Hip Hop artist D. Edge brings forth his songwriting skills to the realm of rap music, uplifting the spirits of his listeners while giving them a good beat to get behind. From politics to motivational records, D. Edge’s versatile lyrics have something for everyone.
D. Edge’s latest release “inVINCIble” combines a dark, sultry melody with positive and motivational lyrics that will keep this song stuck on repeat. “inVINCIble” features artist Beyond, who brings his own flair and thunder to the song.
“inVINCIble” revolves around breaking through barriers and staying unstoppable even when people try to shoot you down.
With the uncertain times across the globe right now, everyone can use a pick me up such as “inVINCIble”.
With his catchy hooks and repetitive chorus, this song stays in your head. D. Edge fuses old school Hip Hop with modern sounds to craft his own style and artistry. His influences such as Curtis Mayfield, Big Daddy Kane, and Jay-Z weave their way through D. Edge’s discography, but D. Edge’s own twists make his music a whole new experience.
With lines like “Even when I die, I will live forever”, D. Edge manifests a powerful outlook on life, leaving anyone who listens feeling better than they were before.
“InVINCIble” is full of motivational lines about overcoming life’s struggles. What was an example of something that made you feel not-so-invincible, and how did you overcome that?
Being black in America is a struggle. I love the skin that I am in, my culture, our innovativeness, and such. The fact is that I’m hurting because my people have been oppressed worldwide. Systematic oppression is something I’ve mentioned in my music since dropping SBM (Struggles of a Black Man) in 2015 featuring SMTH.
When you see Breonna Taylor get killed in her own home by the police and they get off with a BS charge, it’s heartbreaking. Jacob Blake was nearly killed in front of his kids because he was reaching in his car.
Dylan Roof on the other hand can kill 9 people in a church and even get treated to Burger King before reaching the police station. I have personally had my own issues with the police and I’ve never done anything illegal, which has caused me mental trauma and PTSD. It goes deeper than police brutality, I’m talking slavery, Jim Crow, redlining, Cointelpro, institutionalization from white supremacy, crack put in our neighborhoods and etc. I’m so sick and tired of people who look like me are told to follow the police orders and we still get killed anyway.
Why are black and brown people held to higher standards than the police and government officials? I’m tired of my people getting killed and the media still portrays us as thugs and criminals (deserving to die). I just want ALL black and brown people to have equality everywhere. I’m never going to stop fighting for liberation and when I die, my story will live on.
How have your listeners responded to “inVINCIble” so far? Does “inVINCIble have the effect you thought it would?
The feedback that I’ve received for 'inVINCIble" has been very positive and a greater effect than I’ve imagined. It’s a song that the world needed to have during these times. When one of my fans reached out and said "inVINCIble" helps them during the day. Hearing someone say that hearing your song impacted their life is one of the greatest feelings that you could have.
What was the recording process like for “inVINCIble”? What was it like collaborating with Beyond?
I recorded my verses with theycallmeParker in LA at the Brewery Studio in February. However, I initially recorded a hook that I was singing in autotune with and I knew I wasn’t meant to be on the hook. Parker literally told me that I should consider getting a soulful male singer on the hook but I didn’t see it at the time. My guy RAH the Gift (Starvation Freestyle producer) posted a video of Beyond’s Chasin’ song on Instagram. I thought to myself this is the sound that I think would fit well on "inVINCIble," so I hit RAH up and asked him about Beyond. He stated that they were lifelong friends and that we would get along great. Once Beyond and I started talking, I felt like we knew each other for years because we were on the same wavelength for a lot of things. We share a lot of the same passions for black empowerment, anime, music, and such. I sent Beyond the record and he said that it inspired him, so he wrote a hook that was better suited for the record and his voice. We’ve been working on other collabs ever since- so stay tuned!
Where do song ideas usually strike you? Do you ever get bursts of creativity when going about your everyday life?
Song ideas usually strike when I work my 9-5 in media, taking a shower, cook or riding on a bus/train. I’ve been doing a better job of writing every line or concept down the past two years or so that I have my next few projects lined up. Also, when I hear beats that I like- I form ideas of direction on how I could best utilize the beat. Sometimes I hear melodies and rhymes in my head, which causes me to start rapping or singing out loud (to the ire of my girlfriend) haha.
What has been keeping you inspired in 2020?
2020 has been a tough year in fact because of COVID-19 (and the people that have died from it), Kobe, Chadwick Boseman, social unrest etc. This year also made people really focus on what’s really important to them and figure what who you are as a person. Merely waking up and seeing another day no matter how hard keeps me inspired because I know that it provides me another chance to help change the world and reach my goals.