Lyrics Born

Lazy is the last word you'll ever hear tossed at Lyrics Born, a beat-choppin', rhyme-slayin' beacon of Bay Area hip-hop since such mid-'90s standouts as the sluggish breaks and slurred verses of "Balcony Beach" and his first Latyrx 12-inch with Lateef the Truthspeaker, the disco-driven "Lady Don't Tek No." In the years since, the MC/producer completely reinvented a stack of singles on a remix record with freshly inked rhymes, Same !@#$ Different Day, and brought a bass-slappin' live funk band into the fold on Everywhere at Once and Overnite Encore: Lyrics Born Live!.

We've got more crucial cuts from all of the above in our Next Steps, alongside collaborations with such indie-rap icons as El-P and Blackalicious.

Long considered a sorely overlooked underground long-player, The Album is best summed up by the mind-boggling song "Latyrx." A mission statement of sorts for Lateef the Truthspeaker, Lyrics Born and their close friend/buzz-stirring beat conductor DJ Shadow, it features synths that flutter and flicker like a scrambled TV screen and severed rhymes that present the pair as instruments, not rappers. Which certainly makes sense on the Lyrics Born side, as he's made a career of stretching his voice like a pound of Silly Putty. Depending on the song, you might hear him sing, speak, or tear a track in two, from the playful rhythm and blues of "Differences" to the hard-nosed funk of the Blackalalicious-backed "Burning Hot in Cali On a Saturday Night."

A staple on the Bay Area scene for more than a decade, Lyrics Born first floored underground hip-hop heads as a key member of Quannum Projects — a tight-knit crew that launched the careers of such crossover stars as DJ Shadow and Blackalicious. Speaking of Shadow, he's lent beats to many Lyrics Born tracks, including the hiccuping loops of "Looking over a City" and the slo-mo breaks of "Over You" (featuring Lyrics' wife, soul singer Joyo Velarde). Lyrics Born co-produced the latter, though, which isn't a surprise considering his D.I.Y. discography. Take Later That Day . . ., for instance: Aside from the block-party soundtrack of "Do That There" (provided by Cut Chemist), Lyrics Born's breakthrough album is almost completely self-produced, from the feel-good groove of "Callin' Out" to the shuffled hooks of "The Last Trumpet."