SOJA’s first album was recorded independently with renowned sound engineer Jim Fox. Jacob notes, “Jim told us that he would work with us and so we could afford to make our first record, and when we ran out of money he started making up ‘discounts.’ It was awesome. I asked him why a while back, and he said ‘I didn’t want to see a good thing stop.’ What was even crazier was at the time he wasn’t working with bands that were from the US, just Jamaican artists. Big ones like Black Uhuru, Israel Vibration, Burning Spear, Don Carlos, and Inner Circle. Jim worked with us independently and recorded, mixed, and mastered the whole thing. That is how it all started.” SOJA’s first album, “Soldiers of Jah Army EP” was released at the beginning of 2000.
In 2002, SOJA released their first full-length album, “Peace in a Time of War.” Though the band was young, the album had hits. “True Love,” “Rasta Courage,” and “Peace in a Time of War” were the first songs to bring the band strong attention nationally and internationally and cement them in the reggae world. Tours became larger, their fan base expanded rapidly and they grew up smart in the independent music industry. In 2006, the band released “Get Wiser,” their second full-length album. The album was a break through for the band, as they explored the duality in their music, combining beautiful, longing melodies with hard drum and bass, and layered with intricate lyrics. SOJA created their musical style with a new complexity and depth that they would carry with them to their future albums. Jacob shares, “When you listen to an artist you can either have a series of one liners, or you can tell a story with your music. We set out to tell a story, it’s like poetry – dancing around an entire theme, but never putting a period on anything. It is like the two sides of a coin, but you can see them at the same time.” “Get Wiser” debuted in the Top 10 Reggae Albums on iTunes and has remained in the top 100 since its release. Singles off the album including “Open My Eyes, “You Don’t Know Me,” and “Can’t Tell Me” remain in heavy rotation on college radio across the United States, and have also received major radio play internationally in places such as France, Brazil, Argentina, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Costa Rica, Mexico, Venezuela, Guam, and Tahiti. The success of “Get Wiser” took the band on three years of intense touring nationally, and internationally. In 2008 SOJA released their EP “Stars and Stripes.” They blended new sounds and new rhythms with their existing reggae sound, growing into what SOJA was becoming. The EP contained three new songs plus remixes and new versions of popular songs. In early 2009 the band released the documentary DVD “SOJA Live in Hawaii: A Marc Carlini Film,” showcasing the power and energy of their 2008 Hawaiian tour which included four islands, five cameras, four shows, and everything in between.
Now, SOJA is ready to unleash their third full-length album “Born in Babylon” - the culmination of all past efforts on their label DMV Records. Set to be released August 25, 2009 exclusively on iTunes, “Born in Babylon” focuses on telling the same roots story that reggae artists have been singing about for decades, but their way, from the flip perspective of kids who grew up not in poverty, but in a government saturated community in Arlington, Virginia, across Mason-Dixon Line from the White House. SOJA shares about their new album, “This is the album we’ve been wanting to make for ten years. At first we were hard-core old school, then we got new school and inventive. This is what we’ve learned from all that. ‘Born in Babylon’ is hard roots drum and bass, big wide guitar and vocal melodies, and two and three sided lyrics, with two and three sided messages.”
For the rest of 2009 and moving into 2010 – SOJA plans on touring the United States extensively while promoting “Born in Babylon” with mainstay horn players Hellman Escorcia (saxophone) and Rafael Rodriguez (trumpet). Currently, SOJA averages 150 shows a year and the group has toured every major city in the US and internationally throughout Canada, Puerto Rico (avg 2500), Brazil (avg 4000), Argentina, Uruguay, New Caledonia (16,000 in attendance) Palau, Saipan, Guam (avg 3500), Hawaii (avg 2,000 on each island), Sweden, Switzerland, France, Portugal (avg 2000) and Holland. The band has also shared the stage with notable artists such as Citizen Cope, Matisyahu, Ben Harper, Slightly Stoopid, Damian Marley, Govt Mule, Umphrees McGee, and Steel Pulse to name a few.
