Invincible is one of the rare, vocal pro-Palestine emcees in hip hop today. Because of her Israeli-American heritage, her perspective on Israeli-Palestinian relations on “People Not Places” takes on a much more authentic tone than any other emcee today would probably care to deliver or handle. Over a Middle Eastern-tinged beat, a “verse-as-a-hook” hook mixed with an Arabic sung chorus, Invincible is able to take listeners straight to the Gaza Strip (much like she did with her epic ode, “Detroit Winter”, on Triple P) with tales of injustice and oppression. At times it is difficult to decipher her rhymes through her rapid delivery but once the listener adjusts, it is evident that her depictions are lucid and her stories graphic. But the party doesn’t stop here. Invincible tackles everything from gentrification, social ills and addiction on this tour de force of rhymes and sounds.
The lyrics are not the only sonic upheaval on the album. The production, handled by a small army of up-and-coming and well-known producers the likes of Waajeed (from Platinum Pied Pipers fame) and Black Milk, walks the line between traditional boom bap and the experimental. The stuttering flute of “Sledgehammer”, the Latin feel of the title track, the guitar-laden traditional head-nod of “Keep Goin’” and the battling synths of “Recognize” are as diverse as Invincible’s social subject matter and give the album a unique sense of variation, character and artistry.
The guest appearances further add to the achievements of Shapeshifters. The soon-to-blow Tiombe Lockhart makes “Ropes” the most ghoulish and ghastly track on an album that is characterized by its heft and gravity. Producer Knowledge proceeds to take what sounds like a space age Hammond organ and turn it on its head to make the song’s lyrics about alcohol addiction and hopelessness haunt and sting.
Shapeshifters is as solid as hip hop LPs come in 2008. While Invincible does fit in the oft-pejorative box of “conscious” emcee, what makes her music so eventful (and not downright boring and preachy) is her unique approach to songwriting, beat selection and raw lyrical skill. It helps that she happens to hail from the bastion of production expertise (Detroit), but it is more than production and what some might call gimmick (a white, female emcee) that will carry this LP through as one of hip hop’s best this year.
