Lyrics Born

Tsutomu "Tom" Shimura (born September 2, 1972), better known by his stage name Lyrics Born (formerly Asia Born), is a Japanese-American rapper and producer. He is one half of the duo Latyrx with Lateef the Truthspeaker.

Through his childhood, Shimura lived in Tokyo, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Berkeley, California. He attended Henry B. Plant High School.

He changed his stage name from Asia Born to Lyrics Born in 1995 citing the desire to have his career based on his merits as opposed to his ethnicity. His first studio album, Later That Day, was released on Quannum Projects in 2003.

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."

Studio albums

Lyrics Born

• Later That Day (2003, Quannum Projects)
• Everywhere at Once (2008, Epitaph Records)
• As U Were (2010, Mobile Home Recordings/Decon Media)
• Real People (2015, Mobile Home Recordings)

Latyrx (Lyrics Born with Lateef the Truthspeaker)

• The Album (1997, Solesides)
• The Second Album (2013, Latyramid)

Other releases

Remix albums

• Same !@#$ Different Day (2005, Quannum Projects)
• As U Were Remixes (2012, Mobile Home Recordings/Decon Media)

Live albums

• Overnite Encore: Lyrics Born Live (2006, Quannum Projects)

EPs

• The Muzapper's Mixes (1998, Solesides) (Latyrx)
• Disconnection EP (2012, Mobile Home Recordings/Latyramid) (Latyrx)

Mixtapes

• Lyrics Born Variety Show Season One (2005, Mobile Home Recordings)
• Lyrics Born Variety Show Season Two (2006, Mobile Home Recordings)
• Lyrics Born Variety Show Season Three (2008, Mobile Home Recordings)
• Lyrics Born Variety Show Season Pho (2009, Mobile Home Recordings)
• Latyrical Madness, Vol. 1 (2011, Mobile Home Recordings/Latyramid) (Latyrx)
• Lyrics Born Variety Show Season Five: On the Floor (2012, Mobile Home Recordings/Decon Media)

Singles

• "Send Them" (1993, Solesides)
• "Latyrx" (1995, Solesides)
• "Burnt Pride" (1996, Solesides)
• "Balcony Beach" (1996, Solesides)
• "Lady Don't Tek No" (1998, Solesides) (Latyrx)
• "I Changed My Mind" (1999, Quannum Projects)
• "Hello" b/w "One Session" (2003, Mobile Home Recordings/Quannum Projects)
• "Callin' Out" (2003, Mobile Home Recordings/Quannum Projects)
• "Callin' Out Remix" b/w "Do That There Remix" (2004, Mobile Home Recordings/Quannum Projects)
• "I'm Just Raw" b/w "Pack Up Remix" (2005, Mobile Home Recordings/Quannum Projects)
• "Big Money Talk" (2006, Decon Recordings)
• "I Like It, I Love It" (2008, Mobile Home Recordings/Anti- Records)
• "Differences" (2008, Mobile Home Recordings/Anti- Records)
• "Top Shelf" (2008, Mobile Home Recordings/Anti-Records)
• "Hott 2 Deff" (2008, Mobile Home Recordings/Anti- Records)
• "Whispers" (2008, Mobile Home Recordings/Anti- Records)
• "Funky Hit Records" (2009, Mobile Home Recordings)
• "Pushed Aside, Pulled Apart" (2009, Mobile Home Recordings)
• "Oh Baby" (2009, Mobile Home Recordings)
• "Lies X 3" (2010, Mobile Home Recordings/Decon Recordings)

Additional credits

Guest appearances

• Blackalicious - "Deep in the Jungle" from Melodica (1994)
• Blackalicious - "Release" from Blazing Arrow (2002)
• Diverse - "Explosive" from One A.M. (2003)
• Tommy Guerrero - "Gettin' It Together" from Soul Food Taqueria (2003)
• Lifesavas - "Emerge" from Spirit in Stone (2003)
• Haiku D'Etat - "Top Qualified" from Coup de Theatre (2004)
• Blackalicious - "Give It to You" from The Craft (2005)
• DJ Z-Trip - "The Get Down" from Shifting Gears (2005)
• The Mighty Underdogs - "Ill Vacation" from Droppin' Science Fiction (2008)
• Joyo Velarde - "Strong Possibility" from Love & Understanding (2010)
• Lateef the Truthspeaker - "Hardship Enterprise" from Firewire (2011)
• Suburban Legends - "Can't Stop It" from Day Job (2012)
• Lotus - "Cannon in the Heavens" from Monks (2013)

Production credits

• Blackalicious - "Do This My Way" from Nia (1999)
• R. L. Burnside - "Goin' Down South" and "Someday Baby" from A Bothered Mind (2004)

Tracks appear on

• "I Changed My Mind" on Quannum Spectrum (1999)
• "Send Them" on Solesides Greatest Bumps (2000)

• http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/cali-hip-hop-veteran-lyrics-born-details-real-people-lp-20150224