SoulAju

“Creative, conscious, energetic, sexy, intellectual, and overall: bad ass,” says Denver photographer Ric Urrutia of SOULAJU. Molina Soleil & Aju make up the influential male/female music duo, which Denver Post music writer Eryc Eyl has compared to the likes of Marvin Gaye, Gil Scott Heron, the Roots and the Fugees.

Molina and Aju met during the fall of 2008 when Molina was on a solo tour with his first full-length album “Up Before the Sunrise” – an experimental, progressive Hip-Hop collaboration with Mannequin Rituals, produced by Will Ross of CHiTT Productions. Molina met Bay Area mixtape guru DJ Icewater around the same time, and Molina and Aju were soon recording music with the veteran DJ in December of 2008.

Together, the duo released “Shine Flow EP” with DJ Icewater and experimental jazz/spoken word project “Sacred Paths” w/ Asia Jazz Project in 2009 under the pseudonyms Molina Soleil & Aju.

The duo released their debut full-length album together in March 2010, titling the album “SOUALJU”. The smooth and eclectic multilingual album signals the duo’s official transition to the group name SOULAJU, pronounced (soul-ah-joo) which translates to “Soul flows like water”.

Since March of 2009, SOULAJU has presented and performed at cultural events, festivals, entertainment venues, colleges and public schools across the United States. The duo has also worked with dozens of youth groups on issues related to cultural identity, self-empowerment, access to education and the arts, gender justice, comprehensive immigration reform, and sustainability.

With individual bios as impressive as the work they have completed together, Molina and Aju plan to take up individual projects as they continue touring together and spreading the sound and reverberation of SOULAJU.

Visit http://www.SOULAJU.com for more info, blogs, updates, and music downloads.

Despite his young age and youthful appearance, Adrian H. Molina (aka Molina Soleil of SOULAJU) is a veteran Hip-Hopper, philosopher, law school graduate, college professor and all-around human bridge. Molina is nationally renowned for his eclectic music collaborations and his work as a poet, storyteller, and youth advocate.

Molina has been rhyming for 13 years and utilizing art and media to educate for 9 years. Molina has taught dozens of courses at the college level that focus on Hip-Hop history, media literacy, cultural identity and American history. Since 2006, Molina has released six diverse music collaborations with artists from across the United States. In 2007 he wrote, directed, acted in, and toured his play Phantom Discourse, which explores Mexican-American / Chicano identity in the 21st century. Most recently, Molina served as the Music Supervisor for the documentary film Papers, which explores the lives of undocumented youth.

For more information on Molina, visit http://www.sonicbids.com/adrianhmolina.

Amy J. Iwasaki (aka Aju of SOULAJU) is a multilingual vocalist, poet, dancer and visual artist who draws inspiration from her multicultural upbringing, channeling her passions to empower youth through the arts. As a singer, the Japanese-American artist blends her wealth of diverse experiences and languages into her soulful vocals. Her infectious sound, message and style carry true international appeal.

Aju has danced, choreographed, performed and taught with dance ensembles such as Mandala, Take the Lead, and The Dance Gallery Project. She has produced and coordinated events such as Peaces of the Uni-Verse: International Music and Dance Festival, The Real History of the Americas and a cultural symposium titled A Call to Reflection, Unity and Action: Our Responsibility to Mother Earth, advocating multicultural, environmental and social justice awareness. Aju has performed as a musician in an Off-Broadway production of The Vagina Monologues in New York City and as a cast member of the The Vagina Monologues production in Denver.