Molina Speaks

Molina is back with the track “Colorado Hip-hop pt. 2,” which is more of a “to be continued” clip than a conclusion. Boasting that “the Earth-ship has landed,” Molina rattles off a list of characters in the scene like producer Boonie Mayfield and Esnine, while giving shout-outs to MCs like DJ Cavem and Bianca Mikahn. The track may seem a bit gratuitous and geographically binding at first, but Molina is a storyteller and this is his oral history of the Denver scene. - Denver Post Reverb

Molina is possibly the only MC in Denver who has transcended being boxed into any particular facet of the scene. In ways much like Mos Def rapped on “Close Edge,” Molina proves he is close to the streets, the revolutionaries, the hood and much more with his dedication to Colorado rap. “Colorado Hip-Hop Pt.1” is the coolest chronological description of the scene, with pretty much everyone getting a shout-out. Although we’ll have to agree to disagree on his “journalism is dead,” declaration. - Denver Post Reverb

Molina Speaks - "Miss Everything"
Molina Speaks goes back decades for an absolutely funkalicious beat with a powerful bassline that drives the rhythm and whose bars seem to roll into each other seamlessly. Molina mirrors the bass with lyrical enjambment with imaginative, unconventional lyrical phrasing that give the track an uncommon musical flavor and passion appropriate for this flawless Miss Everything that he speaks of. - Westword

Is Molina Speaks the greatest rapper never heard? Perhaps. Without a doubt, he deserves to be heard, and he's certainly one of the better rappers on the scene. He's a treat to listen to, mostly because he doesn't take himself too seriously. His skits, for example, are genuinely funny and insightful, with help from the Black Actors Guild. He makes fun of both willfully ignorant and excessively political rappers, realizing that interesting music is varied and complex. Beyond that, he's an excellent rapper, able to put together enjoyable, interesting songs and even rhyme bilingually. The music draws from several genres, including funk and violin-inflected rock (à la Eldren's Josh Lee), and the strong beats succeed whether they aim to incite or mellow. Sometimes it's a task to listen to conscious rappers, but that's not the case with Molina Speaks. This album is focused thematically and carries several ideas through to fruition. - Westword

Molina is possibly the only MC in Denver who has transcended being boxed into any particular facet of the scene. In ways much like Mos Def rapped on “Close Edge,” Molina proves he is close to the streets, the revolutionaries, the hood and much more with his dedication to Colorado rap. “Colorado Hip-Hop Pt.1” is the coolest chronological description of the scene, with pretty much everyone getting a shout-out. Although we’ll have to agree to disagree on his “journalism is dead,” declaration. - Denver Post

Last week, we let you know about the Denver hip-hop project providing the soundtrack to our city’s Occupy movement. The collaboration brings together a number of intelligent artists — including Molina, Albuquerque’s Diles, New York’s DJ Icewater, Mane Rok, Dyalekt, Jonny 5 of Flobots, Kalyn Heffernan of Wheelchair Sports Camp, Es Nine of Prime Element and more — to connect the Occupy movement to the ongoing struggles of people of color in the US. Today, Steal This Track and Reverb are proud to give the project’s third track, “Occupy,” its exclusive premiere. Read on and steal it for yourself.

Artwork for Occupy by Dyalekt of Diamond Boiz

Artwork for Occupy by Dyalekt of Diamond Boiz
Molina has never been an artist to shy away from charged material, and “Occupy” is no different. Over DJ Icewater’s soulful beat — equal parts Curtis Mayfield and Carlos Santana — the articulate MC spits a call to action that’s hard to ignore. Next up — and perhaps most remarkably — Isis Speaks adds a strong female voice to the conversation. Women are often no more than bit players in hip-hop, so the inclusion of the female MC is, in itself, a political act that reminds listeners that sexism is also part of the Occupy discussion. Finally, Bravo One of One Eyed Kings matches his collaborators’ intensity with rhymes that strike a delicate balance between anger and sadness, deftly conveying the mixed emotions of the 99 percent.

Steal this incendiary track exclusively from Steal This Track and Reverb, then let us know what you think about it in the comments below. - Denver Post (reverb)

The Occupy Wall Street movement has been inspiring almost everyone to speak up and speak out, whether in favor of the abstract movement or against it. Local hip-hop artists have gotten together to release a series of three tracks in support of the movement. Activist and MC Molina kicked off things with a track called "Stacks of Bills." Molina has been using his voice to speak out on the revolution for quite some time, and as usual, his observations are right on the money.

Opening with a solid horn line, the track is driven by the vocals of Molina, who spits hard against the one percent who only wants to make "stacks of bills." There's also a good line encouraging black and brown unity as well. The premise here is to occupy every town and speak out against injustice. Molina and his frequent collaborator Diles, the Albuquerque producer/rapper, once again sound solid together. If you dig this, you'll definitely feel their collaborative co-MC project, MileHighTimes, which is still in the works. - Denver Westword

The Occupy Wall Street movement has been inspiring almost everyone to speak up and speak out, whether in favor of the abstract movement or against it. Local hip-hop artists have gotten together to release a series of three tracks in support of the movement. Activist and MC Molina kicked off things with a track called "Stacks of Bills." Molina has been using his voice to speak out on the revolution for quite some time, and as usual, his observations are right on the money.

Opening with a solid horn line, the track is driven by the vocals of Molina, who spits hard against the one percent who only wants to make "stacks of bills." There's also a good line encouraging black and brown unity as well. The premise here is to occupy every town and speak out against injustice. Molina and his frequent collaborator Diles, the Albuquerque producer/rapper, once again sound solid together. If you dig this, you'll definitely feel their collaborative co-MC project, MileHighTimes, which is still in the works. - Denver Westword

Rapper, author, philosopher, activist, community organizer -- those are just some of the many hats that Molina Speaks wears on a daily basis. But for tomorrow night's interactive event, Future of Human Touch, he is an experiment facilitator. And what is the experiment, exactly? "In a very safe way, people are invited to participate in a human ritual," says Molina.

This human ritual, which incorporates the knowledge, presence and performance of musicians, poets, astrologers, politically active minds and those involved in the healing arts, will come together at Redline Gallery beginning at 7:30 p.m. this Thursday, April 5.

"This event is inspired by the fact that the next decade or so of human experience will be greatly driven by mystical energy," explains Molina. "There is a lot of space for creativity and new insights -- but also addiction, illusion and confusion."

