Thursday, June 05, 2008

Kufiyaspotting #35: Rappers Invincible and Finale on Gentrification in Detroit


Here's some "conscious" rap from Detroit rapper Invincible, with guest Finale, performing their song "Locust," which critiques the processes of gentrification in Detroit. It's part of a longer documentary on the displacement and the "predatory planning" going on in Detroit, and shows folks who are attempting to develop sustainable development alternatives.

Invincible appears with a purple-and-white kufiya around here neck, Finale, with a black-and-white one. It's a pleasure to write a kufiyaspotting where about folks who are politically progressive, where you can be sure that they wear scarves around their necks nut just because it's hip fashion but in the context of a serious political statement.

Invincible's myspace page is here. Finale's is here.

Violet informed me awhile back about Invincible, and I meant to write about hear earlier, but didn't get around to it. Check out the promo video below for her song "Sledgehammer," which features her in the purple kufiya again, and a good word from Talib Kweli.

And I quote Viola: "Invincible's an amazing activist and performer...she just recently tore it up for NYC's Israeli Apartheid Week show "Pick up the Mic; Break Down the Walls" along with Sabreena Da Witch (Abeer) from Lyd, Rebel Diaz, and more! She's also a member of Detroit Summer and the U.S.-Palestine Youth Solidarity Network, doing hip hop workshops with youth in Detroit and Palestine!"



And there's even more about Invincible here.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Thanks for posting this :) i'm a huge fan of your book "memories of revolt" and actually used it to research for my song "people not places" (which goes hand in hand with "locusts")here's a link to the song:
http://expressionsofnakba.org/gallery/node/85

also check out this blog i wrote about some kufiya drama in east germany:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=15982572&blogID=214677683&Mytoken=BE2CEAAA-F58E-49D2-8F067FA0C3880CA514860303

much respect!
invincible