Lyrics Born

If you don't know Lyrics Born's rhymes — and that possibility is diminished, thanks to the presence of his signature song, "Callin' Out," in Diet Coke and Motorola ads a couple years back then you might be acquainted with the Bay Area underground scene he helped found, along with folks such as DJ Shadow, the members of Blackalicious and DJ Zen (a.k.a. hip-hop journalist Jeff Chang). On his own, the Japanese-American Lyrics Born pursues a live hip-hop sound that's as rich as his deep-voiced verses. These days, they are showcased on the recent Overnite Encore album, which documents in-concert sets from Sydney and Melbourne, Australia.