After the success of Beyond Occupy: An MLK Dialogue for 2012, another community-connecting project Molina was an integral part of this past January, Redline Gallery asked him to create another event based on its current exhibit, The Human Touch. And so the Future of Human Touch was born, as Molina tapped a collage of artists, healers and educators to create an experience like none other.

The roster of those involved include members of the Black Actors Guild; Wheelchair Sports Camp MC Kalyn Heffernan; poets Stephanie Tanny, Lucifury and Ken Arkind, dancers about Sarah Shavel and Eutimia Cruz Montoya; and cosmetologist Ramon Gabrieloff-Parish; Molina says he reached out to all the community contacts he has made through his own work for this special project.

Future of Human Touch-1.jpg
"Some mystery is part of the point," Molina says. "We really want people to just come and be open-minded; they can expect to be entertained, but it's beyond entertainment. The point is for people to leave with more questions than answers."

The Future of Human Touch goes down tomorrow evening at Redline Gallery from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.; it's open to anyone sixteen and up for a suggested $5 donation. For more information, visit the Future of Human Touch on Facebook. - Denver Westword

“I don’t like to think in terms of dichotomies; I’m very much a gray area person. But we’re marching toward this point where there’s a fork in the road, and we’re either gonna walk in the direction of freedom or we’re gonna be enslaved.”

Adrian Molina is not one to speak rashly or thoughtlessly. He chooses his words carefully, weighing each syllable to ensure that he’s communicating clearly, honestly and precisely. As a spoken word performer and rapper — as well as an educator with a law degree from the University of Wyoming — the young artist and activist has always used words to inform, inspire and incite. He’s a hip-hopper who says what he means and means what he says. But Molina’s latest project — available for streaming and download exclusively from Reverb — is bigger than hip-hop. “Build 2020 Manifesto” is just what it’s name implies — an urgent call to people of all ages to take charge of our own futures before someone else does. And we can pretty much guarantee you’ve never heard anything quite like it.

“Technology is developing so rapidly,” observes the Denver-based artist. “It’s an agent of freedom and it’s an agent of oppression. If we’re not in control of the technology, it will enslave us, and it already has enslaved a lot of people.”

Inspired by futurists like Ray Kurzweil — who famously theorized that the 21st century would bring the equivalent of 20,000 years of technological progress — Molina created “Build 2020 Manifesto” in the hopes of creating a new movement of social progressives who will seize the power of technology to create a better world for everyone. His concern is that, left unchecked and unguided by conscientious humans, the rapid pace of change will have dire social, political, economic and environmental ramifications.

“One of the premises of this manifesto is that governments, think tanks, bankers, corporations, technological developers have a plan for 2020,” he explains. “They know what they’re building. They think in terms of paradigms, agenda setting and we don’t, and we need to because shit’s getting critical.”

“What are you creating? What reality are you pushing?” Molina asks. “It’s a frightening thing to meditate on, but also a very powerful thing to realize that you manifest reality. Every conversation you have, you are creating reality. You are creating the future. Every time a kid on his or her cell phone tweets or updates their Facebook status, they’re publishing content in a way that enlightened thinkers never could’ve imagined. A 13-year-old girl with a cell phone in her hand has a lot of power, and we have to take control of that to create a healthier world for the next generation of babies.”

Molina looks to past socially progressive movements — like Black Power, the American Indian movement, the Chicano movement, the struggle for women’s rights and others — for proof that focused, intentional people can create positive change. But he also embraces the modern context of today’s movement.

Though “Build 2020 Manifesto” draws on the conventions of political speeches and the rhetorical style of authors like Howard Zinn (Molina even calls the project “a people’s history of the future,” in homage to the influential scholar) and Noam Chomsky, it also uses elements of hip-hop, techno and industrial music to make its point. There’s no rapping on this album, except, perhaps, in the Gil Scott-Heron sense. In spite of occasional mispronunciations and minor grammatical mistakes, Molina lays down his words — recorded by Laramie-based producer Will Ross — with the clear, even tones of a gifted and well-rehearsed orator. Meanwhile, the musical foundation of “Build 2020? — created by hip-hop producer Diles, experimental electronic artist HipGnosis and DJ Icewater (check back next week for more about their contributions) — serves both as a familiar entry point and a chilling underscore for Molina’s well-constructed and compelling thesis.

“Build 2020 Manifesto” — isn’t really a - Denver Post (reverb)

“I don’t like to think in terms of dichotomies; I’m very much a gray area person. But we’re marching toward this point where there’s a fork in the road, and we’re either gonna walk in the direction of freedom or we’re gonna be enslaved.”

Adrian Molina is not one to speak rashly or thoughtlessly. He chooses his words carefully, weighing each syllable to ensure that he’s communicating clearly, honestly and precisely. As a spoken word performer and rapper — as well as an educator with a law degree from the University of Wyoming — the young artist and activist has always used words to inform, inspire and incite. He’s a hip-hopper who says what he means and means what he says. But Molina’s latest project — available for streaming and download exclusively from Reverb — is bigger than hip-hop. “Build 2020 Manifesto” is just what it’s name implies — an urgent call to people of all ages to take charge of our own futures before someone else does. And we can pretty much guarantee you’ve never heard anything quite like it.

“Technology is developing so rapidly,” observes the Denver-based artist. “It’s an agent of freedom and it’s an agent of oppression. If we’re not in control of the technology, it will enslave us, and it already has enslaved a lot of people.”

Inspired by futurists like Ray Kurzweil — who famously theorized that the 21st century would bring the equivalent of 20,000 years of technological progress — Molina created “Build 2020 Manifesto” in the hopes of creating a new movement of social progressives who will seize the power of technology to create a better world for everyone. His concern is that, left unchecked and unguided by conscientious humans, the rapid pace of change will have dire social, political, economic and environmental ramifications.

“One of the premises of this manifesto is that governments, think tanks, bankers, corporations, technological developers have a plan for 2020,” he explains. “They know what they’re building. They think in terms of paradigms, agenda setting and we don’t, and we need to because shit’s getting critical.”

“What are you creating? What reality are you pushing?” Molina asks. “It’s a frightening thing to meditate on, but also a very powerful thing to realize that you manifest reality. Every conversation you have, you are creating reality. You are creating the future. Every time a kid on his or her cell phone tweets or updates their Facebook status, they’re publishing content in a way that enlightened thinkers never could’ve imagined. A 13-year-old girl with a cell phone in her hand has a lot of power, and we have to take control of that to create a healthier world for the next generation of babies.”

Molina looks to past socially progressive movements — like Black Power, the American Indian movement, the Chicano movement, the struggle for women’s rights and others — for proof that focused, intentional people can create positive change. But he also embraces the modern context of today’s movement.

