About Raju
Raju is a writer and recording artist from Zion, IL. Born Alan Joshua Patterson. Raju wrote his first poem as a senior in high school as an assignment in a government class. The name of this piece is, "Why My People Perish". This assignment exposed Raju to the world of words, and he as been writing every since. Raju has always had a passion for all genres of music from Classical to Reggae, however; his favorite genres are soul, Blues, and Hip-Hop.
Raju writes about love and social justice. He describes his art as "Provositive" = Provocative because he uses certain words intentionally to get the listeners attention, and positive because there's always a construction principle within the content.
Raju means, "A king with no kingdom". The artist, Raju, empathizes with this experience because he feels like it speaks to the experience of Africans around the world - Products of the African diaspora.
The Raju logo symbolizes a commitment to identity and God. I believe that everyone has a purpose in life. Your purpose in life is God, and we find our purpose through developing a greater sense of self-awareness. The Raju logo is a combination of three adinkra symbols:
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Sankofa
"Return and Get it" - Stresses the importance of looking back and learning from the past
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Nyame Ye Ohene
"God Is King" - Symbolizes the supremacy of God
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Nyame Biribi Wo Soro
"God is in the heavens" - A Reminder that God dwells in heaven and can hear our prayers
Adinkra are symbols that represent traditional West African principles or aphorisms. They are most often used to pattern material and in art to tell stories.
Raju is the artist. Rajuworld is the brand. The vision for the brand is to be a platform to encourage people to learn more about themselves. Raju does this by creating content that challenges people to think about their own lives and future.