Lyrics Born is a 52-year-old MC, songwriter and producer born in Tokyo, Japan and raised in Berkeley, California, notable for being a member of Quannum Projects under the original name Asia Born for nearly 3 decades. His solo debut in 2003 Later that day… became an underground classic in the West Coast hip-hop scene, following it up with her Epitaph Records-backed sophomore effort Everywhere at once & 6 more albums through his own label Mobile Home Recordings since then. However, he is looking to move on to the next chapter by dropping his 9th and final album.
“What Dreams are Made Of” opens with a g-funk instrumental from Lench Mob Records producers Hallway Productionz telling everyone to remember who they are instead of who they were, while “Take It 2 Far” speaks for weakness Quit smoking and drinking while keeping the gangsta funk vibes. “Smokin' with My Lady” is another g-funk banger dedicated to puffin' zaza featuring his wife Joyo Velarde, but then “Gyrlz” featuring The Egyptian Lover discusses their love for women with a funky bass.
Latyrx come together on the smooth “It Might Not Be Love” telling their romantic interests that there's something between them just before the synth-driven “Shades of Jade” admits to struggling with loneliness. “Beautiful DJ” mixes reggae and hip hop by asking a female DJ to play him this 1 song, while the spacey “If Ur Down, I'm Down” is about Joyo checking all the boxes in his eyes. “Can we still be friends?” jumps over another g-funk asking this woman if they can stay cordial, and “Live Your Life (Unlicensed)” ends with him staying real.
To close out his solo career, Lyrics Born is throwing a funky and messy party for himself, drawing on good '80s R&B and funk music that brought him comfort when he was young and during the pandemic ahead, turning his focus on improving health. Lyrically entertaining, Hallway Productionz throughout the 35-minute listening experience coherently capture the essence of the West Coast g-funk subgenre that dominated the 90s.
Rating: 8/10