> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Lyrics Born and Daara J bring fresh hip-hop to the Pier in Twilight Dance Series - URL: https://www.smdp.com/lyrics-born/ - Published: 2006-07-27T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T19:06:05.000Z - Author: Guest Author - Tags: Entertainment, Pier, #archive-import *The bling just isn’t his thing* *By EMILIE PHELPS Special to the Daily Press* Lyrics Born and Daara J present their fresh brand of hip-hop, taking the stage at the Pier tonight for the fifth installment of this year’s Twilight Dance Series of free concerts. Contrary to commercial gangsta rap, the two artists aren’t about bragging, guns, bitches and bling. Lyrics Born describes in stream of consciousness that hip-hop is complex: “an attitude: rebellious... empowering, accessible, you don’t have to go to Julliard or take guitar lessons, self-taught, doesn’t follow the rules of conventional music, creative with modest means.” Lyrics Born — born Tom Shimura in Tokyo in 1972 — blends styles and defies categorization. His music could be described as boundless funk and head-nodding bliss. “LB” crafts beats from rare soul, funk and rock records. In an interview with MTV, he described his philosophy as trying “to create harmony with things that maybe aren’t supposed to work together.” The Village Voice’s Robert Christgau defines the artist’s singularity: “There’s a complex personality in Lyrics Born’s voice alone — serious and good-humored, down yet beyond down, committed to continuity meaning committed to change.” “I sit back and look at the musical landscape and find out what’s missing, and then I insert myself there,” said LB, in an interview with the Daily Press. “If it’s not new, then what is it?... Art is a constant struggle to stay inspired. “Mainstream America doesn’t have the pleasure to hear... a lot of the stuff out there. It’s not reflected in the radio playlist.” Currently, LB is producing a live album of his performances in Australia, due out in October. He is also producing his wife Joyo Velarde’s solo album, and has recently released a remix of his first solo album, “Later That Day” — a day-in-the-life, anecdotal window into Lyrics Born’s everyman existence. The remix is entitled “Same !@#$, DIfferent Day,” and includes collaborations with other artists as well as five new tracks. The remixes “have to feel different,” meaning “new lyrics, new music, or both,” he told the Daily Press. Fans at the Pier tonight can expect to hear “a little bit of everything,” both old and new, according to LB. A resident of the Bay Area, LB is not currently on tour, but was interested in performing at the Santa Monica Pier because he feels that outdoor shows and festivals bring more of a “family vibe” to performing. As early as the seventh grade, LB says he knew he would be a performer. In 1990, as a freshman at the University of California at Davis, Lyrics Born met five people with whom his life would be inexorably linked. The independent label Quannum Projects was first conceived in 1991 as a collective by the artists Blackalicious, DJ Shadow, Lateef, Lyrics Born and the journalists DJ Zen (Jeff Chang) and Jazzbo (Joseph Patel), under the moniker “Solesides Records.” Now headquartered in San Francisco, Quannum has grown to be one of the nation’s leading independent labels, having sold more than 2 million records since its inception. LB’s first brush with notoriety came in ‘97, when a track entitled “Balcony Beach” managed to elbow its way onto commercial hip-hop radio in Los Angeles. Lyrics Born formerly performed as “Asia Born,” a reference to his multicultural background. LB said his ethnicity impacts his work in the sense that Asians are “not a dime a dozen in this industry.” In an MTV interview, he said, “It means everything and it means nothing at the same time. It means everything because when I was coming up, there were very few of us out there. And when you’re a child you want to be able to look somewhere for validation. “At the end of the day, I’m just making music like the next guy does. If the music’s not good, it doesn’t matter what I look like — I’m outta here.” Lyrics Born and company have toured Europe, Asia, and North and South America, both solo and with artists such as The Roots, De La Soul, Franz Ferdinand, the Killers and Modest Mouse. Tonight’s Twilight Dance Series concert will open with the Senegalese trio Daara J and their brand of hip-hop — a mixture of traditional African rhythms, French and American rap, reggae, roots, soul funk and Cuban music. “Historically, people in Senegal would use tasso to talk about their environment, their living conditions, and the situation of the country and their hopes for the future,” explained bandmember Faada Freddy. Because of their lack of means, N’Dango D, Aladji Man and Faada Freddy learned to make the most of things, including rapping over some instrumental raps compiled on a tape, or with only the backup of a beatbox or a few percussion instruments. To add to their musical melting pot, the group members all speak various languages and absorb new styles of music from their journeys. The concert begins tonight at 7:30 p.m. on the West Parking Deck. Admission is free. Bike Attack and Amoeba Records are continuing to give out prizes at tonight’s concert. Bike Attack, located on Main Street, is raffling off a beach cruiser and the proceeds from the raffle will be going to support Heal the Bay. Amoeba Records will give away a $100 gift certificate to one fan who signs up for their mailing list at their booth. The Santa Monica Pier entrance is at the intersection of Colorado Avenue and Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica. Beach parking is available in lots located at 2030 Barnard Way and 1550 PCH, both of which are accessible from Ocean Avenue. However, space is limited. Pier officials encourage walking, biking, and using mass transit. For more information and a line-up of future Twilight performers go to www.twilightdance.org or call the Santa Monica Pier information line at (310) 458-8900\. For bus information, visit www.bigbluebus.com and www.mta.net or call (310) 451-5444. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 27, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/072706.pdf?ref=smdp.com)