“New Orleans is the first and last real music town in America. You can go out every night of the week, or even multiple times a day, and hear truly good music that is also local music.” That was one of the many reasons Bay area rapper Lyrics Born decided that he wanted to make an album steeped heavily in New Orleans music.
One of the latest artists to find inspiration in the sounds and sites of the Crescent City, his new album Real People, recorded locally at Galactic Studios, taps into the funky sound you hear bumping from cars and clubs all around town. “I was really inspired by the whole vibe here and I wanted to make a record that had that earthy, soulful feel,” he explained.
Ben Ellman and Robert Mercurio of Galactic produced the album and a myriad of New Orleans hard hitters make cameos in a way that is a bit reminiscent of a Lundi Gras Galactic show. “Ellman and Mercurio introduced me to this tight group of musicians they hang out with and from there it just kind of snowballed. I’ve got David Shaw (The Revivalists), Trombone Shorty, Corey Henry (Galactic), Ivan Neville (Dumpstaphunk), and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band on the record,” he said.
LB was born on the opposite side of the world from New Orleans (Japan) and landed on the other side of the country (San Francisco), so I wondered how he had gotten into New Orleans music in the first place. “I had always been an avid record collector and I had also been visiting New Orleans for years, since the ‘90s. So it was really being a collector of records that did it. I would come here and go to all the record shops like Record Ron’s and Skippy White’s, which are closed now. I went to Peaches when it first opened in the ‘90s and I would buy and listen to New Orleans music.”
Despite LB’s appreciation for New Orleans funk, it’s clear that hip-hop is his first and true love, a style that he calls “the music of our generation.” Given that an entire style of hip hop (bounce) was invented in New Orleans, and such a huge array of influential rappers (Juvenile, Mystikal, Lil Wayne, Master P) are from NOLA, I found it a little strange that the album featured no local rappers.
“That’s the next album.” LB assured me, “I am a big fan of NOLA hip hop. I love bounce, Big Freedia and Nicky da B for starters. I’m also a big Wayne and Mystikal fan. Hip hop has become pretty narcissistic so I was trying to step away from that and write from a more down-to-earth place, and I felt like that earthy, funky sound really complemented what I was trying to do, so that’s why I tapped funk players.” Real People does read differently than most of the hip hop you hear on the radio. There’s less talk about partying, money, and cars and more talk about day-to-day life.
“WTF” is about the recession, and “Good Riddance” speaks to people losing their jobs, but as LB puts it, “the album’s not a total downer.” There’s funny relationship songs and he keeps it witty even when the subject matter gets heavy. And as with any funky hip hop album there are some really fun party songs, because at the end of the day NOLA funk is about having a party.
Real People is in stores now. On vinyl.
