Watch “How Many Times,” rapper Born I’s “new meditation on rebirth and reincarnation”

I’ve been thinking a lot about death and rebirth, says Born I, “and this song is a reflection of that.”

Rod Meade Sperry
28 May 2021
Born I, from the new  How Many Times  video.
Born I, from the new “How Many Times” video.

Today on Lion’s Roar we’re sharing “How Many Times,” the latest visual release from Born I, following on the single and video we last shared with you here, “In This Moment.”

Born calls the video “an audiovisual meditation on rebirth and reincarnation.” It features him crossing into the afterlife with the grim reaper, and meditating with otherworldly deities as the hook questions how many times he must endure this cycle. The song, produced by DaRC, provides a bass-heavy soundtrack to the rich visuals, shot by Jeff Ray and directed by Roy Leschiner. Watch it here.

Asked about the meaning behind the song, Born tells Lion’s Roar:

I’ve been thinking a lot about death and rebirth and this song is a reflection of that. But I’ve also been thinking about how death and rebirth happen in this very life: How many times am I going to make the same mistakes, how many times am I going to fall down and get back up, how many times have I’ve been held up and supported by my family and friends? It’s really a reflection on how life death and rebirth can happen right now and also what it might mean to die and be born again inwardly and in a larger sense.

For more from Born, check out our interview with him on The Lion’s Roar Podcast.

Rod Meade Sperry. Photo by Megumi Yoshida, 2024

Rod Meade Sperry

Rod Meade Sperry is the editor of Buddhadharma, Lion’s Roar’s online source for committed Buddhists, and the book A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation: Practical Advice and Inspiration from Contemporary Buddhist Teachers. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with his partner and their tiny pup, Sid.