Life & Work with Renee Matthews Jackson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Renee Matthews Jackson.

Renee, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started young. My journey as an artist began long before I knew what the word artist meant.

Growing up in Cleveland, my brothers, sisters, cousins, and neighborhood friends transformed our backyard into a stage. My father hung bed sheets from clotheslines to create backstage curtains, and together we wrote plays, performed talent shows, sang, danced, and entertained anyone willing to watch. Those childhood productions taught me that storytelling begins with imagination, not a building.

My mother, an educator, made sure our lives were balanced with learning, culture, and community. She exposed us to books, theatre, music, museums, and experiences that expanded our imaginations. My parents nurtured both my creativity and my curiosity.

That foundation grew into a lifelong career in the arts. Today, I am a playwright, journalist, poet, actor, director, producer, and arts advocate. Through my work—including BONE PICKIN’ and That Theatre Place Online Magazine—I strive to preserve Black history, celebrate artists, and tell stories that deserve to be remembered.

Looking back, I realize those backyard performances were more than childhood fun. They were the beginning of a life’s calling. My father gave me my first stage, my mother gave me the confidence to stand on it, and together they taught me that art has the power to connect communities, preserve history, and inspire future generations.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Overall, my road has been remarkably smooth. There have been a few cobblestones and more than a few pebbles in my shoes, but I’ve never allowed them to stop my journey.

One of my greatest struggles was recognizing the value of my own work. For many years, I knew what I was creating was worth more than what I was being paid to produce it. Like many artists, I poured my heart into every project, often placing the work above the compensation. It took time to understand that passion and purpose should never require us to undervalue ourselves.

Today, I still pour that same passion into everything I create, but I’ve also learned that artists must advocate for the value of their work. Every play, article, poem, and production is stitched together with intention, discipline, and love. That realization has been one of the most important lessons of my artistic journey.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ll speak in the 3rd person.

Renee Matthews Jackson, widely recognized online as #MotherRapper1, is a Cleveland, Ohio–based educator, playwright, journalist, poet, director, producer, and multidisciplinary artist. Through her primary social media identity, @TheOfficialMotherRapper, and her creative banner, RENEEissance Arts, she has cultivated a distinctive artistic voice rooted in spoken-word performance, theatre, and cultural storytelling.

Despite the name, MotherRapper is not defined by traditional hip-hop. Instead, she fuses rhythmic spoken word, theatrical performance, poetry, and dramatic monologue into an expressive style that bridges literature and live performance.

Under her companion creative identity, Poetryality, Renee shares original poetry that explores truth, spirituality, humanity, and everyday life through a deeply reflective lens. The name itself merges poetry and reality, embodying her belief that poetry is not an escape from life but one of its clearest expressions.

Her work ranges from powerful interpretations of literary classics—such as Langston Hughes’ Mother to Son—to original spoken-word performances and thoughtful commentary on music, theatre, and the arts. Whether on stage, in print, or online, Renee’s mission remains the same: to preserve culture, amplify overlooked voices, and inspire others through the transformative power of storytelling.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was delightfully all over the place. The smallest things fascinated me.

Every summer, I spent time with my grandmother in Uledi, Pennsylvania, where she lived in a little valley surrounded by my daddy’s family. I could pick apples straight from the trees and gather blueberries until my hands and mouth looked like I’d been sucking on an ink pen. Those summers nurtured my curiosity and taught me to appreciate the simple beauty of nature.

My mother enrolled me in dance and voice lessons when I was young, while my father always said we didn’t need many friends because we had enough siblings and cousins. Looking back, he was right. Most of my siblings and cousins are still my closest lifelong friends, along with my dear friends Joyce and Mary.

Books became my passport to places I’d never seen. My siblings affectionately called me “weird,” but I never minded. I liked seeing the world a little differently. With eleven children in our house at one point, life was never boring. We had food fights, dessert auctions, eating contests, and enough laughter to fill every room. My childhood was delightful.

I was shy and introverted—until someone handed me a stage or challenged me to perform. That’s when I found my voice. Looking back, I realize that little girl never disappeared. She simply found more stages on which to tell her stories.

Pricing:

• Rmj.digital art – $500.-$1,500.
• “Seed for My Wheat field” Book of collected poetry $20.
• Grant/Proposal Writing for Nonprofits – $90. per hour (max 10 hrs.)
• Dramaturge Services – $100. per hour

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.instagram.com/theofficialmotherrapper/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficialmotherrapper/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/renee.matthews.jackson.2025/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renee-matthews-jackson-aa-ba-ma-952b662ab/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThatTheatrePlaceMagazine