“Poet Gettin’ His” by Molina of SOULAJU w/ DJ Icewater

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Switchin’ up the vibe and pulse.  Recent weekly Retrospectives explored the lighter side of my work.  A.M. Soleil, Retrospectively now moves back into harder-hitting territory. 

Everyone’s heard the song “Gettin’ Mine.”  Every rapper’s got a Gettin’ Mine track.  The world is in a Gettin’ Mine state of mind.  This is my version of Gettin’ Mine. 

The track is produced by DJ Icewater.  Dig the bounce in the beat.  Love the organ.  Was unsure about the “hook” when DJ sent the beat, but as I marinated on the possibilities, I got into the hook.

My favorite rhymes on the track:

Verse I: “I swim wit da riddim, a tree said to give ‘em /somethin’ new for the listen, fresh for the mission / she grew new leaves, I saw my pen bleed / like a phantom in a dream planted a seed / like a fly new track by that man named Molina / just climbed out ya speakers and hopped in ya lap / opened up ya gut, swam through your chest / hit you in your heart so you felt it kick start…”

Verse II: “So suckers be like ‘please’, they hate when you like me / like ‘oh, I think they like him,’ now we gotta spike him / take his last life, strip him of his power / end the final game, conquer him like Bowser / I tower like a hawk, swoop through all they tricks / bypass the facade, see the game like Oz…”

Verse III: “…reflected dialectics, eclectic, polyrhythmic / A-freeka aesthetic, Mexika-type phonetic / like Nezahualcoyotl just snuck inside my head, took me for a ride, dropped me from the sky / like Damn Xicano Brown, he rip the mic right / inject the enigmatic and inflect the lime / with style that permeate, moist up the vibe /with rhymes that elevate, snake like wild vines…”

“Like a black JFK I know that I can…”  BUT I will…

Get yours how you get it and give back.

- Molina

Despite his young age and youthful appearance, Molina is a veteran Hip-Hopper, philosopher, law school graduate, DIY/indie entrepreneur, college lecturer and all-around human bridge.  Molina is nationally renowned for his eclectic music collaborations and his work as a poet, storyteller, and youth advocate.

A.M. Soleil, Retrospectively is a 52-week music blog in 2010 reflecting on five years of independent music, one song at a time.

I’ve been a Hip-Hop head for 18 years, over 2/3 of my young life. I’ve been emceeing for 13 years and utilizing Hip-Hop as a tool for education, consciousness raising, and social justice activism for 9 years. I have released six independent music projects and am the music supervisor for a film about immigrant youth that has screened in almost all 50 states. I have paid some dues.

My hard work has bred some success … but not without some controversy.

The Situation:

After two years of having album review requests ignored one album and EP after another by major news and entertainment publications in the Mile High City, Denver Post journalist Eryc Eyl recently took notice and wrote a dope piece about SOULAJU.

The controversy came when a few people apparently mistook the Reverb Blog as an artist profile FOR Denver’s 2010 Juneteenth celebration. How, they wondered, is it legit for a non-Black music group to be one of the only acts that gets press for a Black-arts oriented festival that celebrates the end of slavery?

Important question. Realistic scenario. Not the case this time around.

The timing of the article coincided with SOULAJU being asked to play a small role in this year’s Juneteenth celebration. We did not seek out the opportunity but we respectfully accepted it. We were not contacted by any journalists or media organizations to discuss our involvement in Juneteenth. If you read the article, it is clearly a profile about SOULAJU as a music duo and the larger work we do in communities throughout the West.  We were asked what our next gig was.  We said Juneteenth, and that was that. 

Sometimes you are brought into histories and situations that you did not create but nevertheless must be accountable and responsible for. If it was empty shit talk I wouldn’t even address it. I constantly teach my six-year old son that there will always be people who judge for what you do, regardless of your intentions. What ultimately matters is that you stand up and be accountable for yourself, your truth, your passion. But the circumstances of this small controversy extend beyond the personal. As a man of color and a Cultural Studies lecturer, I recognize that the substance of this matter and the concerns expressed are relevant.

I am publicly addressing this issue to straighten things out personally, but also out of respect for Denver’s African-American community, especially the artists and activists who struggle against racism and economic inequality, political neglect, disproportionate funding cuts, gentrification in areas like Five Points, and over-criminalization of Black youth, among other pressing issues.

I am not a Denver native but I am a conscious Denver resident and I have done my homework. I recognize that what was once one of the largest Juneteenth celebrations in the country (Denver’s) has been sliced and diced in terms of scale and funding. There is a clear lack of representation in media and political representation as it relates to African-Americans and other residents of color in the Denver Area, as is the case nationally. I can understand the frustration that would arise from the snubbing of African-American artists as it relates to a Black cultural festival, or the idea that a non-Black group would take an opportunity to contribute and in turn exploit it for festival-related media coverage.   There is a long history of exploitive cultural appropriation and Black identity theft in the United States.