Though “Build 2020 Manifesto” draws on the conventions of political speeches and the rhetorical style of authors like Howard Zinn (Molina even calls the project “a people’s history of the future,” in homage to the influential scholar) and Noam Chomsky, it also uses elements of hip-hop, techno and industrial music to make its point. There’s no rapping on this album, except, perhaps, in the Gil Scott-Heron sense. In spite of occasional mispronunciations and minor grammatical mistakes, Molina lays down his words — recorded by Laramie-based producer Will Ross — with the clear, even tones of a gifted and well-rehearsed orator. Meanwhile, the musical foundation of “Build 2020? — created by hip-hop producer Diles, experimental electronic artist HipGnosis and DJ Icewater (check back next week for more about their contributions) — serves both as a familiar entry point and a chilling underscore for Molina’s well-constructed and compelling thesis.

“Build 2020 Manifesto” — isn’t really a - Denver Post (reverb)

Oh, these critical days of hip-hop. In the era of YouTube fame and other forms of rap exploitation, there are always the folks who stand up for the truth of the evolution in society. Things have changed, and every now and then, an artist puts their account of life's changes into play, all over phat beats. Molina is that artist. A culturist who balances his revolutionary politics with his ability to rap like no other, Molina is not your average "conscious artist." He's a lecturer, a brilliant hip-hop philosopher, and a participant in the revolution, and evolution of rap's place in the social structure.

His latest album, Name & Town features artists that represent the spectrum of change and artistic expression in today's hip-hop. The album is a collaboration with Diles, a producer from New Mexico, with whom Molina has worked with on occasion.

We caught up with Molina to get the full story on his partnership with Diles and to discuss the new album, which, of course, led to a conversation on the ills and spills of hip-hop and society.

Westword: You've been involved with so many projects, both solo and collaborative. Speak on the many hats you wear as Molina.

Molina: I'm a man. I'm a father. I'm a student and teacher of hip-hop music and culture, an MC, poet, and playwright. I live the living word. I work for my communities in many capacities. I work for the youth, because we're borrowing time from them. I'm focused on building with people and living this life fully.

Name & Town has a strictly hip-hop feel to it, whereas your previous projects have contained the elements of hip-hop but could also play well in other genres, too. What kind of space where you in when you were writing and recording for this joint?

I've been on the gritty Industrial/Experimental tip with CHiTT Productions and the hip-hop/neo-soul tip with Aju and DJ Icewater. I'm always down to push my own artistic boundaries. With Name & Town and my recent 7-inch single, "Fam Biz" with DJ Icewater, I circled right back around to where I started as a hip-hop head. This joint with Diles was born out of challenging circumstances and transitions. I needed this, and hip-hop was there for me. So were the homeies I collaborated with.

You tapped several local heavy weights for this album, like Mane Rok and Venus Cruz. What did each feature bring to the project?

Mane goes hard on the title track, and I dig our chemistry on that cut. Nothing but respect for that vato. Been down from the day I met him; he's a stand-up guy. Venus contributed much-needed feminine energy and soul. Her lyrics at the end of "Again" really tell my story, again and again.

You tend to get classified in the vein of "conscious hip-hop." Is that annoying, seeing as how the root of hip-hop is rooted in awareness?

Boxes, labels, and lines drawn are annoying altogether. But I've also done my fair share of labeling music this or that in the past. At the end of the day, I own the "conscious" label with pride, because Hip-hop is conscious, period. Hip-hop is rooted in intelligence and creativity. We have yet to see how high this music and culture will elevate us. I'm down 100 percent with our elevation as people. I'll drink to that, any day of the week.

Regardless of classification, you speak on the politics that affect people of color in our society. Does an artist have a responsibility to discuss the ills of society and also balance the world of entertainment? How?

As a Chicano with indigenous roots, I understand that we are interconnected with everything that lives, everything that exists. The Earth nurtures us, so we have a responsibility to give back to it. In terms of my music and broader work, I rep for the ongoing Black and Brown liberation struggle, and for cross-cultural movements among all people. I don't expect all artists to take this on, nor should people expect me to take this on 100 percent of the time. I have songs about sex, one night stands, references to par - Denver Westword

We’ve got a ton of free Colorado music in store for you this week in Steal This Track, so let’s not waste any time. First up, we’ve got some exciting, exclusive first listens of soulful hip-hop from Molina, a.k.a. Molina Soleil, a.k.a. Adrian Molina of SoulAju. Then we’ve also got dancefloor madness from DJ Vanish, quirky indie pop from Jon Forrest Little and garage raucousness from Warhawk‘s forthcoming EP. Make some room on your hard drive because this is a meaty one. If you like your music free, loud and local, this is your lucky day.

In addition to his beloved Colorado Rockies cap, Adrian H. Molina wears many hats — performance poet, neo-soul rhymesayer, community activist, educator. These days, however, he’s trying on a hat he hasn’t worn in a while — that of a straightforward rapper. Reclaiming the name Molina — which he insists is his cultural name, not simply his government name — the Wyoming native who now calls Denver home is also reclaiming his passion for politically savvy lyrics with a revolutionary bent. “Name and Town,” the new album Molina has produced in collaboration with Albuquerque based beatmaker Diles, will see daylight on Jan 18, but the lucky readers of Reverb get an exclusive sneak preview of lead track, “The Math,” with cuts by DJ Icewater and additional rhymes by poet Hakim Be, here on Steal This Track.

Molina has also contributed a track about community and unity to Diles’s forthcoming album, “Mood Static,” which will be available everywhere on Dec 17. Once again, Reverb readers get an exclusive first listen to “The Scene,” compliments of Molina and Steal This Track.

And just in case you haven’t had enough of Molina’s unique brand of conscious hip-hop, check out his ode to family, including a verse from his son. “Fam Biz” will see an official release tomorrow, and can be purchased from Bandcamp, but you can stream it right here, right now.

Even with all those releases, don’t expect Molina to slow down any time soon. He has big plans to do something very different — “his life’s work,” he calls it — early next year. You’ll hear about it in Reverb.

We’re not done with you yet for this week’s Steal This Track. Turn the page for tracks from DJ Vanish, Jon Forrest Little and Warhawk. - Denver Post: Reverb

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to interview Adrian H. Molina, half of the duo SOULAJU. Molina is a musician, spoken word artist, and educator working out of Denver, Colorado. He certainly is busy, mentoring youth of color in the rural communities of Colorado, in addition to working on his own music and poetry. Most recently, Molina was the music supervisor for the documentary, Papers the Movie, which is about undocumented youth who would benefit from passage of the DREAM Act.

