I co-produced “My America” – a benefit cd for Papers the Movie.  I put this project together with CHiTT Productions.  It was released on July 4th, 2009.  The collaborative project features artists from across the country, including Oakland, Denver, Albuquerque, Laramie, the Twin Cities, and Harlem.  The spoken word and music tracks address issues of racial identity, immigration, citizenship, and the question of what it means to be an “American”. 

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“Without Papers” is a follow-up to “Sin Papeles” , which was released on Shine Flow EP with DJ Icewater, June 2009.  “Without Papers” is a lighter and more hopeful version of the same concept, made specifically for “Papers” the movie.

Papers is now available for the first time on DVD for personal use. 

As the music supervisor for the film, I needed a theme song.  I was given the green light to create some original music to pitch.  DJ Icewater worked on the instrumentation with his man G Koop. 

The film Papers explores the challenges that undocumented youth face in pursuing higher education.  But the film takes on  broader issues with respect to American society, American history, and what it means to live in “America”.   As artists, we had three  and a half minutes to sum up musically not just the themes, but also the energy transmitted on screen.

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Thirty-eight weeks into 2010.  This A.M. Soleil, Retrospectively project is only one blog a week, but putting down something meaningful each week in addition all the new stuff I’m working on definitely keeps me on my toes.  The fall equinox already has me reflecting on 2010 like its December 31st. 

SOULAJU will perform our last show of 2010 at the Boulder Theater on Oct. 1st.  Bill includes us, The Reminders, and Les Nubians.  People still needing tix can pick those up here: http://bouldertheater.com/event_detail.php?id=1319.  We have a few video shoots coming up and some big youth advocacy events/projects in October, then SOULAJU goes on hiatus until February 2011. 

During this hiatus, I’ll be getting back into my solo element.  DJ Icewater will be putting out a 45’ single that features my vocals.  I have some long-awaited collabs lined up with Denver and Albuquerque emcees and producers. 

This necessary shift takes me back to the October 2008. 

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“Sin Papeles” by Molina Soleil & Aju w/ DJ Icewater, Shine Flow EP (2009)

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People love “Sin Papeles”.  Bangin’ beat, pure fire, bilingual, timely.  This is the story of la vida sin papeles.

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Music by Mannequin Rituals

Molina Soleil & Aju are proud to have contributed to the making of Papers—a film by and about undocumented youth.  Papers is now screening nationally!  For more on Papers, including information on how to bring Papers to your community, visit http://www.papersthemovie.com.