Invincible (rapper)


Ill Weaver, also known by the stage name Invincible, is a rapper born in Champaign, Illinois as Ilana Weaver. They use the third-person plural pronoun, identify as gay and gender-nonconforming, and are Jewish..
At the age of 1, Invincible moved to Israel, returning to the United States at the age of 7 - first living in Ann Arbor, Michigan, then moving to Detroit, Michigan. Invincible joined the Anomalies crew in 1997 and has collaborated with Finale, Suheir Hammad, and Waajeed of the Platinum Pied Pipers.

Early life and career

Invincible learned English by listening to hip-hop albums; Invincible has stated that they would write down the rhymes and use the dictionary to decipher the words. After two years, Invincible started making songs in English and stopped speaking Hebrew by age ten. At 15, Invincible started performing at open mic nights and getting into Detroit's battle scene in its late-1990s heyday. Invincible's passion for activism was sparked when members of the Ku Klux Klan gathered and spoke at Ann Arbor's City Hall, which was down the street from their high school. Invincible was disgusted with what they heard, but felt they couldn't do anything about it.
Invincible's music reflects a deeply held belief in social justice expressed through narrative. Invincible 's time is split between youth organizing with Detroit Summer's Live Arts Media Project, the US-Palestine Youth Solidarity Network, and touring.
In 2008, Invincible released their debut album, ShapeShifters, on Emergence, a record label they co-founded.
In 2010, Invincible performed at the Can A Sista Rock a Mic? festival in Washington, D.C.. That same year, Invincible received attention after the music video for "Ropes" was banned on mtvU, MTV's college-targeted channel, after it was deemed "too problematic" because of its theme of suicide. The ban was later lifted.
Invincible has been compared to rapper Eminem. The Washington Post gave a positive review and Spin described Invincible as "a compelling and fiercely political artist"