But this is not that story, neither with respect to the journalist nor the artists involved. 

The story is a fresh and meaningful mixture of multi-ethnic storytelling traditions, Hip-Hop, multilingual vocals and poetry, fused with other music genres. 

In Conclusion:

As the brown rapper at the center of the controversy in question, I hope this statement squashes any misdirected frustration and unsettled feelings regarding the recent press highlighting SOULAJU. Myself and SOULAJU as a duo stands in solidarity with all people who struggle against oppression, exploitation and slavery, which continues to be a major issue worldwide on all continents. We stand in solidarity with all people, all colors, all nations in celebration of victories for the people.

We look forward to contributing to the vibe at this Saturday’s Juneteenth Festival. Pro-Black. Pro-People. Pro-Planet.

con paz,

Adrian H. Molina

(aka Molina Soleil of SOULAJU)

“Dreamer” by Molina Soleil & Aju (SOULAJU) w/ DJ Icewater

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Writing and recording this track transported me back to the Up Before the Sunrise days.  Experimental rhyme structures and spoken reflections lending context to the poetics.

The odyssey of the DREAMER is riddled with layers of parallel dreams and realities.  Imagine two worlds, equivalent in their truths, folded in to mirror one another.  The true math lies in the eyes of the dreamer.

There is light and there is dark.  There is good and there is evil.  There is life and there is death.  These are simple matters.  It is in the gray area that dream interpretation begins.

Recognizing the power of the Dream, one’s mark is everlasting.  All things are connected.  All thoughts, words, and ideas manifest, touch, alter, and affect the eternal balance. 

Your reality is your perception.  Reflection is perpetually open to interpretation.

Play with the day, float away with the blue…

A.M. SOLEIL, RETROSPECTIVELY is a 52-week blog series in 2010, reflecting on 5 years of independent music by yours truly by Molina.

Twitter: @MOLINAspeaks

Sometimes I sit on a cloud and think… Me inside of you… you inside me…

A simple but retrospective track, tracing roots, paying homage, showing respect to some of the people, and thus all of the people, who made me who I am.

The art of storytelling boils down to the ability to capture a feeling, to pull in a listener and make them feel you.  To transport them into your world, weaving them seamlessly back into their own world, then back again, in and out, continuously, beyond the story itself.

The premise of You in Me is that I mirror you.  You mirror me.  If you touch me in this life I will always feel you, no matter where you go, regardless of where I wander.  Even if it is only for a moment, even when our ties appear to evaporate, our lives will always be intertwined.  You will always speak through me, and I through you, regardless of whether or not we see or accept the connection.

Like a breeze that curl, a twist of the wind, I could be you, you could stand right here…

Timeless.  Effortless.  In motion.

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Molina Speaks – A.M. Soleil: the morning sun rises. 

A.M. SOLEIL, RETROSPECTIVELY is a 52-week blog series in 2010, reflecting on 5 years of independent music by Molina.

You in Me is one of the new tracks off SOULAJU: Name your price @ http://soulaju.bandcamp.com/album/soulaju

Molina Soleil & Aju (SOULAJU) w/ DJ Icewater 2010

REMIX: The original version of Wrong Ways appeared on Shine Flow EP during the summer of 2009.  That was an Aju story—a journey through cultural transformation and personal affirmation. 

The Soleil Mix is a tale of personal struggle—something everyone can relate to.  Some of us have it rougher than others and circumstances transform us in unexpected ways. 

Though in my twenties, I’ve lived dozens of lives.  I’ve seen a lot through these young eyes.  I’ve worked through many demons, some that continue to haunt me.  Equilibrium is difficult in this life but “happyness” and “success” are matters of balance and perseverance. 

Balance comes with acceptance.  Forgive yourself for your mistakes, no regrets.  Celebrate the difficult moments; do not shy away from the truth.  Forgive your friends and your family members who have done you wrong.  Walk away from folks when necessary, but do not hold hate in your heart.  Celebrate every chapter of your story as you move forward, and offer others the same acceptance you want for yourself. 

This is me at my most honest, no back peddling.  I am often writing for others.  On this track I was writing for myself.  Through all of these struggles I feel good in this skin. 

Shout out to my sister Helen Changthonthip, harmonizing w/ Aju on the chorus.  She was down from day 1. 

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A.M. Soleil: the morning sun rises.  “A.M. Soleil, Retrospectively” is a 52-week blog series in 2010, reflecting on 5 years of independent music, one song at a time.

