This is what Hip Hop is ideally about..People coming together, building community and making a strong statement in the name of humanity..
With global trade destroying communities and families world-wide by slashing wages and moving factories to the next hungry communities migration of people has become both a necessity and an inevitability. The US/Mexico border has become a human rights crisis as US border vigilance has become both militarized and also funneled migrants into the unforgiving Arizona desert.
Hip Hop Artists Jasiri X, Invincible, and Paradise Gray of the mighty, mighty X Clan join local artists Amy Juan, Shinning Soul, and Dirty Verbs to rock DJ Sloe Poke‘s border spin for the first ever “Border Cypher.”
It’s always a pleasure to chop it up with one of our favorite emcees who hails from the Motorcity, Detroit, Michigan.. Invincible is not only someone who will hurt your feelings on the mic, with her wicked flows and willingness to speak truth to power, but she’ll hurt you on the activism tip..
Invincible is more likely to be found at a youth center or on the block working with youth throughout Detroit, make sense of an increasing repressive world.. Her solution is figure out ways to be self-sufficient. While she and others clearly understand the importance of holding folks in power accountable, she’s also crystal clear that those with means and resources, don’t particularly care about the folks they oppress, hence, folks have got to make sure they find ways to survive, with or without their help..
In our interview Invincible breaks down a lot of the innovative ways folks in her city are problem solving systemic issues. She talks about Michigan’s policy of having emergency corporate managers, appointed by the Governor who usurp the power of elected officials and how folks are making things happen in spite of the limitations. She talks about the response youth in her city had when they got suspended for walking out of school to protest sub par education. They started freedom schools and held classes outside the school.. She talked about the media work and new curriculum folks are embracing as well as the Food Justice Movement which in full steam in Detroit..
Lastly we talked about her music, and true to form, Invincible is on some next level ‘ish , as she’s building a Music Box and redefining how music and art is to be distributed..
Invincible will be in town this Saturday for an annual event called Queendomwhich will also include local female emcees and deejays like DJ Zita, Aima The Dreamer, Persia and a host of others..
Mistah Fab hits us across the dome with one of the better videos that speak to our conditions in 2010
This is one of my favorite videos for 2010.. Props to Oakland rapper Mistah FAB for spitting truth to power and putting this out. We need more videos and songs that speak to the conditions of the masses
I love this video from Bay Area rapper Paris featuring T-Kash. I don’t think it got the shine it truly deserves and yet it really captures and energy that was and still is here in the Bay. Don’t Stop the Movement is energetic and sadly fortlls the riots that broke out in the streets of Oakland around the killing of Oscar Grant
Invincible has been on fire with her videos and her songs.. Here she teams up with Waajeed to capture grittiness of Detroit. This cut Detroit Summer is on point. I like how she captures footage from the recent US Social Forum that was held there. Give this sista deserves our support and props.
This is a classic throwback that I almost forgot about.. Chuck D and Public Enemy cover a lot of ground in this video.. It ranges from Clarence Thomas confirmation to the Supreme Court to Mike Tyson being sentenced to prison to the riots at Virginia Beach during Spring Break and the riots and in South Central LA after the Rodney King verdict
This is what Hip Hop is ideally about..People coming together, building community and making a strong statement in the name of humanity..
Davey D's Hip Hop Corner 