Molina’s work in the rural communities is something that interested me because the media often focuses on the plight of inner city youth, while not giving much attention to those from the less populated towns. We often don’t realize that when resources are scarce in the cities that services and programs for youth in the rural communities are even more limited, especially when it comes to culturally relevant programming for Latino youth.

Molina grew up in Rawlins, Wyoming, which is a small town in the southern part of the state that as of the 2000 Census had a Latino population of 21%. Molina estimates that it is actually higher than this because of the continued population growth but also because Latinos are often undercounted.

A few months ago, Molina worked with a youth group in Trinidad, a small southern Colorado town, as part of the Department of Criminal Justice Youth Diversion Project for kids who had committed minor offenses. Along with his creative partner Aju of SOULAJU, he taught this group of youth how to express themselves through film. This particular youth group in Trinidad is led by Tony Diego, who helped bring Molina and Aju to this project. This kind of work is important because funding for the arts and creative programs has been limited in recent years. Additionally, because of testing standards and the limitations in the textbook curriculum, issues about identity and racism are not thoroughly explored.

The videos below provide a glimpse into the creative project Adrian Molina helped guide with the youth in Trinidad, Colorado:
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I asked Molina if he encounters resistance to doing this kind of work in small towns, especially because his own artistry involves hip-hop. He offered this, “Sometimes there is some resistance to me working in the schools and people wonder why I’m there, but I’m trying to get them [the youth] writing and thinking about issues in their community. I think that because I have a law degree and teaching experience at the college level that I’m more legitimized in the eyes of the educational establishment.”

When asked about funding for arts programs being cut in the current budget climate that many states are embroiled in, Molina said that this situation makes his work even more poignant. He said, “In small towns, the art material is often not made relevant to young people of color. They don’t see themselves reflected in it. When I started, I began writing things that came out in rhymes. Hip hop and spoken word was easily accessible to me because it didn’t cost a lot to produce. Anyone can pick up a pen and write.”

Reading, writing, and communication skill building are important to all youth, but especially minority youth because of our educational challenges. Adrian Molina’s work supplements what is taking place in the schools but with a younger and more culturally relevant approach. If you want a glimpse of Molina’s work, I encourage you to check out the Soulaju website. And also take a look at this clip of his spoken word artistry, recorded two and a half years ago, but still very relevant today:
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Balance is a tricky thing to achieve, in music and in life. As humans, we want to find both meaning and fun in our lives. As lovers of music, we want songs to make us think and dance. All too often, we’re disappointed on one side of the equation or the other.

But Denver’s Soulaju — who will perform on June 19 at the 2010 Juneteenth celebration — aims to change all that. Making socially relevant music that you can dance to, while also working hard in urban and rural communities to empower youth and raise awareness of social justice issues, the male/female neo-soul and hip-hop duo strike a funky balance indeed.

Molina Soleil and Aju released their first full-length album earlier this year. Produced in collaboration with Oakland-based DJ Icewater, the self-titled, 15-track collection bursts with head-bobbing beats, rhymes that flow like melted butter and melodic hooks that stick like maple syrup.

Its soulful jams and socially conscious lyrics recall Marvin Gaye and Gil Scott-Heron as much as the Roots and the Fugees. Strikingly professional and just plain good, “Soulaju” would be a highlight for more mature artists, but is all the more remarkable as the duo’s debut album. In a way, though, it’s been years in the making.

Molina’s path to a hip-hop career began on the spoken word circuit. In 2003, he began performing a piece about racism, stereotypes and identity called “Young Brown Poet.” But it was a fateful gig three years later that opened the young artist’s eyes to the musical possibilities, when Molina had the opportunity to open for noted spoken word performer and rapper Saul Williams at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, about two hours away from his home town of Rawlins. The sound engineer captured his performance and passed it to Dustin Neal of CHiTT Productions and Mannequin Rituals. Just 24 hours later, Neal had produced music to accompany Molina’s performance.

In collaboration with Neal, Molina — who got his law degree from the University of Wyoming in 2006 — released his debut EP, “Representin’ for Life” and his first album, “Up Before the Sunrise.” It was in 2008, while touring for the latter, that Molina met Iwasaki.

“I was touring coast to coast,” recalls the wordsmith, “and I was in Durango, doing work with youth at El Centro de Muchos Colores. Amy was the interim director of the student resource center. We met, and three months later, we were in Oakland, recording with DJ Icewater.”

Iwasaki — who uses her education in sociolinguistics to write and sing in five different languages — remembers her first impressions of Molina vividly. “He was doing a one-man show,” she says. “It was deep and riveting and an awesome experience.” Iwasaki had grown up in Kawasaki, Japan, and moved to the tiny town of Crestone, Colorado, in 1995, while Molina matured in small-town Wyoming.

Despite their different backgrounds, the pair immediately felt a kinship over their shared concerns for social justice and love of music. Through hip-hop historian Jeff Chang, author of “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop,” they connected with DJ Icewater — a prolific producer and hip-hop lover who has served as the Pharcyde’s tour DJ — and began working on an album together.

Around that same time, Molina bumped into a film crew at a Democratic National Convention event in La Alma Park. The crew was working on “Papers,” a film the explores the possibilities for immigration reform by highlighting the experiences of undocumented youth in the U.S. “They asked me for an interview, and I spit a flow for them,” the rapper laughs. Soon after, found himself emceeing a benefit show for the project and becoming its music supervisor.

“It’s an issue that’s really close to my heart,” he explains. “I’d like to see immigration reform that’s fair and realistic and respectful of people as human beings.”

Throughout the creation of “Soulaju,” DJ Icewater created beats and sent them to Molina, who then worked with Iwasaki to craft the lyrical and melodic content. At the same time, Molina and Iwasaki began traveling to promote screenings of “Papers” and perform various outreach and educational programs throughout the country.

“It all relates back to art and education,” explains Molina of Soulaju’s mission. “We use our art to entertain, but also to inspire, motivate, educate and contribute to social movements.”

Iwasaki can hardly contain her passion when she speaks of what they do. “We focus on identity and helping youth feel empowered,” she continues. “We like to call ourselves bridges, whether inter-generationally or inter-culturally. We work from inner cities to super rural places — both places where there’s a lot of despair or boredom or apathy.”

