IN-Q

IN-Q Profile

A pioneer of performance poetry, multi-platinum songwriter and National Poetry Slam Champion, IN-Q has moved millions with his unique take on the human experience. On the speaking circuit, the celebrated artist uses that same talent to reinvigorate morale, jumpstart creativity, and bring teams closer together. IN-Q has been a keynote speaker and conducted workshops at the Conscious Capitalism CEO Summit. Google, Facebook, IBM, Nike, Spotify, Lululemon, Shazam, Live Nation, The Grammy Foundation. He has presented at TED, as well as several TEDx events.

Named one of Oprah’s Super Soul 100 thought leaders, IN-Q has clearly carved a niche for poetry in pop culture. He holds the record for selling out the largest one-man poetry show in Los Angeles history and was the first-ever poet to perform at Cirque Du Soleil. In addition to his multiple viral poetry videos on YouTube, his performances on Russell Simmons’ HBO Def Poetry Jam and ESPN’s World Series of Poker have reached millions of viewers. He has also had the honor to perform in front of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and legendary musician Quincy Jones.

As a songwriter, IN-Q has received Grammy nominations for his collaborative work on tracks for Miley Cyrus, Aloe Blacc, and Selena Gomez. He is the cowriter of the 2014 Official World Cup Anthem. Additionally, IN-Q has shared the stage with musicians John Legend, Eminem, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Born and raised in Los Angeles by a single mother, IN-Q originally pursued a career as a rapper, but discovered that the themes he wanted to explore did not fit in with the sex and violence that was dominating the rap industry at that time. After doing a few “rap a capella” shows at the Da Poetry Lounge in Los Angeles, he decided to shift his focus to poetry due to the overwhelmingly positive responses he was receiving from audiences. His stage name “IN-Q” stands for “in question” and refers to his mission to challenge listeners to question what they think they know about a large range of social and political issues, from racial conflict to gun control to the way we treat each other on a daily basis.

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  IN-Q is a National Poetry Slam Champion and multi-platinum songwriter. Recently named one of Oprah’s Super Soul 100 thought leaders, his groundbreaking performances include selling out the largest one-man poetry show in Los Angeles history, being the first spoken word artist to perform with Cirque Du Soleil, and being featured on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and A&E’s ​Look Closer campaign.

  Several of his recent poetry videos have gone viral with over 50 million combined views. As a songwriter, IN-Q’s hit single “Love You Like a Love Song” by Selena Gomez went multi-platinum, winning him a BMI award. He has also written with renowned artists including Aloe Blacc, Miley Cyrus, Mike Posner, and Foster the People. His other work includes co-writing the Official Coca-Cola FIFA 2014 World Cup Anthem and being featured on “Good Life”, from ZHU’s​ Generation Why album. Combined, his songs have accumulated over 1 billion views on YouTube alone.

  Leading organizations including Google, Facebook, IBM, Nike, Spotify, Lululemon, Shazam, Live Nation, The Grammy Foundation and many more have brought IN-Q in to lead his creativity and storytelling workshop and motivate their teams through his performance. Ultimately IN-Q writes to entertain, inspire, and challenge his audiences to look deeper into the human experience and ask questions about themselves, their environment, and the world at large.