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Metro Times: Invincible's "Motor City Five"

Metro Times Blowout-edition cover photo by Doug Coombe.

In anticipation of her headlining performance at the Blowout, the Metro Times did a quick five question interview with Invincible.

INVINCIBLE

1. What musical accomplishment of yours are you most proud of?
Completing and self-releasing my first album, ShapeShifters, independently, instead of signing a bullshit deal earlier on in my career. It was a longer scenic route but was worth it. I'm proud to be able to build off of that foundation as well as share the model I'm developing with other artists.

2. Favorite local band/artist (other than yourself!)?
A tie between Underground Resistance and Slum Village

3. What do the words "YouTube sensation" mean to you?
T Baby's "It's So Cold In The D"

4. Who is the greatest Detroit musical export of all time?
Stevie Wonder. Funkadelic, J Dilla, Aretha and Juan Atkins as runners-up.

5. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Still living in Detroit while exploring parallel universes, taking quantum leaps both musically and with my communities.

Invincible plays Thursday, March 4, at midnight at the G of C Hall.

Real Detroit Weekly: Invincible is "Best Female Hip-Hop Artist"

Invincible was named "Best Female Hip-Hop Artist/Group" of 2010 in Real Detroit Weekly's annual "Real Best of Detroit" reader pole. Thanks to Real Detroit and to everyone who voted for Invincible!

Here's the write-up:

Best Female Hip-Hop Artist/Group: Invincible
Not too long ago, while blissfully driving through downtown Detroit, we heard this piece on Invincible on NPR. We subsequently drove past the building we were looking for when they played the beat to what we would learn later was her badass song “Shapeshifters” that was produced by Waajeed. We were mesmerized. This woman is powerful and undeniably owns her rhymes with a confidence of ownership on par with MCs like Black Thought, Ghostface and early Eminem. Experience her talent, power and gritty grace.

Michigan Radio: Invincible's three-step process for community-led solutions

Michigan Radio’s Morning Edition host Christina Shockley is asking artists, politicians, business owners, teachers, and people from all walks of life to give their three ideas for things each of us can do to revive our state.

When interviewed for the "three things" series, Invincible took the interview as an opportunity to discuss a three-step process for crafting community-led solutions to Michigan's problems.

Listen to the interview here.

The Village Voice and The New York Times cover Invincible's CMJ Music Marathon performance

The Village Voice offers a review of Invincible's performance at the High Water Music CMJ '09 Showcase.

Excerpt:

...the mic was passed on to Waajeed (of Platinum Pied Pipers) as he took over the turntables to introduce the next act. "Real hip-hop is a rare motherfucking thing," he announced as Invincible took the stage. "And we're here to bring you some real hip-hop." Those who'd been standing on the outskirts chatting--and those who'd wandered over from the back room--swarmed in as the small-framed rapper opened with the gritty "State of Emergency," which also leads off her Shapeshifters album.

What she lacked in stature she made up for in confidence, engaging the audience ("Everybody move your hands like this--just do it, believe me") and actually succeeding this time. Each new song came with a fresh routine for the audience: "Now make your fingers in the shape of an L," she yelled, doffing her page-boy peacoat during an energetic "No Easy Answers." Her enthusiasm only waned for a moment as she somberly spoke on the state of her hometown in "these times," before ending with the thoughtful "Keep Goin'" alongside an even smaller rapper named At Last, who earnestly chanted along with the chorus: "I keep going/Even when I want to stop."

Invincible clearly stole the show--most of the audience left as she did. Lucky for you, she'll be back at Public Assembly on Thursday for the Homeland Hip-Hop show. I can't speak for the rest of the lineup, but she's worth the $12 alone.

Read the full article at The Village Voice.

The New York Times also made mention of Invincible's performance in its article on the rising presence of Hip-Hop at the CMJ Music Marathon. Read the article at NYTimes.com.

North Shore News: Invincible's "got a message to spread, plenty of them in fact"

Excerpt:

"When I moved to the States, I didn't speak English and hip hop was all around me and I would listen to it and start looking up the words and the lyrics and stuff," says Invincible, who was born in Illinois, but moved to Israel when she was still a baby. Eventually, she started creating her own lyrics and got more serious about her craft at around the age of 15, freestyling and performing at open mics and in clubs. But while she's recognized today as one of the most talented MC's in the U.S., labels aren't what matter most to Invincible. She'd rather focus her energy on making good music and fostering change.

"Musically it's about skills first . . . . It's about innovating the art form, it's about making sure my flow is tight, making sure the beat is banging and everything. That comes first. And then I always say I slip the medicine in," she says, explaining her content is all influenced by things she's experienced or witnessed, or issues she's hoping to shed light on.

Read the full North Shore News article.