Feelgood Californian hip-hopper Lyrics Born talks to Undercover about bad pills, progressive partying and how much he “fucking loves” social networking.
It’s curious that the first single ‘LiesX3’ from Lyrics Born’s new album As U Were features barely any rapping, sounding more like an embittered soul sister to Cee-Lo Green’s ‘Fuck You’.
In fact, the album as a whole veers all over the shop, from old school funk, disco, electro, and new wave to futuristic sounds. They’re all set to fat beats, but is Lyrics Born still a hip-hop artist?
“I felt on this album, to be totally honest with you, I didn’t give a shit what people thought about me before, whether good or bad,” he drawls down the line from his hometown.
“I didn’t give a shit about what I’d done in the past. This time, I didn’t care about making hits, or pleasing a label or the industry or the radio. It was moreso about me making sheerly progressive art.”
“As long as I was enjoying myself and doing exactly what I wanted to do, and making the kind of record I wanted to hear, I was really happy,” he continues, “I’m so thrilled with this album. It’s eclectic, there are different styles.”
But has Lyrics Born actually agonized over writing a hit? His biggest singles, bouncy club cuts like ‘Callin’ Out’ and ‘I Like It, I Love It’, were as catchy as his album tracks. It’s just the kind of music he makes.
“I’ve been very fortunate in my career,” he muses, “I’ve had a lot of big songs and big albums. As an artist, I was always looking to stay consistent, or outdo my last project. I think everyone feels that kind of pressure. I found myself being more focused on hits versus artistic progression. My albums had changed a little bit.”
That was where the title As U Were came from, he says. “Yes, there’s a lot of drama and pressure on me, but”, he says to himself, “As you were, LB, as you were. Show up to work every day, stay focused and stick to the original mission: make truly progressive fun music.”
The press release for As U Were pitches a “mature” Lyrics Born, but don’t think that could ever stop his party jams.
“I’m not saying that everything I feel behind the scenes translates,” he explains, “but I definitely did set out to do things differently this time. You’re always going to find those commonalities in my albums, but hopefully, album to album, it’s a different experience.”
For example, the dark, blippy electro on ‘Pillz’ reflects the same darkness in its lyrical content: a commentary on dangerous prescription drugs.
“It’s something I’ve had friends and neighbours die from, far more from that than crack,” he chuckles, ruefully. “I don’t think it’s really addressed by people in general.”
It’s true that As U Were is as much of a mixed bag as his other albums. “As human being we deal with a variety of issues every day,” he says. “I’m no different than that. I just try to represent that in the music.”
Lyrics Born doesn’t feel as wedded to his underground hip-hop beginnings as he used to, going so far as to say that the most interesting things happening to the genre are going on in the mainstream.
He surmises that he’d listen to same amount of hip-hop nowadays as he would of dubstep, alternative rock, R&B, or reggae, and he’s been thinking about the way a broad variety of music disseminates to the people too. “I’ve always had very eclectic tastes, and I feel like these days, so does the world,” he muses about what he calls our “iPod Shuffle Culture”.
He also tweeted recently that because of this massive amount of choice, he’s glad he doesn’t have to try to break into the current scene as a younger artist.
In any case, he’s fine with the social media obligations that artists have now. More than fine. “To be honest, I fucken love it,” he blurts, “I really fucking love it. Number one, I’m just a very social person and I feel like I have a lot to say, for better or for worse,” he laughs.
“But also, I’ve been an independent artist for all of my career and the internet really evens out the playing field for guys like me who don’t have the billion dollar budgets. It used to be that you couldn’t be heard by a large group of people unless you had a machine working on your behalf.”
Now all you need is addictive hooks and a strong voice. And Lyrics Born still has both.
Lyrics Born's new album As U Were will be released through Shock on October 22.
