Leeds Hip Hop Scene

For his latest release, the Tokyo-born, Bay Area-raised rapper Tom “Lyrics Born” Shimura employs live instrumentation instead of the sample-heavy textures of his 2003 solo debut, “Later That Day …” Though hip-hop purists may wince, the musical shift only further helps Lyrics Born expand on his own genre-bending sensibility.

On the enjoyable “Everywhere At Once,” the tracks cover a range of influences such as ’80s-electro-pop, Sly Stone-funk and reggaeton, and Lyrics Born’s fast-paced, grumbled raps fit seamlessly in most grooves he chooses. On “Rules Were Meant to Be Broken” he explains his open-minded approach: “They try to put me in a little itty-bitty box/ but I’m just too big to fit.”

Elsewhere he shows a charming self-awareness. “Differences” with Joyo Velarde and B’Nai offers a primer on relationship compromise. “Is It the Skin I’m In?” featuring Myron Glasper examines racial politics over sweeping, 70s soul sonics. And on “Cakewalk” he recalls his own struggles to be taken seriously: “A Japanese rapper?/ that’ll be the day/ that’s what my teacher told me back in the twelfth grade.”

If anything, Everywhere at Once shows that Lyrics Born has talent to burn, with a refreshing willingness to make transcendent hip-hop that’s as honest as it is inventive.