“I’m Peter Gabriel with a sledgehammer…”

Second video from Invincible’s debut album, ShapeShifters, available now. Song produced by 14KT & Haircut of the Lab Tech with cameos by Finale, Elzhi, Arab Summit & more…

Previously Posted — TSS Presents 15 Minutes With Invincible | “Looongawaited” – Review Of Invincible’s Shapeshifters

With the spectacle that was VH1′s Miss Rap Supreme failing to be that missing link that separates the female rapper and total acceptance, it’s back to the drawing board for those women hoping to overcome those lingering stereotypes. While most rely on visual attributes, veteran rookie Invincible rather let her mic skills be her judge and jury. With a keen layer of ideology that covers her lyrics, the Michigan native is a wolverine on the microphone equipped with a slick wordplay that can twist any syllable at any speed. It’s these qualities along with an intriguing array of production that make her debut Shapeshifters an above-average event. Read the rest of this entry »

I was going to write a longer post but figured what I sent LC via email would do just enough…and the vid would do the rest. Read the rest of this entry »

“Skill Recognize skill, with lyrics that define ill./ Keep your naked eyes peeled, and open. Get your spines chilled.”

It would be a grave injustice to weigh Invincible’s talent on a scale of gender, so set no double standards for her. She isn’t just a great female emcee… she’s a lyricist whose skill set far exceeds most everyone in the game, including some of your favorites.

Her talent garnered attention from Talib Kweli, De La Soul and Jean Grae among others, years ago when she left her Michigan home for opportunity in New York. This was while she was part of the all-female ANOMOLIES, before she cut off her braids. Before she met with major labels and turned down deal after deal. Before she left BK and dedicated her time to the betterment of Detroit. Long before she recorded her first solo project, ShapeShifters, which finally hit shelves in May.

What pushes Invincible into the hierarchy of ability is she chooses beats to back her that are matched raw for raw with the bars she spits. From The Lab Techs turning flutes dirtier than you ever knew a wind instrument could get on “Sledgehammer,” to Black Milk pulling an orchestra of strings through a hard-snare mud puddle on “Recognize,” to Waajeed splattering the up-tempo title track with a filthy organ and acoustic guitar, Invincible is laced high and tight with the grimiest soul the D has to offer.

Beyond the beats, Invincible’s lyrical agility and construction are without definition. The emcee, who spent part of her childhood in Israel-Palestine, warrants play-back, play-back, play-back status and covers subject matter past the classic spectrum of Hip-Hop, delving handily into issues on intimate and international levels.

Far warmer than a 40 degree day, ShapeShifters burns 4.5 cigs – easy – on strength of pure, unadulterated Hip-Hop.

TSS Crew member LC Weber spoke with Invincible about the wait to put out the right project – an album that might be one of the best, most well-rounded ones you’ll hear in 2008.

TSS: What made you move to New York? Did you move for the ANOMOLIES, or did you meet them out there…?

Invincible: Basically I went out there to join the ANOMOLIES. I had met the ANOMOLIES on a visit and it just instantly clicked and they were like, really supportive of me. In Michigan I really only knew maybe three or four other female emcees that were really consistently on the scene. We were really few and far apart, you know? And so, to me, ANOMOLIES was just an ideal situation to be around a lot of dope female emcees – and not just emcees, because it is all elements we went into the visual aspect of it with art – but it was just a really nurturing environment for me to be in, and I just decided to move out there to work with them. And we did shows consistently. At that time, ANOMOLIES was doing shows every week in New York.

Basically I wanted to be around more female artists. Like I said, in Michigan we were few and far apart. By me moving to New York, I could be around a whole community of female artists – the ANOMOLIES as well as others that we were working with. And because of that, we became more acceptable and it gave me time to focus on my craft. It allowed me to be who I am and just focus on the art form.

TSS: How did you fall in line with Kweli and them? Just from being in the scene together? Read the rest of this entry »

This part one of two of a “Docu-Music-Video,” where Invincible & Finale chronicle the gentrification of the D. This will be filed under “edutainment” and it’s worth a watch because I’ll bet you 10 to 1 that something similar is going on in each of our America city’s urban district. Read the rest of this entry »