SoulJa (rapper)
| SoulJa | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Johannes Marías Reijnders Zwan |
| Born | 1 November 1983 |
| Origin | Higashikurume, Tokyo, Japan |
| Genres | Pop, hip hop, R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, rapper |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Rock & Hill Records (2005-2006) Nayutawave Records (2007-2008) Def Jam Japan (2008-present) |
| Associated acts | Thelma Aoyama, Haruomi Hosono, Miho Karasawa, Yuki Koyanagi, Yumi Matsutoya, Jin Oki, Chihiro Onitsuka, Skelt 8 Bambino, Sly and Robbie, Yukihiro Takahashi, Issei Yoshimi, Yukie, Issa |
| Website | www.soulja.jp |
SoulJa (ソルジャ Soruja?, birth name: Johannes Marías Reijnders Zwan) is a Japanese hip-hop musician and songwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with singer Thelma Aoyama, "Koko ni Iru yo" and "Soba ni Iru ne" - the latter of which was the former Guinness World Records holder for the best selling digital single of all-time in Japan (until it was superseded by Greeeen's "Kiseki").
SoulJa's father is Japanese and his mother is from Belgium. He studied music, learning how to play the violin, cello and piano from a young age, due to the influence of his mother. During his childhood, he spent time in Belgium, Japan and America. At 15, he grew to love hip-hop music.
In 2003, he returned to Japan, and began creating music. He got his first big break when a song of his, "First Contact," was featured in a commercial for Men's Beauteen (featuring actor Joe Odagiri) in 2005. This led to several more offers to write commercial music for companies such as magazine Oggi, along with SoulJa's independent label debut. In late 2005, he released the EP First Contact under Rock & Hill Records.
In 2007, SoulJa debuted as a major label artist with Universal Music Japan. His third single, "Koko ni Iru yo" featuring R&B singer Thelma Aoyama, became a long selling hit, staying in Oricon's top 10 singles for five weeks. Eventually, by March 2008, the song had been certified by the RIAJ for selling over 1,000,000+ ringtones, 1,000,000+ cellphone full-length downloads and 100,000 PC downloads.
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