LAWRENCE MATTHEWS SHARES NEW SINGLE + VIDEO “BREONNA’S CURSE”

Jerrel Oron2 weeks ago2 weeks ago05 mins

BETWEEN MORTAL REACH & POSTHUMOUS GRIP DUE SEPTEMBER 16TH

Multi-hyphenate rapper, songwriter and artist Lawrence Matthews shares his new single “Breonna’s Curse,” today. Alongside the song, Matthews shares the touching visuals created by himself alongside his brother, Martin Matthews. “Breonna’s Curse” marks the first offering from Matthews’ forthcoming album Between Mortal Reach & Posthumous Grip since his tracks “Once More & Again (Our Mourning)” featuring Idi X Teco, “Limelight Honey” and “Green Grove (Our Loss), ” which The FADER described as “a tapestry of a track, weaving elements of hip-hop, soul, and breezy acoustic rock into a striking work of art.” Last year, Matthews spoke with Sam Hyland of Sammy’s World to dive deeper into how his hometown influences his art, what he has in store on his latest album and the current state of rap music.

Speaking about the new song and video, Matthews shares, “Breonna’s Curse” started as a poem written in 2021 as a response to things I was seeing in the media around Breonna Taylor’s life being taken. Growing up, getting home safe was something that was always stressed by our parents and loved ones. ‘Whatever you do, make sure you get home safe.’ You were supposed to have sanctuary at home. With her passing and the loss of Botham Jean, that warmth and safety I associate with being home was replaced with extreme anxiety.

I wanted to channel an energy of reclaiming that security and repelling anything that would seek to take it.

For the visual I chose to represent the pondering of that loss of innocence as well as the spaces and people who have curated that warmth and safety for me and many others. Some here, some passed on.”

On his debut album Between Mortal Reach & Posthumous Grip, Matthews introduces himself, focusing on the overlaps of his experiences with twisted confessions and deep longings. Anchored by sample-heavy production and clever wordplay, Between Mortal Reach & Posthumous Grip finds Matthews moving forward with bravado, quiet tenderness, seething anger, and a wistful melancholy, all while providing thoughtful discourse on art, mythology, blackness, and sexuality from the heart of the bible belt.

Inspired as much by Outkast as Bon Iver, Matthews shows himself as a fluid artist, finding the line between braggadocio and tender tamenting, shown so effectively on the contrasting songs “Limelight Honey” and “Breonna’s Curse.” On this album, Matthews finds a perfect balance between the dark and the light, between the devastating and the beautiful. Through these melancholic emotions, there is a strong throughline of joy. Joy in the form of an openness that allows a full range of expression, making way for a different type of beauty that embodies his southern home, a place that has formed Matthews. The turbulent yet inspiring story of “bluff city” is the story of Lawrence Matthews. And with that, Matthews leans into a more far-reaching version of himself that encapsulates all possibility. Infinitely abundant and expansive in every direction.