In 2013, he was a featured act with Rebelution, Matisyahu, and Zion I of The Green on the Good Vibes Tour. It featured eight tracks with different producers such as Baby Dee Beats, Green Lion, Homegrown Kush, Seani B, Star Kutt, Supa Dups, and TJ Records. He also appeared in a 2009 remix of Kid Cudi's single "Day 'n' Nite".īuddz released his first EP, Playback on July 12, 2012. 8 as the entrance theme for wrestler Kofi Kingston. In 2008, he performed his song "S.O.S." on WWE The Music, Vol. Īfter his debut album, Buddz launched his own record label 'Harper Digital Entertainment'. One of his more memorable on stage guests was a man he dubbed "Big Jerry" who he brought on stage during Cali Roots X. However, his greatest radio success was "Mamacita", which boasted sales of approximately 4 million copies thanks to this hit single.īuddz is well known for his 2007 hit "Blind to You" and performing the song on stage with a guest from the audience who he calls on stage to sing the "Third Verse". It included his first single "Come Around" and second single "Blind To You". On June 7, 2007, he released his debut self-titled album on Columbia and Sony BMG. īuddz performed on Shaggy's 2007 studio album Intoxication on the track "Mad Mad World". His name is based on slang for cannabis, and he has been photographed flaunting a device commonly used for its consumption.
He studied audio engineering with Noah Zamudio at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Later that September, the band issued their next full-length, the Grammy-nominated Beauty in the Silence.Although Harper was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, his mother was born in a small Bermudian village and he was raised in Bermuda. In early 2021, SOJA offered up an EP of covers that included their take on classic cuts by Bob Marley and Peter Tosh as well as more rock-oriented groups like Crowded House and Jimmy Eat World.
Over the coming years, the band continued to tour internationally while shifting their focus to releasing singles like 2019's "A Brief History" and 2020's "Beacon of Light" with the Movement. By this time, the group also included saxophonist Hellman Escorcia, trumpeter Rafael Rodriguez, and guitarist/singer Trevor Young. With their sixth studio long-player, Poetry in Motion, arriving in 2017, SOJA notched their third consecutive number one on the reggae charts. A concert LP, Live in Virginia, appeared in 2016, giving the band their second Grammy nod. Another chart-topper, it netted SOJA their first Grammy Award nomination for Best Reggae Album. Two years later, ATO issued Amid the Noise and Haste, an album with Damian Marley, Michael Franti, and Collie Buddz as guests. It proved to be their breakout release, topping Billboard's Reggae Albums chart and ushering in the group's most successful period. Heading into the next decade, SOJA had amassed a significant fan base and soon signed with the ATO label for the 2012 effort Strength to Survive. The group's 2009 release, Born in Babylon, featured guest appearances from German reggae singer Gentleman and members of Rebelution and gave the band their first chart placement, hitting number 11 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.
Get Wiser arrived in 2006 and was premiered back home with the album being played live in total, a concert that was captured on that year's DVD release Get Wiser Live. By this time, Rogers had left the band and been replaced by guitarist Patrick O'Shea. Their debut album, Peace in a Time of War, followed in 2002, while its dub version, Dub in a Time of War, appeared in 2004. SOJA (Soldiers of Jah Army) was formed in 1997 by D.C.-area high school friends and musicians Jacob Hemphill (lead vocals, guitar), Eric Rogers (keyboards, harmony vocals, guitar), Bobby Lee Jefferson (bass, vocals), Ryan Berty (drums), and Ken Brownell (percussion), who made their recorded debut with 2000's SOJA EP.
After 2017's Poetry in Motion, the group focused on a series of singles and shorter projects before returning to a full-length format on 2021's Beauty in the Silence. Beginning with their 2012 breakout release, Strength to Survive, SOJA notched three consecutive reggae chart-topping albums, two of which received Grammy nominations. Through heavy touring and a series of independent releases, the band built a sizeable international following before signing with ATO in the early 2010s. Specializing in a hybrid of traditional roots reggae and rock fusion, SOJA are an American reggae combo hailing from Arlington, Virginia.