Lyrics Born: The LB Baby Tour

Lyrics Born is bringing The LB Baby Tour to Ophelia's Electric Soapbox on Thursday, October 15, with the show starting at 9 PM. For those who don't know the name, Lyrics Born is the stage name of Tom Shimura, a Bay Area rapper and producer who's been at this since 1993. He got his start freestyling in the radio quarters of UC Davis with classmates like MC Gift of Gab and producer Chief Xcel. Together as Latyrx, they put out The Album in 1997, which sold 100,000 copies and earned a place as a certified classic.

Shimura didn't stop there. In 1999, he reimagined their label Solesides as Quannum Projects, and by 2003 he'd released Later That Day. The single "Callin' Out" from that record charted nationally and ended up in several major motion pictures, EA Sports games, and a Diet Coke spot featuring Adrian Brody. He's kept a steady presence since then through The Lyrics Born Variety Show mixtape series and his own outlets, Lyrics Born TV and LBFM, averaging over 150 shows a year. In 2008, Everywhere At Once marked a shift away from his sample-based work, bringing in a full band and synthesizers. His latest album, As U Were, came out this year.

This stop in Denver is part of The LB Baby Tour, and the bill is just Lyrics Born. It's a good chance to catch a veteran of the Bay Area scene who's been active for over three decades. The show is on Thursday, October 15, at Ophelia's Electric Soapbox, starting at 9 PM.