hop unit called True Sound. True Sound captivated audiences with their funky blend of hip hop, ghetto rock, reggae and soul, which began to be described as “The True Sound Experience.” With Jah-I-Witness as the front man, True Sound blends the energy of a rock-n-roll show, with street savvy and politically charged lyrics, soulful vocals, and masterful musicianship. Alongside the brothers of True Sound, Jah-I has played many, notable venues in the mid-Atlantic region and has shared the stage with a number of nationally and internationally recognized acts and music legends; such as Busta Rhymes & The Flipmode Squad, The Wailers, Sugar Hill Gang, and Fishbone.

As a solo artist, Jah-I has created a colorful sound that truly stands out from the grayness of the music industry. With the mic as his brush and beats as his canvas, Jah-I dips into his life experiences, emotions, and soul to paint sonic masterpieces. One such masterpiece, Stranger, was unveiled in 2005. Stranger, an eclectic mix of politically conscious rhymes, love ballads, and odes to hip hop proved to be an excellent showcase of Jah-I’s singing, rhyming, and production abilities. Stranger effectively blurred the lines between music genres, while simultaneously embodying the spirit of hip hop music and culture.

In June of 2009, Jamglue.com launched an international remix-contest for the single "Here In The Ghetto", which generated an impressive 315 remixes of the song. The fact that Jah-I was the first artist not signed to a major label to receive such a promotion speaks highly of his talents. (past contests were run for Public Enemy, Hi-Tek, T-Pain, and R-Kelly just to name a few)

In October of 2009, Jah-I inked his first distribution deal with French label, Stillmuzik to digitally distribute "The Struggle, The Love, The Glory (The SLG)". Soon after, Jah-I made yet another international move, when he was given the opportunity to host "The Paper Cha$erz Mixtape, Vol. I, which was the first hip-hop mixtape to be created using Indaba Music, the leading destination for online music creation.

Currently, Jah-I is busy touring and promoting the release of his second solo effort The Struggle, The Love, The Glory (The SLG), which is a collection of new songs and collaborations with various artists and producers from around the world. The SLG boasts production from long-time collaborator, and fellow Simply Laced Music Group artist, St. Paul (Here In The Ghetto, Foxy, Made In The USA), Icelandic producer phenom, Progressive (Just Fine, The Art Of Raw), Grammy-nominated artist/producer, Kokayi (Rat Race), and Jah-I-Witness Emcee, himself. To date The SLG has been well received both in the US and internationally.