Lecrae often serves as the voice for those within the younger generation who seek the best path to follow God. As a gospel rapper who makes quality music, Lecrae reaches the thugs, strippers and the church leaders in the pulpit without comprising his overall message.
With the release of his latest mixture Church Clothes, Lecrae proves that hip-hop and the message of God can coexist while inspiring listeners to think about their choices.
Lecrae spoke to rolling out magazine about his new mixtape, his unforgettable appearance on the BET Hip-Hop Awards cypher and he provided insight on President Obama’s stance on gay marriage. –amir shaw
On the title track “Church Clothes,” you purposely rap as though you are conflicted about church life and life in the streets. What did you want the overall message to be?
That song is really calling out a lot of the elephants in the room. I got some friends who hate church and some friends who don’t really mess with faith. A lot of it is because they have seen a lot of inconsistencies and hypocrisy in the church and a lot of people were scared to talk about it. So I took on the perspective of a lot of people that I’ve talked with, and to call out some of the dirty laundry that does happen in the church. But on the flip side, I’m saying if you can show me a church with some Christians [who] are consistent and [who] are not trying to take advantage of people, then maybe there is a real opportunity for me to change my perspective.
A lot of people believed that you had one of the best verses on the BET Hip Hop Awards cypher back in October. How did that moment help your career?
It’s been good. A lot people think that I’m not interested in collaborating with other rappers and producers because of my views and my faith, but that was never the case. The BET Hip Hop Awards put me in the mix with a lot of incredible artists. I care about the craft and I wasn’t going to get up there sidestepping and playing around. I went on there and spit. A lot of people appreciate it and it’s done work.
President Barack Obama recently came out to support gay marriage. Do you think the black church will be divided by his decision?
I think that some people are going to have to understand politics. And politics is not church. It’s always a tricky thing. Because you have to wonder if the church is more concerned about people being married or [if] the church [is] more concerned about the relationships that people are having with each other. On the flip side, if you say “this is what I believe in and I believe it protects the sanctity of marriage,” then you’d have a valid point there. But I don’t think that you ever really win in the political game. You’re always going to lose some fans on one side of the fence or the other.
Watch Lecrae’s new video “Church Clothes”
