SOJA

SOJA (Soldiers of Jah Army) is an American reggae band from Arlington, Virginia, formed in 1997. The eight-member band, led by frontman Jacob Hemphill, began performing together in school before officially forming the group. Early albums include Creeping In (1998), the self-titled EP SOJA (2000), and Peace in a Time of War (2002), which was later followed by a dub version, Dub in a Time of War (2005). Their early work gained them recognition within the Virginia music scene and laid the foundation for their international success. From 2006 onward, SOJA began releasing albums under record labels, starting with Get Wiser (2006) on Innerloop, which debuted in the Top 10 Reggae Albums on iTunes. Their third album, Born in Babylon (2009), reached number 11 on the Top Heatseekers chart. Signing with ATO Records, they released Strength to Survive (2012), which topped the Billboard Reggae Albums chart and reached number 36 on the Billboard 200. Subsequent albums include Amid the Noise and Haste (2014, Grammy-nominated), Poetry in Motion (2017), and Beauty in the Silence (2021), which earned SOJA their first Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 2022, making them the first American reggae-rock group to win the award. SOJA has built a reputation for socially conscious lyrics, collaborations with major reggae and reggae-rock artists such as Damian Marley, Collie Buddz, J Boog, Slightly Stoopid, and UB40, and strong live performances, including SOJA – Live in Hawaii (2009). The band continues to tour internationally, release new music, and contribute to collaborative projects, such as Pop Punk Goes Reggae, Vol. 1 (2023), while maintaining a blend of contemporary reggae with a reggae-rock edge.