For the 26-year-old vocalist, issues of gender and sexuality are as important as immigration, criminal justice and others. “In a lot of mainstream hip-hop, you see disrespect of women,” she observes. “We like to broaden those issues, deconstruct mainstream videos and lyrics, - Denver Post

North Denver News
New Musical Genre Takes Root in Colorado
by Don Bain

On Sept. 20, a very unusual style of music was released online under the title of Sacred Paths. A live performance in support of the CD release was staged Sept. 24, at the D-Note in Arvada. The performance and CD are the culmination of the collaborative magic of a Denver jazz quartet with that of a fresh young hiphop duo. When the two combine, the result is an aesthetically pleasing fusion of nu jazz with compelling and imaginative spoken word.
The jazz component of the players is known independently as Asia Jazz Project, named for sax player and composer Asia Fajardo, who seems to have drawn great inspiration from this project – it represents some of her best work to date.
“When a musician goes to work with other musicians, different energies help you bring out different things in yourself,” Fajardo said. “So whoever I play with I take some of their energy and some of mine too. Since all of this instrumentally is improvisation – we don’t have any chords or any scales picked out – we just listen to each other. So you have to work harder but you have more freedom. That just brings out a different kind of energy.”
The quartet is completed by drummer Antwon Owens, percussionist Luis Chavez and pianist Lewis Mitchell Neeff. For the show Sept. 24, guitarist Jim Disner filled in admirably for Neeff, who couldn’t make the gig.
The hiphop component of the project consists of the established duo Molina Soleil and Aju. Molina has recorded two solo EPs, one solo CD, compiled and appeared on a CD to promote the film Papers and published a book of poetry titled The Age of Revision. Together they have recorded one EP and have another CD due to drop this November.
One might say the manner in which the music was recorded is as fresh and dynamic as the music itself.
“We started collaborating and rehearsing together in April ’09 for a string of subsequent performances we did in Denver that month,” Aju said. “From the get go there was chemistry and a sense of fusion and flow with the mixing of our sounds, words and energy. For certain pieces, Molina Soleil and I shared our words with the musicians first, and then they improvised on the vibe of the spoken word. For other pieces, the order of the creative process was reversed, as Molina Soleil and I would write to the sounds of Asia Jazz Project’s flow (Asia’s sax in particular).
“It was total fusion,“ Molina added. “There was really no order. All tracks were recorded in one stream, everyone mic’d up and worked together improvisationally. It was pure magic. It is all about re-connecting with what we already know. It’s contemporary in the sense we are packaging the music and the message in a modern format. But we’re dealing with ancient wisdom, ancient knowledge and understanding.”
In Sacred Paths and Rise Mantra the sax and Aju's solo parts are close together because they represent the female energy,” Fajardo interjected. “On City Night Speaks, I wrote the melody and Aju wrote the words. For Molina's Poems Letters to the Moon, I improvised according to what Molina's words were. This whole CD is very improvisational music.”
Some tracks, like Sacred Paths, seek to awaken intrinsic or ancestral knowledge and bind it to a modern awareness and/or responsibility.
“In the high-speed world of now, the voices and ways of our antepasados oftentimes seem to be diminished and forgotten; the connection between one and one’s environment torn; the alliance between fellow living creatures dishonored,” Aju explained. “In many ways Sacred Paths is a journey that explores and reconnects many of our lost relations – especially the ancient wisdom which lives on in our intuition, our veins, and our solar system.”
The collective musicians seem to be tapping into the very tides of change that brought Barach Obama to the White House.
“Again, it’s a new call for a return to old ways, flipped into a new context,” Molina said. “The collaboration is passionate and driven; it is new and old at once,” Aju stated. “Change is prevalent; all life is sing-sang-sung… I think that Sacred Paths definitely reflects the motivation and spirit of changing times we feel pulsing heavily through global veins at this time.”
Whatever the origins of their magic, the group has succeeded in creating music much greater than the sum of their parts. They use the elements of air, earth, wind and water to sculpt sound into urban canyons, soaring peaks, whispering breezes, morphing clouds and island-dotted oceans.

“This project is very elemental – it’s very green,” Molina explained. “It’s all about the earth and the cosmos and our connection to all that is unseen, unheard, ‘cause we are related and interconnected with all living things. It is definitely about connecting urban people with the sky, helping rural folks to see their connection to urban inner-city landscapes, and asking all people to recognize we need to take better - North Denver News

Janice Kurbjun for Rawlins Daily Times

Adrian Molina — artist name Molina Soleil — hit the road last summer with his bags and a few CDs.

He wound his way through the roads of the Midwest to the east coast, the Rocky Mountain West into the Pacific Northwest and into the San Francisco Bay Area, Southwest and Texas — sleeping in hostels, cheap hotels and on couches to foster connections in the music industry.

He even skipped across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe, with performances in London.

All along his route, he’s enriched his heightened sense of culture and broadened his musical experimentation.

Molina, who grew up in Rawlins, graduated from Rawlins High School and attended the University of Wyoming for undergraduate and graduate school, has released more new music on his “Shine Flow” EP which becomes available at the Carbon Mercantile on Saturday.

*
Two people Molina met along the way worked with him on this newest production. Countless other musicians, educators and activists continue to influence Molina’s lyrics and tunes.

“Aju (full name Amy J. Iwasaki) is an incredible poet and vocalist, speaks five languages with a style all her own,” Molina said. “(DJ) Icewater is a first-class mix tape DJ whose work is known and respected all over the world.”

“In Aju, I found not only an artistic partner but my life partner,” Molina added.

Molina has a hip-hop style.

The newest tunes show the same audacity and passion that was characteristic of Molina’s 2008 release, “Up Before the Sunrise.” However, the new music seems more mature, tackling the same cultural questions with less anger and more frank tenacity.

Other recordings in Molina’s repertoire include his original EP, “Representin’ 4 Life,” which was released in 2007. He’s working on a jazz and spoken word fusion project title “Sacred Rituals,” as well as a full-length album with DJ Icewater. Both are collaborative with Aju and should be released before the end of the year.

While Molina appears to always have variety in his work, “Shine Flow” reveals a growing spectrum of beats and melodies.

From Aju’s irresistible, relaxed vocals in multiple languages in “Wrong Ways” to the staccato rapidity of Molina’s words in “People,” the EP spans a range of experimentation.

Molina’s voice is in experimentation, he said.

“Working with different styles through a fusion of genres, with various artists — this is definitely part of my voice,” he said.

“I come from a complex background, with family members on both sides of the United States-Mexico border,” he added. “I’ve formed personal relationships and worked with many different groups of people, across race, gender, and social class lines. And I’ve been through a lot in my short life. I’ve seen a lot of things from different lenses, so it makes sense for me to make art that is diverse and challenging, always shifting.”

