I can’t think of many other rappers who took time off to work for the Obama campaign, unless of course were counting Will.I.Am’s hologram. Then again, I can’t think of many rappers with a musical resume as impressive as Lyrics Born’s. One half of the group Latryx (along with Lateef the Truthspeaker), he helped form the label Quannum Projects and has worked with fellow Quannum artists Blackalicious and DJ Shadow, as well as other hip hop icons like Chali 2na, KRS-One, and E-40. Lyrics Born has lent his deep playful vocals and producing talents to LPs, EPs, and mixtapes, not to mention cartoons, and performs with a live band. In some ways, he’s a perfect representation of Bay Area hip-hop even as he nimbly evades creative stagnation and defies easy categorization.
Fri., Dec. 5, 8 p.m., 2008
