Christian artists have often found it hard to be embraced by a mainstream audience, with the thought of bringing rap and faith together sparking up countless debates in hip-hop for many years. But one man has triumphed, becoming perhaps the most successful Christian hip-hop artist ever.
Lecrae is one of very few rap artists winning in the Christian genre as his album Anomaly hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2014. But not only is he a chart-topper, he is also a Grammy winner, grabbing awards for ‘Best Gospel Album’ in 2013 and ‘Best Gospel Performance’ and ‘Best Contemporary Christian Song’ in 2015.
After releasing his eighth studio album, All Things Work Together, last September – featuring artists such as Tori Kelly and Ty Dolla $ign – Texas-born Lecrae is now embarking on part two of his global tour. He spoke to Pride during his stop in the UK, telling all about his journey to the top, and how combining his faith with his rap roots made a perfect match.
So Lecrae, there are only a few well-known Christian hip-hop artists – what do you think separates you from them?
Lecrae: I think a part of my success comes from being very authentic. Some people who come from a more church background – when they try to rap, it’s not necessarily their first language and not authentic to who they are. I’m from hip-hop, I’m from the culture, it’s what I know – and then I had a spiritual transformation. So it’s just very authentic, and I think people connect to it; whether or not they are religious, they can just taste the authenticity.
Lecrae
Which came first: your desire to make music or your dedication to Christianity?
Lecrae: Definitely the desire to make music. I grew up seeing my uncles watching rap videos, and all that made me want to rap since I was like, 11 years old. And when I was 19, I had a spiritual transformation. I was like, ‘Oh man, what am I living for? What is my purpose and who is God?’ So I didn’t mind talking about that in my music. You hear Kanye when he does ‘Jesus Walks’, and Lauryn Hill’s ‘To Zion’ – all these spiritual elements in music gave me the courage and confidence to talk about my own journey.
Has there ever been a temptation to go into traditional gospel music?
Lecrae: It’s funny; I have never felt comfortable with gospel music. I love gospel, I love Kirk Franklin, he is a great mentor of mine, but I’ve never felt comfortable doing it. I didn’t grow up wearing suits and I didn’t go church – I just knew I loved God. It’s no shade or anything, but I just would not be in my own skin if I were to pursue full on gospel.
What is the meaning behind the title of your newest album ‘All Things Work Together’?
Lecrae: It came from me wanting to express to people the struggles that we go through helping us in the end. I was going through a lot of depression at one point – things like that can work towards making a better version of yourself. If you take raw eggs, a stick of butter, and a cup of flour – no one wants to eat that on its own. But when you mix that together, and refine it under the heat, now it’s something good. And that’s what the pain and the tears do: they build endurance, they build strength, they build character. You become a stronger version of yourself.
Lecrae
Was the hip-hop scene embracing of you when you first started, or did it take a while for people to warm to you?
Lecrae: It took a while, because people didn’t know which category I belonged in. I remember I opened for Schoolboy Q and I guess he didn’t like how the audience responded and he said, ‘Do you want Kirk Franklin to come back out here?’ It wasn’t until I started collaborating more, and you’d see me in a video with Kendrick [Lamar] or Big K.R.I.T., and people would realise: ‘Oh okay, so he is us and he is different’. That is what kept things going.
You collaborate with a range of different artists – Ty Dollar $ign is on your album, for example. Do you feel a difference when you are making music with people who are more mainstream, as opposed to Christian artists?
Lecrae: Yeah, at first working with some mainstream artists, they treat you like an alien. ‘Can I touch you?’ Do you bleed? Can I drink? Can I smoke in front of you?’ Like, I can really appreciate when Ty, for example, was just himself – he didn’t try and be anything else. That is what I appreciate because I will always be myself; so I want you to be comfortable in your skin because I am comfortable in mine. I am not going to do or say something I don’t feel comfortable with, and you shouldn’t either.
If we’re in the studio and y’all going on about a conversation about all the orgies y’all had and you don’t feel a way about talking about that and then I am not going to feel a way about sharing what I was praying about last night – not Ty specifically, by the way! [He laughs.] If you are comfortable, then I am comfortable. That is what makes those relationships work.
Lecrae (centre) meets Entertainment Editor Nicole (left) and writer Ngina (right)
Who else would you love to collaborate with?
Lecrae: The list is never-ending. Since I’m out here and he just had a big moment, I love Stormzy and even him addressing his spirituality… I would love to not even collaborate, just to talk with him would be awesome. There are so many people I would love to work with, but absolute bucket list for me would be OutKast.
Seeing as you’re right here in the UK: what do you love about your UK fans?
Lecrae: I love being invited into another culture – and there is a huge West Indian population out here. I just love reggae music, I love the culture, and I love the food. And there is a huge African population as well. I got a tour in Africa coming up this summer! The culture is just mixed, people from the Middle East, India, it’s just ‘POW!’ right here! I can just soak it all in.
And finally, what is one word that you’d use to sum up your ideal 2018?
Lecrae: Wow, that’s a good one. It might be cliché, but ‘hope’. I believe that hope is how people make it. It is the evidence of the things I have seen. It is something you cannot touch, but you’re looking forward to. If you could touch it, then you wouldn’t be hopeful for it. With hope, you don’t give up – you press through and come out the other side.
Lecrae performs in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda in June 2018. For more information, head to www.lecrae.com
Interview by Ngina Mwendo
