2023 Issue 6 Nov/Dec Focus - Mid-South Magazine

Lawrence Matthews
wants to get real. The multi-
hyphenated artist is newly
independent, preparing to
unveil a new body of work,
and consistently wading
through what it means to
choose himself in a world
that encourages conformity.
The lean but big-spirited
rapper has some new things
to say. The aptly titled
Between Mortal Reach &
Posthumous Grip is a dance
between his natural self,
his spiritual journey, and his
experiences in the industry.
Rather than leaning into
coded messaging and
half-hearted confessions,
he seeks to bare his soul
and move into a space
that’s more truthful and
provocative than anyone has
ever seen from him.
“I want to make true
art. Most of what I believe
doesn’t line up with the
mainstream understanding.
And because I’ve lived a life
of trying to align with that,
I refuse to go back to that.
Many factors contributed
to the making of the
album,” he says. “Messages,
warnings, premonitions
during 325i and feeling
like my life was about to
change and not yet having
evidence of that change.”
Change is something that
Matthews has become well
acquainted with. During the
pandemic, he found himself
in a season of transition.
After shedding his stage
moniker (Don Lifted) and
carving out a more authentic
lane for himself, he is
following the signs to a new
vision and sound, and has a
new album on the horizon.
“I don’t think people
understand what it means
to be seeking self through
art, what it does to you, and
what you’re asking of the
universe in so many ways. I
wanted to create something
eternal and extend long
past my physical experience
here. I needed to create
something that was beyond
me and I needed a lot of
help to do it. And a lot that
help came in the form of
a lot of channeling and
spiritual connection that
helped motivate, inspire,
and push me.”
Following the spirits has
become a theme in the life
of Lawrence Matthews. In
Memphis, a city full of haints
and stories longing to be
unearthed, finding oneself in
the company of the spiritual
world is nearly inevitable.
Earnestine & Hazel's has
alleged hauntings, the
Lorraine Motel casts a
shadow of death over
downtown, and a series
of monuments to Black
mourning and suffering
litter the city. Memphis is
a city with a rich spiritual
heritage and an everpresent
African undertone.
Matthews released his
album’s opener “Green
Grove,” setting the course
for what the entire project
is about. It’s a full-bodied
reflection of the South
and its hold on us both
spiritually and physically, an
extension of the blues.
The delicate and
harrowing sounds of the
blues are laced throughout
his latest album, tying folk
traditions with modernity.
The blues and Memphis rap
have a shared lineage and
close bond. The storytelling
and relationship with the
macabre in Three 6 Mafia’s
street renderings along with
the laments of Playa Fly are
glimpses into a sound and
tone unique to the Bluff City
and its blues legacy.
Matthews found a new
appreciation for the blues
at his former label Fat
Possum, which is primarily
known for signing many
Delta blues artists. “I was
exposed to these artists in a
literal way and felt a kinship
to them,” he spoke of his
time at Fat Possum. "These
were people living complex
and layered lives but were
very talented people. We
are from the same place.
This soil. We are fueled by
the same experiences and
what it means to be Black in
the South, and it manifests
in telling certain types of
stories.”
He began to excavate
his own family lineage,
revealing his ties to men in
his own past and bloodline,
reflecting on the ways it
mirrored the worlds of the
Deep South artists he was
getting to know through
their recordings.
There was a certain
level of African spirituality
woven into their music that
Matthews also expressed
in his music and visuals.
They are elements that,
along with the Christian
mythology that permeates
southern culture, highlight
the deep relationship
22 Music | Nov+Dec 2023 | focuslgbt.com