Feel-good-about-yourself hip-hop

Lyrics Born - Everywhere At Once
Posted by Laila Hanson on 03-Jun-08 @ 03:32 PM

[3/5]
Lyrics Born, like most non-hyphy rappers from the Bay Area, is almost too smart for his own good. Subsequently, he fits in well at Anti-, a label dealing equally in bands with hipster (Neko Case, Xavier Rudd) and hippie (Billy Bragg, Antibalas) appeal. This is LB's first studio recording to feature his band instead of the usual samples and laptop programming. It's a fun album, full of off-kilter, electro-tinged grooves. Trouble is, backpacker/conscious/positive hip-hop is every bit as clichéd as the most unthinking gangsta rap. Most of the songs are about girls or about how hard Lyrics Born has worked to get where he is-which beats talk of bubbling beakers, gunfire or diamonds, but gets just as tiresome over the long (18 tracks, including skits) haul. (ANTI-) Phil Freeman


Official Website: http://www.anti.com