Jelani23

Flint, MI, USA

Who is Jelani? The Concrete Rose traversing different gardens. Jelani (fka Graphene) was born in Indianapolis, raised in Flint, MI, and lives in NYC. He was an Academic All-American, William V. Campbell Trophy Finalist, and captain while playing football at Cornell University. He graduated a semester early in January 2020 so that he could chase his dream of going to the NFL, but the day before his Pro Day in March, everything was canceled due to Covid-19. While his football dreams slipped away, Jelani shifted his energy toward the only other thing that he felt could facilitate his purpose — music. His goal with music is to give a voice and perspective to both those in the concrete and the garden. 🌹