- Molina @MOLINAspeaks

The release of the SOULAJU album is an arrival.  I’ve been creating music professionally since 2006.   There are a few other ideas in the works for 2010, which will close a 5-year loop.  From that point forward, I am uncertain what will come.  But this is the apex of this moment.

Beyond the music we have arrived at a dramatic fork in the road as as a species.  Sometimes feels like we’re on a ticking time bomb.  2012 hype is heavy and ever-present as the minutes tick.  We’re moving towards an irreparable fracture in the order of things.  This coming point of impact becomes more clear in 2010.

As life speeds up and ideas collide, we begin to understand time and space differently.

Move forward without fear.

A.M. Soleil: the morning sun rises.  “A.M. Soleil, Retrospectively” is a 52-week blog series in 2010, reflecting on 5 years of independent music by Molina.

www.molinaspeaks.com

This is the second version of The People.  It is the second single off the forthcoming album SOULAJU, set for release March 23rd, 2010. 

The first version of The People appeared on Shine Flow EP w/ DJ Icewater, released June 9th, 2009.  I wrote the original in October 2008 in Portland, OR, where I was emceeing Graham St. Productions’ first major fundraiser for Papers the movie.   I was two months into the Up Before the Sunrise tour.  After the Papers benefit, I hopped on the plane and headed to the Bay Area to volunteer for Youth Speaks’ Living Word festival. 

At the end of my stay in the Bay, I recorded “People (Molina Mix)” and “Shine Flow” with Icewater in Oakland, CA and did an interview with Hard Knock Radio.  I added (Molina Mix) to the title of People because Icewater is a mixtape DJ, so I figured other emcees would be flowing over the same beat.

This second version, The People II, was written and recorded in December of 2009 for SOULAJU.  It was a last-minute decision at the time, being that the album was originally set for January release.  The words came to me one evening when Aju and I were catching up on Democracy Now episodes.  It was time for an update.

To some people, this may seem unoriginal—the same artist using the same beat twice to tell a similar story.  To me, this hella fresh.  As an emcee, an instrumental is a blank canvas.  Give 20 emcees the same beat and you’ll get 20 different stories.  Give me the same beat with the same hook two different years and I’ll give you two different stories that are similar in vein, but different enough to provide new insight and keep your attention.  Hip-Hop is all about re-creating and re-using, building upon what has already been done, personally, musically, culturally.

Enjoy the new mix and keep motivating and originating in 2010. 

Molina – www.molinaspeaks.com

Listen to the original: “People (Molina Mix)” w/ DJ Icewater:

Download this MP3 – (Right Click) 

“I strut, I flow, my style I’m all mine / I shine my truth / I chop, mash up time / you work, you grind, you climb with no interlude / your push, your pull, you rise high, it’s all you…”

…the first words heard from my first collaboration with Aju and DJ Icewater.  It was a big shift in style and presentation from the more gritty Up Before the Sunrise album.

“This that indie fly sang, we don’t wait, no label / if suit pick it up ain’t a damn thing change / Fuck big money I’m a do my thang / don’t need corporate to legitimate me…”

As a young independent artist, you make up the rules as you go.  There’s no playbook.  Everything is grassroots.  You are often your own hype machine and your own fundraiser.  You gotta hustle as your own manager, booking agent, accountant, executive producer, publicist, etc.

If you’re really down for the arts and the community, you have to find time in the midst of all this to support other artists, to support the activist scene, to volunteer your time and give back.

Last week, Aju and I made a decision 25th-hour to push the SOULAJU album back after organizing a month-long series of events in Denver to promote the album.  Analyzing it from every angle, it simply wasn’t time… So we had to trust our instincts and be confident in our decision.

Bottom line: you gotta do you and you gotta trust yourself.  Be independent in your thoughts and don’t fall in line with the sheep. 

- Molina

Download this MP3 – (Right Click)

This is the first single off the forthcoming album Soulaju. This is one of the first tracks Aju and I recorded together in Oakland, CA back in December 2008.

On “Like Magic” we aimed for that ethereal sense of sensual energy that stops time. This multilingual track is one of three on Soulaju that explore themes of love, sexuality, arousal, sensuality.

I have largely stayed away from these themes because most of what passes for “sexy” in American popular culture is overdone and misogynistic. 

The music we were given by DJ Icewater pushed me to be a better storyteller; to be adaptive, to be daring, to have fun with the music; to blend my experiences and what I have seen with what I can only imagine…

~ Molina

Link for free “Like Magic” mp3 download on mediafire:

http://www.mediafire.com/?zoe4lmj5zyl