His music and lyrics embody Molina as much as they are reflections of what he sees. Sometimes, he said, he’s stepping into other people’s shoes or into alternative realities, such as in “Sin Papeles.”

It’s a “song about the experiences of undocumented youth (youth without papers). It’s a multi-layered process,” he said.

Molina strives to stay true to his roots. He mentions “south side” and “Raw-town” in his songs, hearkening back to his Wyoming heritage. Many of the life experiences and questions raised while growing up find their way into his songs, addressed through beat and lyric to create a memorable message.

“I just want to tell the youth of Rawlins to believe in themselves and to follow their dreams, especially all the youth from the south side,” Molina said. “There will be people who push you down, who disrespect you and do not support you, and unfortunately this may include some teachers, coaches, and adults in your own community.

“Trust those adults who are willing to reach out to you and help you, and above all believe in yourself, your talent, and your vision.”

— Contact Janice Kurbjun at 324-3411 or janicekurbjun@rawlinstimes.com

--
Molina’s take


Adrian Molina’s new EP release, “Shine Flow,” is near and dear to his heart, as is all of his music.

He said the words on the album’s back cover sum up it’s meaning.

“Shine your passion like the light of suns and moons and rise like trees,” it reads. “Stay true to your roots, stand strong in your truth. Spread your leaves, your wings, your seeds. Draw strength from sacred soils and flow like water. See the signs, free divine. Shine flow.”

To DJ Icewater, the newest production follows his theory that music is autobiographical.

“Basically, it reflects what each of us were feeling and going through at the time, expressed through music. The music I provided on this CD originally started off as remix beats I did for random hip-hop a capella (groups). When Adrian asked me for beat, I gave him those instrumentals and he ran with them.”

“Adrian is a very skilled emcee who h - Rawlins Daily Times

La Voz (Colorado)
Story by Don Bain

Hip-hop just doesn’t seem to fit what Adrian Molina
does – there’s too much heart and intellect involved
for such a mundane designation. After all, this is a
young man who turned his back on a career in law to make a
difference in the world at large. He gives his activism legs
through his efforts as an emcee, poet, playwright and per-
former.

Molina grew up in Rawlins, Wyoming, the county seat of
Carbon County. It was a world away from Denver and in
many ways resembled the conditions in Greeley, Colorado
during the days of the bracero, some 66 years ago.
“It’s a very conservative community there and it’s still
very divided,” Molina said. “The south side, when I was
growing up, was almost all Mexicano and Chicano. That’s
changed a little, but it was definitely a dividing line and I fig-
ured out real quick – by junior high – what it meant to live on
the south side. Also, there’s a division between the
Mexicanos and the Chicanos who have been here longer on
the south side.”

He is the son of a Mexican immigrant and a Chicana
from the San Luis Valley. Rawlins is a small working-class
prison town so many of the residents work in the prison or
area oil fields and nearby mines. As a small town it goes
through the regular cycles of boom and bust.

Adrian saw the disrespect heaped upon his father as a
darker-skinned Mexicano with a heavy Spanish accent. The
anger he felt from witnessing this has been channeled into
his poetry and performance. “This first project (Representin’
4 Life) was a very political project – very revolutionary – I
wrote it at the height of the Bush administration,” he said.
“It was pretty raw and taking a very critical look at certain
elements of our society.This next project I’m working on (Up
before the Sunrise) is a little lighter, more fun, a little bit
more celebratory of the new leadership in this country.
“On the first album I thought, if I get to record just one
CD this is what needs to be said on a social justice level and
the underlying issues in terms of poverty, discrimination,
race and class plus issues of gender and violence in our soci-
ety and globally. If I had one chance to come up with some-
thing real what would it be? So I just poured my heart into
this thing.”

He has taken the stage name of Molina Soleil, combining
his surname with the French word for sun. His book of
poetry titled Molina Soleil: The Age of Revision reveals a
strong yet passionate and caring young man coming of age,
becoming aware and finding enlightenment long before
youth fades away.

“No more clapping at textbook speeches written for rich
men / with sparkling white teeth who have been groomed
since birth / to manipulate our thirst for heroes.” So reads
one verse of No More Heroes, one of the many poems in the
book.

In Letters to the Moon, in five parts, Molina discovers
love, beauty and the divine in the every day world. In The
Becoming he waxes spiritual, even metaphysical – echoing
the wisdom of some of the greatest sages of all ages.
The music he heard around the house was a mix of
Chicano oldies and canciones de Chihuahua. His own taste
ran to the early rappers of note – Kid Frost, Lighter Shade of
Brown, Snoop Dog, Dr. Dré and Tupac.

His interest in education and activism did not really
materialize until college. “There was a man by the name of
Dominic Martinez who came from our community in
Rawlins who went to the University of Wyoming,
becoming the first Chicano student body vice
president. He came back to teach at Rawlins High and
took a huge interest in me. He showed me the power of
education. He introduced me to a lot of new ideas and con-
cepts. He started showing me the history embedded in the
music I was listening to – the Chicano movement and the
civil rights years.”

At the age of 24 he taught his first college class and
began designing courses on Chicano and Hip-hop history as
well as media justice issues. He is currently teaching cours-
es online for UW. “I feel likeI’ll always be a teacher and a stu-
dent, formally or informally. This summer I’ll be teaching
some kids using media art and popular culture to explore
social justice themes in Wyoming.”

He has written several plays and directed and performed
in one titled Phantom Discourse. His music and videos are
available at myspace.com/molinasoleil and free downloads
of his tracks can be found at MP3.com/molinasoleil. He will
be performing here in Denver during April and we will be
sure to let you know when and where.

Adrian’s writing ends our story with the last few lines of
his book, which read:

How indescribably beautiful to seemingly at once
come to thisRecognition –
that We are Becoming
Everything
that we have always been

Now.
- La Voz Colorado

Former Rawlins resident Adrian Molina's debut album, "Up Before the
Sunrise," is a daring move for a musician entering the scene.

It has every bit of potential to offend, but honesty is what the artist
was going for. He expects it'll create a stir.

Musically, the album feels simple, but it's a nice blend of skill, style
and ingenuity from Dustin Neal and Will Ross, makers of the Mannequin
Rituals project.

Meanwhile, Molina's lyrics are complex, with dark and challenging undertones.

Together, they form a compact disc that's easy to listen to despite its
bold confrontation of issues most people try to avoid staring in the face.
It's hip-hop and industrial and rap and experimental all tied together in
a style that's tough to identify.

