Hailing from Japan, it wasn't the
breeding ground of hip-hop, who were some of your biggest influences?
We moved to the US when I was 3, so I
didn't really have the opportunity to grow up there. Hearing rappers
delight in Berkeley as a 2nd grader changed my life. As soon as I heard it I
knew what kind of artist I wanted to be. It was like a "Road to Damascus"
moment. Music was never the same for me or the world again.
Throughout your childhood you
bounced around a lot and moved to various cities. Did the change of atmosphere
influence your work?
The only 2 cities I remember living in
were SLC & Berkeley. SLC was largely mono-cultural, & I remember being
the only person of color in my grade. We were also quite poor as my single
mother was a young college student at the time. It was a struggle. When we
moved to Berkeley my whole world opened wide. We moved from a mono-cultural,
ultra-conservative place to a mega-diverse, radical place.
Which place had the most influence
on you?
I would say the Bay Area. It's
diversity in thought, culture, politics, ideas... The weather is
fantastic.
We asked Lyrics Born about the passing
of Phife Dawg from A Tribe Called Quest and what they meant to him.
That was such a loss. As hip-hop fans
of that era I think we'll be mourning him for quite some time. I knew he lived
out here but we never crossed paths. His music meant everything to me.
Tribe is the most influential group of my career, alongside De La.
Aside from rapping, you are also a
producer. Which do you prefer? How did you fall into getting behind the decks?
I don't produce as much as I used to. I
found that when the music business began to contract, I needed to spend more
time touring, so working w/producers afforded me time to perform more, &
turnaround albums more efficiently. I've released 4 albums 2 EPs & 3
mixtapes in the past 6yrs. It's been intense.
Are you working with any artists as
we speak?
Yes, but that's secret for now.
You released your latest studio
album last year and return this year with a compilation. What was it like
picking out what songs would go on your "Best Of?"
I didn't choose, the fans did. As they
always have. I write & record the songs, but they're the people that make
them "hits". The tracklist was largely determined by fan
feedback on my social media. They don't lie. What they say, goes!
Which songs of yours do you feel
fully define who you are?
No one song can do that. They're all
snapshots of a certain moment in time, expressing a very specific emotion,
experience, situation or point of view. I think my entire body of work &
career can best illuminate my artistic legacy, but even that is just a piece of
who we are. Our LIFE legacy is what truly defines us. What we've accomplished
in our LIVES, & not just what we did while we were at work.
In 2011, you famously said that you
had no made your best album. Five years later, does that still hold true?
Yeah, I did say that, but I don't even
view my career like that anymore. Releasing a Greatest Hits has changed
everything for me. I realize now, it's not about any one song or album, it's
about the overall spectrum of quality & impact of one's body of work &
artistic legacy that matter now.
What is next for you?
Everything.
Everything.
Photo Credit: Mark Austin Heim
