GetWiki

{{Short description|Japanese-American rapper (born 1972)}}{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2020}}

factoids

| alias = LB, Asia Born, Macka Dang Dang197202}}| birth_place = Tokyo, Japan| origin = Berkeley, California, U.S.| genre = Alternative hip hop, funkRapper, singer, Hip hop production>producer| instrument =| years_active = 1992–presentQuannum Projects, Epitaph Records>Epitaph, Decon| associated_acts = Latyrx, Lateef the Truthspeaker, Blackalicious, Joyo Velardewww.lyricsborn.com}}}}Tsutomu “Tom” Shimura (born September 2, 1972), better known by his stage name Lyrics Born (formerly Asia Born),WEB, Nguyen, Joe, Face2Face with Lyrics Born, AsiaXpress.com,www.asiaxpress.com/Articles/2009/jul/lyrics_born/1.html, July 17, 2009, July 19, 2009, is a Japanese-American rapper, singer, and producer.WEB, Ian, Birnam,www.dailycal.org/2012/09/03/local-limelight/, Local Limelight: Lyrics Born, The Daily Californian, September 5, 2012, He is one half of the duo Latyrx with Lateef the Truthspeaker.WEB, DaRonco, Mike, Lyrics Born – Biography, {{AllMusic, artist, p292405/biography, yes, |website=AllMusic|year=2008|access-date=May 9, 2008}}

Early life and education

Shimura was born in Tokyo and raised in Salt Lake City, UtahNEWS, New Music: Lyrics Born, Billy Bragg and More,www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89830815, National Public Radio, April 2, 2008, May 9, 2008, dead,www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89830815," title="web.archive.org/web/20080904083058www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89830815,">web.archive.org/web/20080904083058www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89830815, September 4, 2008, and Berkeley, California.WEB, Patel, Joseph, Lyrics Born, You Hear It First,www.mtv.com/news/yhif/lyrics_born/, MTV News, November 18, 2003, February 5, 2005, WEB,genius.com/artists/Lyrics-born, Lyrics Born, Genius.com, en, August 31, 2019, He attended Henry B. Plant High School in Tampa, Florida.WEB, Wade, Tatangelo, The best thing from Sweden since ABBA?,tampa.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/new_cd_releases_from_robyn_mostly_bears_and_lyrics_born/Content?oid=442483, Creative Loafing Tampa, May 7, 2008, May 9, 2008,

Career

Shimura changed his stage name from Asia Born to Lyrics Born in 1995, citing the desire to ensure that he won fans based on his merits as a rapper rather than his ethnicity.WEB, Lyrics Born Is ‘Everywhere at Once’,www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91884418, NPR, June 25, 2008, July 7, 2008, His first studio album, Later That Day, was released on Quannum Projects in 2003.WEB,pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/4953-later-that-day/, Lyrics Born: Later That Day, Pitchfork Media, Rollie, Pemberton, October 27, 2003, In an article published by Rolling Stone in 2022, Later That Day was listed as one of the “200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time.“MAGAZINE, Charles, Aaron, Mankaprr, Conteh, Jon, Dolan, Will, Dukes, Dewayne, Gage, Joe, Gross, Kory, Grow, Christian, Hoard, Jeff, Ihaza, Julyssa, Lopez, Mosi, Reeves, Yoh, Phillips, Noah, Shachtman, Rob, Sheffield, Simon, Vozick-Levinson, Christopher R., Weingarten, 2022-06-07, The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time,www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-hip-hop-albums-1323916/, 2023-07-09, Rolling Stone, en-US, Lyrics Born’s collaborations with Lateef the Truthspeaker on Latyrx records often see them trading lyrics back and forth in quick succession. Lyrics Born and Lateef’s methodology for writing this type of lyric is described by Lateef in the book How to Rap: “With Latyrx stuff, when we have parts that we’re writing that we’re both going to be trading off, we write them together for the most part. I’ll sit there and write a rhyme, like I’ll write a line or two and then we’ll break up who’s gonna say what, and he’ll write a line or two and we’ll break up who’s gonna say what. It’s a very organic process.“BOOK, Edwards, Paul, 2009, How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC, Chicago Review Press, 219, In 2023, Lyrics Born’s most popular song “Callin’ Out” was mentioned as one of the “100 Greatest West Coast Hip-Hop Songs of All Time” by Rolling Stone.MAGAZINE, 2023-05-01, The 100 Greatest West Coast Hip-Hop Songs of All Time,www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-west-coast-hip-hop-songs-1234712968/, 2023-07-09, Rolling Stone, en-US, Lyrics Born now produces a cooking show.

Discography

Studio albums

Other releases

Additional credits

References

{{reflist}}

External links

{{Commons category}}

• {{Official website}}
• {{Discogs artist|Lyrics Born}}
• {{IMDb name|id=2490193|name=Lyrics Born}}

{{Lyrics Born}}{{Quannum Projects}}{{Authority control}}