Tune out the message and there's a nice backdrop of beats and melody, with
the beautiful contrast of Molina's spoken word against Helen
Chanthongthip's song.

But, hone in on the lyrics, and the album feels like a renewal of the
musical politico that once flooded the teenage angst music scene — and has
dotted the landscape ever since.

It calls to mind Rage Against the Machine's style and themes, an influence
Molina doesn't deny.

But, he's offering different fury in a different style than the 1990s
rockers.

Rather than clog the sound mixer with the mess of instruments that made
Rage Against the Machine fit a small niche, the backdrop to Molina's
message is composed mostly of neat drum beats and a repetitive piano or
keyboard line.

But the repetition and relative simplicity of the music isn't a bad thing.
It opens the door for lyrics to stand out. The two components intertwine
nicely, to the point where one couldn't exist without the other.

Molina talks about the machine, or the political and social systems in
place that keep humans from thinking beyond mere survival and moving
toward change. Like his raging predecessors, his lyrics pinpoint those
stymies and call for any able person to step out and question authority.

"Stand up and demand a different reality," he declares. "Join the
slaughter or rebel against it."

However, his movement began in a different locale, with different influences.

It began in Rawlins, and those roots appear in several places as the album
progresses in a logical pattern and closes in a pristine, though somewhat
blatant, circle.

In the first two tracks, "Skydreamer" and "Representin' (4 Life)," the
album announces its goal to cut a new path into the current musical
landscape, both in terms of message and inventive musical style. Molina
declares a challenge to join his movement in a dare to any listener who'll
accept it.

The next four songs describe the musician's history, paint his and his
family's portrait and issue a statement to his son, who's about to start
experiencing the still-existing prejudices that Molina outlines in the
other songs. In some cases, the song's character is Molina himself, and
other times, it's a literary element by which the artist can tell stories.

Next up is a set of songs that are designed to be somewhat mystifying.

"Sea of Glass" and "October Myst" are not only more experimental
musically, they are cryptic combinations of words and phrases that Molina
said he hopes will inspire play after play. Molina credits Neal for the
chaotic sound, saying the songs wouldn't exist without his friend's
influence.

"They're abstract and metaphoric so people can get what they want from
it," he said of the two tracks. "I want them to break it down in their
cars late at night or in their high school or college classrooms."

Lastly, the messages of "Beyond Sundown" and "Kite Runner" bring the album
back to the beginning with a statement that seems to say, "Don't cut me
down because I'm soaring, and this is my message. Now join me."

There have already been labels slapped onto the music, the foremost being
that of Chicano rights. But, Molina said the overall message, if there is
one, is more about human rights in general.

"The broad range of people I've worked with on this proves that it's about
the human experience," Molina said.

The featured artists are varied and include Asian-American Chanthongthip,
African-American Day Acoli, and Mexican-Americans Zeke Rios and Gaby
Muñoz. Neal and Ross are white and middle-class, Molina said.

"There are definitely a handful of tracks that address Latino or Chicano
rights issues," he said, "but everyone will make sense of it within the
lens of their own particular world view.

"This is as much for the white, middle-class male as it is for the single,
Third-World female."

— Contact Janice Kurbjun at 324-3411 or janicekurbjun@rawlinstimes.com

______________________________
_____

CD available at Carbon Merc

The Carbon Mercantile began selling Adrian Molina's debut album on Tuesday.

It's the sole store in the county that carries the album, and they're
selling it for $11. Molina g - Rawlins Daily Times

by Whitney Wise

Although Laramie, with its vibrant cowboy culture and many country music fans, may not seem to be a hip-hop Mecca, a University of Wyoming Chicano Studies professor has endeavored to help create a more recognized and highlighted hip-hop culture here.

Adrian Molina, through his writing, rapping, spoken word and art, spreads his message, and it’s starting to show, as more and more Laramie residents are embracing Molina’s positive, “off-the-beaten-path” form of hip hop at parties, on campus, coffee shops and bars.

Molina performs “spoken word” poetry, which is usually “spit” right off the tongue. The message of his art is not violence and sexual aggression, common in mainstream hip-hop. Instead, Molina said he focuses on humanity.

“Hip-hop can serve a lot of functions. It’s social justice-oriented,” he said. “Music and art allow us to touch our humanity. It’s about raw, human emotion.”
Since 9/11, patriotism has been everywhere, Molina said. But he contends his patriotism is not about dead and destroyed countries, and he opts to embrace his sense of respect, decency, kindness, compassion for human beings in general, as demonstrated in his art.

He said he tries to work toward what he views as a solution: drawing closer to peace than to death and destruction. “I try to work toward freedom, peace, justice, and equality,” he said. “I’m only one person. I just want to do my part in getting back to respecting human life and earth, and I don’t see much of that in terms of the direction we’re headed globally.”

Molina said that he sees a lot of good people working toward respect for earth and humanity, and he wants to be a part of that through his music.

“Music from the heart, regardless of genre, is what inspires me,” Molina said. “I can’t live without music, it’s something I need, and I’m widening my interests.” He said he loves writing of all forms, and anything from the heart – from student writing to celebrity writing - inspires him. He added he has respect for those who care more about others than themselves—who live for something beyond status or power.

Hip-hop, Molina said, goes beyond mere music and expression, and lends itself to the fundamentals of democracy by creating dialogue between listeners and artists alike.

“Hip-hop can offer a unique perspective for a lot of people who aren’t associated with it,” Molina said. “It’s a way to share ideas and concepts. I would love to have people just listen and talk about it—share it and discuss it.”

Molina is from Rawlins, Wyo., and was exposed to a lot of racism. “There were enough Mexicans in the south side of Rawlins to make them stand out, and there was a lot of racial violence,” he said.

Molina’s father was an illegal immigrant, and his mother was born in Wyoming. He said there was more racism directed toward his father than toward those Chicanos whose families had been in Wyoming for generations.

Molina is an only child, his parents split up, and he grew up in a “broken home.” “There’s no doubt about that,” Molina said. But as a child he said he was exposed to many realms of culture and tradition in his extended family, which gave him a broad perspective of cultures.

Molina is one of the first in his family to go to college, and said he wasn’t even sure he would get the opportunity. Many of his friends from school dropped out, some ended up in prison, and some fell into cycles of drug abuse. He said racism and inequality had a lot to do with where many of his friends ended up, and he writes some of his music for them. “I don’t know what made my outcome different,” Molina said, “but I’m grateful for it.”

