WYDU Spotlight: Grand Invincible
8/13/2009 by Travis

About three or four years ago I came to the conclusion that hip hop was never going to be what it used to be and I should just get used to it. It's never going to be the 80's again and it's never going to be the 90's again. I'm okay with that now. That doesn't mean that I still don't long for that sound and when I find a group that is doing their thing these days that brings back that authentic hip hop sound and does it well, I'm totally on board with it. That's what the group Grand Invincible does, they bring back that authentic, early 90's golden age rap shit and not only do they bring it back, they bring it back the right way. Consisting of producer Eons One and MC Luke Sick, the Bay Area duo brings the dusted out samples for the beats and old school rhymes for the lyrics. Their album, Ask The Dust, is one of the best albums that I've had submitted to me this year (right up there with Drumz & Llingo's Blak Market). A must hear for any cat longing for years past, the group is trying to keep the sound of the golden age alive while the "matrix" of the new cats is bustling around them.

Of course, we sat down with the duo and asked them seemingly pointless questions that they were nice enough to answer...

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"Purse Thieves" - Grand Invincible
12/27/08 by Werner

Grand Invincible is the second coming of Underbucket, the duo of Sacred Hoop's Luke Sick and DJ Eons One. They've just dropped a brand new 12" single of "Purse Thieves" b/w "Elephant Tranq." If you can't make it out on the sticker pictured above, the 12" includes instrumentals of both "Purse Thieves" and "Elephant Tranq," an "Elephant Tranq" acapella, and the bonus track "The Style Is Bonkers."

Luke described the subject matter of "Purse Thieves" on the Gurp City news column, "100% grimey! Back in the early-nineties when San Jose Live was still open in the south bay during the Hump Hut Gang's forever-broke-never-have-a-job days, my ace boon cracker Oak D and I used to kick girls' purses underneath the pool tables and then send Ruddy Rudd to crawl under and get 'em into the bathroom, loot 'em, and throw 'em in the trash. We’d also snatch 3/4 full Long Islands off the bar when fools had their backs turned and suck ‘em down quick. We were full on fuckin’ dengenerates and it is kinda with a mixture of embarrassment and pride that I speak of it now (mostly pride though, fuck it I'm a scumbag, y’all know me). Anyway, 'Purse Thieves' kinda turned into an homage to that time in my life with a little modern shit thrown in (the first title for this song, before I wrote the chorus, was: Doing Coke in the Car). And the moral to the story kids?: Being dead broke should never stop you from getting drunk if you are determined and shameless enough. And if you should get caught? Do what we did at the Hut: Deny it to the bitter end. Why? 'Cause nobody believe dem hoes!'"

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Top 10 Records of 2008
Ask the Dust - Grand Invincible
12/27/08 by Max

This just might be the best rap record of the year. Luke Sick (Sacred Hoop) and DJ Eons One plough through golden-era-style beats and raps that run the lyrical gamut, and come off as not only skilled practitioners of the trade, but also as true fans of the of style. The beats aren't lush or orchestral; they're raw, sample-based loops expertly spliced and processed, the perfect frame for Luke's raps about everything from Iraq to Palo Alto, from drinking and smoking to chasing skirts, and just about everything in between. This is a mid-tempo album with "classic" written all over it, short on club bangers and long on thoughtful music without sacrificing that all-important steady-head-nod vibe.

Ask the Dust - Grand Invincible
02/28/08 by Corey Bloom

"Grand Invincible was formed under the philosophy that hip hop as an artform was best served under the technological limitations of the late-80s and early-90s. Armed with only an AKAI MPC 2000, two turntables, a mixer, a microphone, and a diggin' ass record collection with the intention of making the most out of the least."

That's what the fuck I’m talking about.

Consisting of DJ Eons One of Spazz on the beats and Luke Sick of Sacred Hoop on the L's, Grand Invincible have mastered the art of the simple complexity...if that makes any sense. As their mission statement declared, Ask The Dust (which is a pretty fucking ingenius name), follows a formula and succeeds because of their ability to not overdue or clutter up said formula. It's funny because as a long time fan of Luke I feel like this is the first time I can follow him word for word, but he's still got that trademark style which is equal parts Coughnut and Ghostface. Eons' straight forward approach to the production keeps the album cohesive and frames things perfectly within 13 tracks. So many albums seem to have strategically placed songs; the political song, the self contemplative song, etc., but this shit is just raw from start to end.

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XLR8R
Ask the Dust - Grand Invincible
04/08 by Toph One

This would be Luke Sick (of Sacred Hoop) at his dusted, drink-infused best, rapping about the exquisiteness of everyday life on Planet Gurp. DJ Eons on the cuts. Gurp=good.