In addition to their new music and touring, the band remains committed to creating real music, music that cant be ignored. Jacob pauses, “Bob Marley’s fans all feel like when he is singing a song, it’s to them. You could be from anywhere, any situation, rich, poor – it doesn’t matter; the song is directed at them. He speaks to you, the love songs too. That is what we are after. Not one side of the story, the whole thing, both sides of the coin. Just listen to ‘Born in Babylon.’”
disambiguation:
If you're looking for a US act:
http://www.last.fm/music/Soldiers+of+Jah+Army
Over the years, the Washington, D.C. music scene has become best known for its hardcore (Minor Threat) and go-go (Trouble Funk) alumni, but as evidenced by the great Bad Brains, reggae has been represented as well. SOJA has risen to the forefront, picking up right where the Brains left off – creating their own blend of conscious roots music entwined with the traditional rhythms of reggae, it “comes across with passion and depth.” (Washington Post ’06)
That said, SOJA is not that easy to define. Although they are rooted in reggae, they are not limited to it; their fan-base reflects this with a very diverse population. The music includes and embraces all walks of life - it has no prejudice – it is for everyone. The band grew up listening to reggae, hip-hop, and rock. In their sound, reggae became the predominate influence because it is dedicated to a real message and promotes revolution.
The group, which includes a pair of lead singers who also pull double duty - Jacob Hemphill (guitar) and Bob Jefferson (bass) – as well as Patrick O’Shea on keyboard, percussionist Ken Brownell, and drummer Ryan Berty, originally came together in 1997. Since 2000, the quintet has issued three full length albums and one EP – their latest, ‘Get Wiser,’ is their third for the group’s own label, Innerloop.
Hemphill explains the meaning of the album’s title. “The new album is called ‘Get Wiser’ – that’s the idea. We as a society tend to have blinders on. We are trying to uplift peoples’ consciousness by breaking down what makes us blind. To do this, we got to bring back truth. People get wiser.”
“Every song is different of course.” Hemphill continues, “I found music to be a way to express myself - through my life I’ve never been able to express myself well in conversations, but I can do it through music. It’s like my way to talk.”
Ever the road warriors (SOJA averages 150 gigs per year), the group will be supporting their latest release with a healthy amount of live dates this year on the “Get Wiser Tour”. With such a list of accumulated live dates, a specific high point is hard to pin down, but Brownell remembers a particular performance. “One of the shows that remains in the front of my mind was playing in Guam for the first time for nearly 6,000 fans. That was an amazing experience.”
With SOJA calling their own shots, ‘Get Wiser’ proves that the band’s message and music will only continue to grow stronger with each successive release. In support of their latest album, “Get Wiser”, SOJA is embarking on a journey around the world.
The Band
Jacob Hemphill - Lead Vocals, Guitar
Bob Jefferson - Lead Vocals, Bass
Ken Brownell - Percussion
Ryan Berty - Drums
Patrick O’Shea- Keyboards
Tear It Down
Soja Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And its never gonna be it again
'Cause we got nothing prepared for what is coming up
When the dollar is the focus of men, and you know
All the solutions we don't talk about
'Cause wed rather talk about ourselves right now
And if we are whats killing US
We take the form of the storm up ahead, now follow me
Its rising all around
And I've seen those roots, they're ripping
And they rip out from the ground
And I've seen this world is changing
And it's right in front of our face
There's something happening here
In this little human race
It's coming coming coming on down
Down the waters literally rise now
It's coming and it's coming on down, down
And the (heat) index rise every time around
It's coming, it's coming on down, down
And we can tear every little thing down
And we will, just look around
And you can watch us tear it down
The situations coming down to this
What matters to us all in the end? And you know
Total destruction is on the horizon, if you are
Standing on the out looking in
And our congress and president never ever mention it
Can't even figure out same sex marriages
While we kill each other every day
And while we kill our earth in every way
It's coming down.
We've got this love inside us
And we've got this hatred too
We've got this battle raging
And we've let the soldiers loose
We sit and watch and wonder
Possible outcomes
Will what we need deep inside
Become what we want before
It's coming coming coming on down, down
The waters literally rise now
It's coming and its coming on down, down
And the (heat) index rise every time around
It's coming, it's coming on down, down
And we can tear every little thing down
And we will, just look around
And you can watch us tear it down
Down, down now
Tear it right down to the ground
We gonna tear it down, down, down now
Tear it right down to the ground
We gonna tear it down, down, down now
Tear it right down to the ground
We gonna tear it down, down, down now
Tear it right down to the ground
We gonna tear it down
The lyrics to Soja's song "Tear It Down" explore the idea of impending destruction due to the way we treat each other and the world around us. The singer notes that the situation is changing and will never be the same again. The focus on money and the lack of attention to solutions for problems are factors that contribute to this change. The water is rising and roots are ripping from the ground, indicating that the world is changing right in front of our face. The singer warns of impending destruction and notes that love and hatred exist within us, along with the battle that rages between them. We watch and wonder about the possible outcomes, as destruction seems imminent.