Molina has a bachelor’s in sociology and criminal justice and a graduate degree in law. He chose law because of his interests in social justice, and because “it seemed like the way to go,” he said. While he said he wouldn’t discourage anyone from going into law, he personally found other ways of spreading his message of social justice. “Music is where I felt I could do the most good,” he said.

Molina said he chose to teach Chicano studies because it was originally his minor. When he got to college he gained a broader perspective about Chicanos than he ever got in primary and high school education, he said. He also teaches classes through the English and American Studies departments, and said he plans to pursue a doctorate in sociology.

Over the last three years, Molina has written a book and said he is trying to get agents to publish it within the next six months. He has also been recording an album, which he said will hopefully be released in the next six months as well.
The album will be released independently, without the marketing aids of major labels. “I’ll sell the album on the street corner if I have to,” he said. Molina has also written a play, which he said he hopes will debut here in Laramie.

“My overall goal is to continue to grow as a human being - Branding Iron, UW Student Publications

By Brian Dekle
bdekle@uwyo.edu

“This is for life; spit truth, kick facts when I rap. Abstract; tear up tracks, but it’s bigger than that. This is a movement. Music is a tool; sun (son), use it; wack rappers abuse it.”

They’re lines from the title track of Laramie hip-hop legend and poet Adrian Molina’s new EP, “Representin’ 4 Life,” and they encapsulate the spirit of the entire nine-track work. In a world where the commercial hip-hop climate is saturated with violence, degradation of women and “King Dollar Bill,” Molina dares to defy his big-label counterparts with hymns of inspiration and positive social change.

“What I’m representing through my music is life. Instead of contributing to a culture of death, I’m trying to represent for life, peace, freedom, justice and equality,” he said.
The “culture of death,” Molina explains, is division among people - “different schisms that divide us, the ‘isms’ that pull us apart and prevent us from focusing on our connection to the earth, our connection to humanity.”
Molina said this culture of death manifests itself in many ways, namely blind ignorance to the oppression and injustice that affects people throughout the world. This concept becomes tangible in the Iraq war and commercial rap, he added.

“War. Over what? There’s no explanation for the hundreds of thousands of people dead (in Iraq), whose lives have been affected by something only a few people can explain,” he said with a confident passion in his voice..

“What’s evident in commercial rap is misogyny, hate/disrespect toward women, this whole concept of ‘bling-bling’ – this mindless quest for material wealth without concern for the common human being. It’s just nonsense and contributes to devaluing people. We’re no longer human beings; we’re only as good as how sexy we are or how much money we make. I make a point that in my music no woman will ever be called a bitch, nobody will ever be killed on my album. My music is about life, it’s about inspiration, it’s about love, and everyday life – not just some bullshit lifestyle that most people will never be able to relate to.”

Molina opens the EP with a “memo to rap,” taking stabs and challenging the rap establishment. He asks the rap industry, “What are you representing?” “Under what context are you ‘keeping’ it real?”

“Music should be used as a tool for social justice,” Molina asserts. “Not just to make money or to contribute to the commoditization of people. This is something positive. It’s about life – that’s what my music is about. Every piece (on the album) introduces you to me as an artist and what I believe music should be about.”

The album indeed tells a powerful story. The Rawlins, Wyo. native grew up in a broken home and was exposed to a lot of racism and crime as a child. His father was an illegal immigrant, and his mother was born in Wyoming. He gained a broad perspective of cultures through the traditions in his extended family, and the music on the EP paints a moving sonic portrait of the young rapper.

“Hunger Pains” tells the story of Molina finding a fervent love for hip-hip and his choice to opt for a career in teaching rather than law. One of the first in his family to attend college, Molina has a bachelor’s in sociology and criminal justice and a graduate degree in law. He currently teaches Chicano studies at the University of Wyoming.

The song - track five - has a beautiful chorus, catchy hooks and features the captivating, downright sexy voice of Helen Chanthongthip. The female vocalist does to this track what Merry Clayton does to the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.” Simply amazing.

“Young Brown Poet” is spoken word poetry over music, and tells of how Molina, while growing up a “person of color” with a blue collar background, found peace in his heart through art and expression.

The title track, “Representin’ 4 Life,” takes a strong stand on music’s value for social change. A few lines: “I watch in amusement / this for artists buildin’, pickin’ locks, breakin’ the chains / tunes, books, flicks and murals: powerful thangs / agents of change / this is for the people who stray away from Babylon system / cause it’s based on decay / this for revolutionaries, freedom fighters, and writers / visualize a new reality / fuck what they supply us / this is for what you’re feelin’ deep in your gut / clench your fist / raise it up if you’re givin’ a fuck.”

The entire EP is pure songsmith genius, with too many highlights to list here. “Every word’s gonna have meaning,” Molina said, adding much of it is inspired by “his passion,” his 3-year-old son Izriah Hulberto Molina.

But more than top tier songwriting, the overall sound is mind-blowing. The mixes are perfect; the instrumentation is tasteful; the vocals flow like tupelo honey from a mason jar. And most shocking is the entire work was recorded in Molina’s bedroom, with blankets tacked to the walls replacing pro studio foam, and other homespun innovations - Branding Iron, UW Student Publications

Fans of hip-hop will love this young performer, who also bills himself as working in the industrial and experimental music areas.

Adrian H. Molina’s new collection Up Before the Sunrise (2008 CHiTT Productions) is apparently the work of a “sucka free writer, mic ripper, poet, and performance artist.” He says, “Artistically, my loyalty lies with Dustin Neal and Will Ross. We don’t give a CHiTT if our sound ain’t bourgeois–It still kicks ass.”

The tune, “Skydreamer” from this new CD is also hip-hop, but I must admit there is some nice instrumentation behind the vocals. The extra vocals are nice.

“Beyond Sundown” has an eerie feel to it. It also reminds this listener to some of the late night sound-track music you hear on high-budget movies starring Pierce Brosnan or Bill Murray (Lost in Translation). I’m not sure why it brings that to mind.

Molina lists influences such as “poets, painters, musicians, free thinkers who don’t conform to the mold, people who openly criticize power structures without apologies, chile rellenos and fresh fish, a good cheap bottle of wine, visions, water, swaying trees, abstract conceptions of reality.”

Maybe it’s best to just leave it at this- rap, hip-hop, the non-singing genres have to be about the lyrics, the meaning of the words. Molina says, I’m not your average emcee. My music doesn’t sound like traditional Hip-Hop, much less a classic fusion of Rock and Hip-Hop. It’s raw, fresh, and creative.”

Fine. Check him out in the great western states. - Indie Update