Lyrics Born Announces Release of Eighth Album “Real People” on May 5th
Recorded Entirely in New Orleans, Real People Explores the Depths of Human Connections and is Backed by Star-Studded Line-up
3.12.2015
Critical praise for Lyrics Born:
“Far-reaching flows over throwback electro soul, or street-wise synth-pop for the 20-10… whatever labels you need to apply to it – at day’s end, it’s just good fucking music.” – Okayplayer
“…if Lyrics Born has one defining strength it’s his ability to get structurally and rhythmically adventurous in his flow while still remaining perfectly simple to follow linguistically.” – Pitchfork
“God bless Lyrics Born.” – PopMatters
“The Second Album is life-affirming, with a force few artists in any genre can match.” – NPR
The Announcement:
Tokyo-born, Berkeley-bred rapper/producer Lyrics Born, who played a major role in creating the blueprint for independent rap labels as we know them today, will release his eighth album, Real People via his Mobile Home Recordings label on May 5th. Following the album he released as one-half of Latyrx, which NPR dubbed “hands-down, the best alt-rap album of the year,” Lyrics Born continues to forge new territory with Real People. Enamored with New Orleans’ history and musicians from all the years of touring and playing shows there, Lyrics Born uprooted his digs in The Bay Area to The Big Easy for two weeks to recruit the city’s most talented musicians.
Recorded entirely in The Big Easy by Galactic‘s Robert Mercurio and Ben Ellman, the album follows the ethos Lyrics Born has maintained for his 20+ year career: doing things that neither he nor anyone else has done yet. Enlisting the talents of Trombone Shorty, Ivan Neville, Galactic, Corey Henry, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, along with guest stars Corey Glover (Living Colour), David Shaw (The Revivalists), Billy Martin (Medeski, Martin & Wood), and more, Lyrics Born occupies a space rarely seen in rap. No other non-NOLA rapper has dedicated a whole album working with all New Orleans funk musicians. “It might be the last true ‘music town’ in America, maybe in the world,” states Lyrics Born. “As an artist and a person, I identify with the culture, the sensibilities, the lifestyle, and the people. I wanted to do something really soulful, organic, earthy, and with an honest, unpretentious funk feel. That’s basically New Orleans.”
Lyrics Born balances his trademark mix of clever, good-time party ethos with a strong dose of funk with Real People as an honest body of work about the human race. Sharing personal experiences such as emigrating from Japan as a kid, fatherhood, and the direction society has turned in post-great-recession America, Lyrics Born also celebrates adulthood and the pains and joys of growing older. As he explains it, “I talk a lot of foolish shit and cuss my ass off and explore my darker side on certain songs. Hopefully we get a good cross-section of ourselves to explore on this album.” With the upcoming release of the album, Lyrics Born has arrived at a well-rounded sound that is classic and yet futuristic. He hasn’t forgotten his humble beginnings, but he’s never been afraid to look to the future, either.
Read Rolling Stone’s announcement of the album here: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/cali-hip-hop-veteran-lyrics-born-details-real-people-lp-20150224
Pre-sale link: radi.al/LyricsBornRealPeople
Please contact Michelle or Rory if interested in talking with Lyrics Born.
Lyrics Born’s Background:
The first words of Lyrics Born‘s eighth album speak volumes about where the legendary MC stands these days: “Real people do real things. Yes we do.” The Bay Area resident born Tom Shimura has stood at the peak of high-minded underground rap, explored the far reaches of interstellar synth-hop, and blazed trails galore. The Tokyo-born, Berkeley-based artist has owned his career each step of the way, ever since a radio gig at UC Davis’ KDVS put him in the same room as Shadow, the mighty Blackalicious, and his Latyrx partner Lateef the Truthspeaker. As co-founder of the Solesides and Quannum Projects labels, LB was vital in pushing independent hip-hop music into the limelight, dropping a minted classic, The Album, with his duo in 1997. The Same !@#$ Different Day set followed in 2005, rounding up the likes of KRS-One, Dan the Automator, Cut Chemist, E-40, and Morcheeba for a series of radical remixes.
He expanded his palette again with 2008’s Everywhere at Once on historic punk label Epitaph Records. The instrument-heavy LP spawned a Jimmy Kimmel Live! appearance with “I Like It, I Love It.” Now, Lyrics Born is proud to officially launch his very own Mobile Home Records with Real People. The new album’s strong focus is a compliment to the wild range of Latyrx’s 2013 return, The Second Album, which featured collaborations with folks from tUnE-yArDs, Decemberists, and Anticon, among others. As always, Lyrics Born remains committed to delivering the unexpected and outdoing himself with ease.
Links:
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LBVS6: https://soundcloud.com/lyricsborn/sets/the-lyrics-born-variety-show-season-6/s-cMeJU
Bio, pics, and more here: http://audibletreats.com/lyrics-born/