The chorus repeats the refrain "It's coming on down" several times and notes the waters literally rising and the heat index rising every time around. The singer indicates that "we can tear every little thing down" and "you can watch us tear it down" indicating a sense of power and control over the impending destruction.
The song criticizes politicians and the government for failing to address the impending disaster and instead focusing on issues like same-sex marriages. The song suggests that while we are killing each other every day and killing the earth in many ways, we need to focus on what we actually need deep inside ourselves.
Overall, the song is a powerful call to action, urging individuals to come together to prevent the destruction of the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
The situation isn't what it was
The current situation is not the same as before.
And its never gonna be it again
It will never be the same again.
'Cause we got nothing prepared for what is coming up
We are not ready for what is about to happen.
When the dollar is the focus of men, and you know
When people are too focused on money.
All the solutions we don't talk about
We don't discuss the possible solutions.
'Cause wed rather talk about ourselves right now
We prefer to talk about ourselves at present.
And if we are whats killing US
If we are the ones causing harm,
We take the form of the storm up ahead, now follow me
We become the cause of destruction like a storm.
I've seen the water rising
I have witnessed the rising water levels.
Its rising all around
It is increasing everywhere.
And I've seen those roots, they're ripping
I have observed roots being torn from the ground.
And they rip out from the ground
They are being uprooted.
And I've seen this world is changing
I have witnessed that the world is evolving.
And it's right in front of our face
It is happening before our eyes.
There's something happening here
Something is occurring.
In this little human race
In the human population.
It's coming coming coming on down
It is happening now.
Down the waters literally rise now
Water levels are increasing rapidly.
And the (heat) index rise every time around
The heat index increases each time.
And we can tear every little thing down
We can destroy everything.
And we will, just look around
We will destroy everything if we look around.
And you can watch us tear it down
You can witness us destroy everything.
What matters to us all in the end? And you know
What is important to us ultimately? It is clear.
Total destruction is on the horizon, if you are
Complete annihilation is upcoming, if you are
Standing on the out looking in
Looking from the outside in.
And our congress and president never ever mention it
Our government fails to acknowledge it.
Can't even figure out same sex marriages
They can't even address same-sex marriages.
While we kill each other every day
While we harm and kill people every day.
And while we kill our earth in every way
And while we hurt our planet in every possible way.
We've got this love inside us
We possess love within us.
And we've got this hatred too
We also possess hatred.
We've got this battle raging
We are in the midst of a conflict.
And we've let the soldiers loose
We have unleashed our warriors.
We sit and watch and wonder
We contemplate and observe.
Possible outcomes
Different potential results.
Will what we need deep inside
Could what we truly need
Become what we want before
Turn into the thing we long for
Tear it right down to the ground
Destroy everything completely.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DWAYNE CHIN-QUEE, JACOB HEMPHILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@leehoage4302
this song is soo righteous, underrated gem🌊💙
@aliciaduhon6262
Anyone listening to soja is amazing . Let's keep it together people . Keep our friends close and family closer
@KobeBryantWasMyEntireLife
SOJA has been killing it for years now. much love.
@EvotrekORIGINAL
Sojas music treats the soul from the infection of the world.
@bobbyb5417
S O J A ! ! ! ! Started listening to these guy back in college. Much LOVE.
@saddieperdomo3112
<3 Trevors back up vocals on this song, sound mad crazy!!!!
@michaelangelo9871
Love you guys soja!! Keep in the vibes alive!!! I love when bands play for the love of music!! Not only the $$. Stay true to you. One love. Jesus surely loves you!
@candiseclower9957
❤
@knubzftw
Regae is the most positive music of all time <3 this truely inspires
@tristenglynn8290
Love u guys