Shinobi Ninja

Shinobi Ninja
Background information
Origin	Brooklyn, NY
Genres	Rock, Hip hop, Metal, Punk, Reggae, Funk, Electronic
Years active	2008 (2008)–present
Associated acts	A Tribe Called Quest, Fishbone, Black Sheep, Slipknot, Five Finger Death Punch, Rage Against the Machine, Bad Brains, 311, Cassie, Das EFX, Leaders of the New School
Website	www.shinobininja.com
Members	Baby G Alien Lex Duke Sims Kid Shreddi Axis Powers Terminator Dave
Past members	Jonny on the Rocks

Shinobi Ninja is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York. The group is renowned for high-energy performances & eclectic original sound, blending music genres. Their non-stop DIY work ethic of constant touring, recording, music videos, & social networking, all done themselves, has garnered them critical acclaim & fans all over the world.

Origins

Prior to joining the band, Baby G was a professional dancer, working with Rihanna, Santigold, Jason Derulo, Ricky Martin, Mylène Farmer, Cassie, P. Diddy, LL Cool J, Nelly, Daddy Yankee and more.^[1][2] In 2006, she made an appearance in the video "Long Way To Go" by Cassie.^[3]

Meanwhile, Axis, Mike, and Dave were in a band called Wax Machine, which broke up in early 2008. Shinobi Ninja formed shortly afterward. Several members of the band met at a rehearsal and recording studio called Progressive Music in the Film Center Building in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan. Duke Sims (born March 19), Jonny, and Mike worked at the studio, and Baby G took vocal classes there. In 2010, their original bass player Jonny left the band, and Alien Lex replaced him.

Of the six members of the band only Duke Sims and Alien Lex are originally from Brooklyn, both being born and raised in Bensonhurst. Lead singer Baby G is from Lawrence, Massachusetts. The twins, Mike and Dave are from Piermont, New York. Axis Powers is originally from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Familial connections

Baby G's sister Esia was inducted into the UMass Lowell Hall of Fame in 2013 for Track & Field.

Alien Lex and Duke Sims are cousins. A Lex is also cousin to singer Carmen Consoli. Terminator Dave and Maniak Mike are polar-fraternal twins.

Performances

On July 12, 2009, the band played the Afropunk Festival on a block in Brooklyn.

In 2010 and 2011 the band played Summerfest, the worlds biggest music festival held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

On August 6, 2011, the band played the first ever 311 Pow Wow Festival.^[4]

On July 28, 2012, the band played the opening set at the first ever Catalpa Festival on Randall's Island, covered by Rolling Stone.^[5]

They have also played SXSW^[6][7] and The Warped Tour multiple years.

In 2013 Shinobi Ninja went on the High School Nation tour sponsored by Monster Cables & Headphones,^[8] where they played over 20 West Coast high schools in a month.

In Summer 2014 Shinobi Ninja went on Escape from New York Tour, a DIY tour circling the country over five weeks.

On March 24, 2016 the band played the Grammy Career Day at Pace University in New York City.

Media and appearances

The band has been featured in major publications like Rolling Stone, Spin, Time, Ebony, as well as on MTV, and on Fuse.

On January 28, 2010, the band released Shinobi Ninja Attacks!, a Nintendo-style video game album for iPhone, iPod, and iPad. The game was featured in the Apple Store's "Hot New Games" section and downloaded over 10,000 times. They are the first independent band to release an app based on their likeness and music.^[9]

Baby G was a coach in episode 11, season 11 of the MTV show Made, which aired on October 7, 2010. She also appeared in episodes 13 and 14 of season 3 of the TV series Gotham as one of Jerome's (The Joker) followers.

In February 2015 Terminator Dave played the drum solos in the episode of Broad City titled "The Matrix".

"Stop" was featured in the third episode ("El Diablo") of the American television drama series The Killing, which aired on April 10, 2011 on AMC. "Rock Hood" was featured in the video games NBA 2K12 and Tap Tap Revenge 3.

Their song "Amped to 12" was written specifically for the 2014 film A Haunted House 2, and is the only song to play during the film as well as playing as soon as the film ends.^[10]

The band released their debut album, Rock Hood in April 2011. They followed this with the double album Escape from New York / Return From... in June 2014. Their third album, a freestyle free-form album recorded live in two weeks entitled Artistic Visions, was released in January 2015. In 2017 they released their fourth album, Bless Up.

In January 2016 the band started their own talk show called Heavy Metal Breakfast, which they shoot at YouTube Space NY.

Their fourth album Bless Up was released on March 10, 2017.

Corey Taylor played "What If Times" & "Saw Red" on 2 separate episodes of his show "A Series Of Bleeps" on Beats 1 Radio.

Their song "Genuine" was chosen and used by Spike Lee's "She's Gotta Have It" Series in Season 1 Episode #3 which premiered on November 23, 2017.

They have released 50 Music Videos most of which they produced themselves.

Social Media

The band has a large following on social media and have been praised in tweets by many influential people. Some notable tweets are:

Corey Taylor - This will make you happy all day. #WhatIfTimes

Dave Mustaine - I really liked this song/video. Great job everybody. #WhatIfTimes

Zoltan Bathory - I'm gonna say watch these guys blow the F up - the next big band in the making right here.

Rose McGowan - Adore this video. Check it out. #WhatIfTimes

Rikishi - What If Times. I likes it.

Lonn Friend - Brilliant beautiful Brooklyn street born aimed at the global heart.

Dennis Haskins - Great Message. Great Song. #LoveYourself #WhatIfTimes

Waka Flocka, Just Blaze, Jarobi White, Jill Hennessy, Drita D'Avanzo, Hart Hanson, Crystal Gayle, Cliff Dorfman, Peter Vecsey, Laganja Estranja, Mark Henry, Ashleigh Murray, & more.

Members

• Baby G – vocals
• Terminator Dave – drums
• Alien Lex – bass guitar (2010–present)
• DJ Axis Powers – turntables, backing vocals
• (D.A.), Doobie aka Duke Sims – vocals, guitar
• Kid Shreddi aka Maniak Mike – guitar, backing vocals

Former members

• Jonathan Nunes Simone, aka Jonny on the Rocks – bass guitar (2008-2010)

Discography

References

External links

• Official website
• Youtube Page
• Facebook Page
• Merch Page