Lyrics Born Is 'Everywhere at Once' With New Album

Bay Area rapper Lyrics Born will drop 'Everywhere at Once,' his first album in three years, on April 22. In advance of the disc – which includes the contagious lead single 'I Like It I Love It' – the man born Tom Shimura will make two appearances this week at Austin's South by Southwest Music Festival, at the Cedar Street Courtyard on March 14th and at Auditorium Shores on March 15th.

"I wanted to make something that was both accessible and personal at the same time," LB tells Spinner. "After my last three albums, I was able to recognize what it was about my work people gravitated to most, and played to those strengths. I get the party going, keep each song unique and diverse in terms of tone, topic, cadence and vibe, and – of course, I writes them hooks."

With 'I Like It, I Love It' out in front of the record, the equally buoyant and memorable, 'Hott 2 Deff' (also available as an advance download on iTunes) features a cameo from Jurassic 5's Chali 2na. 'Everywhere at Once' also marks Lyrics Born's first recording since he gravitated toward performing with a live band.

"I've known him for years, and he's the only emcee that came to mind when [Oakland-based producer] Amp Live and I finished the track," the rapper says. "I had already written my verses, and I knew he could write in my same cadence and rhythm, as well as putting that harmony on top of his verse. He's a tremendous talent, and – like myself – you know his voice right away."

In addition to celebratory numbers like 'Top Shelf' and the aforementioned songs, Lyrics Born's forthcoming disc consists of a lot of personal material: 'Is It The Skin I'm In' speaks to his experience as an Asian-American man, and 'Whispers' covers how he dealt with the loss of his best friend.

"My challenge on this album was to cover uncharted territory for myself, and put together an album unlike any other on shelves," Lyrics Born explains. "Anytime I make an album, I sit back, take a look at the landscape and ask myself, 'What are people not doing? What are people not saying?' And then I go head first into that void. My day job is being a rapper, but my life's mission is to be inspiring. I can't be inspiring if I'm not inspired, and I can't be inspired unless I'm challenged."