Jacob Hemphill

Born May 15, 1980 in Washington D.C., Jacob Hemphill is the frontman and lead-guitarist for the Grammy nominated reggae band SOJA. His father worked for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and when he was 6 years old his family moved to Africa, specifically Monrovia, Liberia.

The family quickly returned to the United States of America and in Jacob’s first year of schooling he met the future bassist of SOJA Bob Jefferson (Bobby Lee). In middle and high school the pair would go on to meet other future band members Ryan Berty (drums), Patrick O'Shea (keyboard), and Ken Brownell (percussion).

The attraction to reggae music began for Jacob during his tenure in Africa as a young child. In his teenage years he and Bobby Lee participated in various ways with the local Nyabinghi communities of Washington D.C. To Jacob reggae music is a tool to educate others on the problems faced by humanity.

When Hemphill resolved to wholly pursue a career in music and form SOJA his parents supported him.

Some of his top inspiration comes from the likes of Bob Marley, Paul Simon, the 14th Dalai Lama, his father and Sade Adu. He particularly admires Bob Marley for his life struggle and how through music he spoke on problems that faced people across the world, not just his hometown.