Lawrence Burney is born and raised in Baltimore, MD. He is currently a writer in New York City, where he serves as a Senior Editor at leading music publication, The FADER. He created the media platform, True Laurels, in 2011. True Laurels is dedicated to highlighting Baltimore's most captivating music, visual arts, and the surrounding culture that informs both—all of which is done through a variety of mediums. True Laurels’ print component is a biannual publication which started in 2013 and features artists from the Baltimore and DMV region through diaries, interviews, profiles, and photo essays. In August of 2018, True Laurels launched a weekly show on Red Bull Radio which intertwines music from Baltimore and The DMV with music being made throughout the African diaspora in an attempt to present the narratives of these artists as different branches of the same tree, all trying to affirm their identities through sound.