When Allston Pudding premiered Lewis Morris’ track “Underwater” earlier this year, it was part of a concept album then-titled Eucatastrophe. But the poet, rapper, and educator found that the title wasn’t catching, and he kept having to over-explain why this J.R.R. Tolkien method of storytelling was an apt description of this hip hop album about personal growth. So just like any hero’s journey, the album has undergone an evolution to better understand itself. Morris pulled a phrase from his slam poetry days and renamed the album Don’t Be Nice.
In a poetry slam, the audience will tell the poet, “Don’t be nice.” It’s giving permission for the performer to be their truest authentic self. “It’s the difference between being nice and being kind,” Morris says. “Nice is what you’re ‘supposed to be,’ which automatically makes it inauthentic. I’m all about being kind — an authentic self.” Now Morris’ songwriting process is different than his poetry writing process, but his verses ring just as true as spoken word. Morris says the album is, “the narrative trajectory of me reaching the point of allowing myself to be my true authentic self, which equals self love and self accountability. I’m exploring those frailties, growth, and challenges, and how I eventually get there by the conclusion of the album.”
Unlike his previous projects, Morris made a concerted effort to be in the recording studio with his featured artists. He previously recorded by himself in his living room or at MassART in their “rinky dink” studios with cheap mics, but this time around, he took the time to make sure he connected with people to help with mixing. “I made it so the only thing I worry about is the creative process of creating beats and writing rhymes. This process taught me trust. I have to trust other people with my stuff so music is not such an insular process in my head to create.” He’s also proud of the amount of other voices he added to his tracks. He says, “Music should be collaborative…For me, it’s something I share with friends and share with people.”
From the beginning, Jesse the Tree (one of Morris’ closest friends from Providence and one of his favorite MCs) and Slitty Wrists signed up for some of the first songs on the album. “Diagnosis” dives right into the sheer magnitude of trying to get ahead of mental illness, spitting, “You ever try and diagnose the ocean? Something that wide and vast, impossible task,” and the track “Get a Job” addresses the similarly monumental task of trying to get ahead of bills when obstacles like low pay, lack of reliable transportation, and needing to watch your kids are somehow never addressed when someone tells you to just “get a job.” “Slitty only had one take for his verse. He nailed it the first time!” Morris recalls.
“Chasing Echoes feat. Sly Quixote” is a layered masterpiece that Morris calls a “nightmare.” The instrumentals comprised of five separate samples couldn’t be more different — R&B cut together with an Italian erotic horror film score, a flamenco joint, and more become a bittersweet melody that underscores Morris’ verses about making his home in Providence slams while dealing with systemic racism.
Photo by Jawzwa
But Don’t Be Nice also knows how to have fun. For “Ribeye,” Morris had been eyeing Brandie Blaze for a feature that started from a germ of an idea at Oompa’s album release show. He wanted to write a diss track, but with no one in particular because he doesn’t “engage with beef with anyone like that,” he says. “It’s an amalgamation of things I’ve seen at rap shows: someone brings an entourage, acts like they’re too good to be at a basement show, hogs the mic for 2 hours performing songs…It’s a stereotype of that kind of MC.” He also makes a shoutout to “Bob Ross” and the track features the painter’s famous quote, “We don’t make mistakes, there’s just happy accidents.” Morris and his mom have always been fans of Ross, but it’s only recently that Morris has tried painting for himself. The album art for Don’t Be Nice is his own creation, featuring a microphone being struck by lightning. Morris says, “Sometimes I’m watching him and have no idea where he’s going, then all of sudden, it’s a beautiful landscape. How did we get here? Like with life, sometimes it’s a desolate dark place and all of a sudden, you’re not sure what work you put in, you just know you’re happy. That was a big draw to me writing that track.”
Some of the final elements to tie this album together were inviting spoken word poets Amanda Shea and SublimeLuv. Morris is very particular about what kind of poems go over his beats, which is why he doesn’t perform his own poetry over his songs. “Seasons feat. SublimeLuv” and “Trust Fall feat. Amanda Shea & Jesse the Tree” create some connective tissue back to Morris’ spoken word poetry origins. He’s known SublimeLuv since their days at “If You Can Feel It You Can Speak It” at Bella Luna (RIP), and he’s been aware of Amanda Shea for a long time, and first had the opportunity to speak with her during an open mic at Dorchester Art Project in January. Jesse the Tree was already on “Trust Fall,” a song about the double talk that happens in an anxious brain, and Amanda provides spoken word and vocals, so it’s all these conflicting voices overlaid. Morris says, “It’s really hard to parse out which [voice] has your best interests at heart.” But listening to the whole album, you know Morris is the hero who will return from his journey victorious.
Listen to Don’t Be Nice below and join the album release party on Dorchester Art Project’s Twitch channel Saturday August 22 at 8pm. More information here.