A reintroduction; maximalist hip hop with something darker under the surface

Memphis rooted Lawrence Matthews, f.k.a. Don Lifted, returns with his first offering of 2023 with the single "Green Grove (Our Loss)." Interlaced with samples and original production from Matthews, "Green Grove (Our Loss)" is a track saluting the past while looking toward the future. Arriving with the song is the black and white visualizer shot on film by Matthews and his brother Martin Matthews including vignettes of streets, fields and bonfires in Tennessee.

Speaking about the roots of "Green Grove (Our Loss)," Matthews said, "We’ve been describing this as southern gothic. It’s all the things we know and love from the possibilities of maximalist hip hop but with something darker under the surface; something rooted in the southern experience and the soil."

The journey of Lawrence Matthews is the journey of trying to move toward better versions of self, navigating between the horror and the beauty. Though both are often imagined as opposing forces, they often live in the same space. Matthews navigates this space as an extension of the southern gothic voices with whom he is aligned and emerges as somewhat of a Morrisonian beloved ghost, a child who needed more. Now, fully grown as a manifestation of love and bitterness intertwined coming for what is his.

…something darker under the surface; something rooted in the southern experience and the soil.

His work in nearly every area of the arts is an amalgamation of his whole life. As a young artist he’d create with the rap, soul and alternative rock references he’d come in contact with. Introduced to new sounds by way of underground mixtapes and 2000s video countdowns, these sonics blended with the eccentricities of acts like Outkast and grittier more reality-driven music from the south creating a diverse palate that Matthews pulls from when crafting the imagery that populates his own art.

Shedding the Don Lifted alias, Matthews reintroduces himself as just that - himself. Matthews decided it was time to harness his truest form as a creative. He ventured into the unexplored corners of himself, places and stories forgotten or suppressed behind traumatic environments and a survivalist mentality. Now a reborn artist, Matthews is intentional about aligning himself with others. That intention is a thread in his new musical journey, as he aligns his stories with the stories of those who came before him and walks alongside their traditions.

As Don Lifted, Matthews released three full lengths. In 2017 and 2018, he released both Alero and Contour, the latter of which features the stand out track "Muirfield" and in 2021, Don Lifted released 325i to which The FADER stated "Matthews has sharpened his sound, maturing as a songwriter and producer."

Stay tuned for more music from Lawrence Matthews coming soon.