Lyrics Born, formerly Asia Born, was actually born as Tsutomu Tom Shimura in Tokyo, Japan on September 2, 1972. He is a Japanese-American funk and alternative hip hop rapper, singer and producer. He was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah and Berkely, California where he still resides. He is known for his work with The Solesides Crew, aka Quannum MC’s on the [l1202] label (formerly known as [l27235]), and his notable partnership with Lateef the Truth Speaker. As Lyrics Born, he debuted with Later that Day... in 2003, and many of his songs have appeared in movies since. His wife, Filipino-American Joyo Velarde, has appeared on every album he’s put out and tours with him every year. Together, they helped in founding Quannum MC’s.