''All Things Work Together'' is the eighth
studio album by American
Christian hip hop
Christian hip hop (originally gospel rap, also known as Christian rap, gospel hip hop or holy hip hop) is a subgenre of contemporary Christian music and hip hop music. It emerged from urban contemporary music and Christian media in the United ...
artist
Lecrae
Lecrae Devaughn Moore (born October 9, 1979), mononymously known as Lecrae, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record and film producer, record executive, actor, and entrepreneur.
He is the president, co-owner and co-founder of the in ...
, released on September 22, 2017, through
Reach Records
Reach Records is an American independent record label specializing in Christian hip hop. The label was founded in 2004 by Ben Washer and the hip-hop artist Lecrae. In addition to Lecrae, the Reach Records roster contains artists like Tedashii, ...
and
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
, also making it his first major label release. The album features appearances from
Tori Kelly
Victoria Loren Kelly (born December 14, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter, and voice actress. She first gained recognition after posting videos on YouTube as a teenager, and made it through to Hollywood week on the ninth season of ''Americ ...
,
Ty Dolla Sign
Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...
, 1K Phew,
Kierra Sheard
Kierra Valencia "Kiki" Sheard-Kelly (born June 20, 1987) is an American gospel singer. She is the daughter of gospel singer Karen Clark-Sheard (member of gospel singing group the Clark Sisters) and granddaughter of gospel choral director Matt ...
, Taylor Hill,
Aha Gazelle
William Gazelle Fields Jr. (born September 25, 1993), professionally known as Aha Gazelle, is an American rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. In 2012, he had a project released called #TeamGMG. In 2014, Aha released his first official mixtape, '' ...
, Jawan Harris and
Verse Simmonds
Maurice "Verse" Simmonds is a Puerto Rican/Virgin Islander rapper, singer, composer, record producer, and record executive. Based in Los Angeles, California but raised in the Virgin Islands, he moved to the United States after high school and he ...
.
Background
''All Things Work Together'' follows to Lecrae's 2016
mixtape ''
Church Clothes 3'' and 2014 studio album ''
Anomaly
Anomaly may refer to:
Science
Natural
*Anomaly (natural sciences)
** Atmospheric anomaly
** Geophysical anomaly
Medical
* Congenital anomaly (birth defect), a disorder present at birth
** Physical anomaly, a deformation of an anatomical struct ...
''.
In December 2016, Lecrae confirmed that a new album was in the works for 2017 in an interview with
Rapzilla
Rapzilla is a Christian hip hop online magazine. The website contains many sections such as latest news, album reviews, articles, interviews, music downloads, videos, release dates, and columns. Rapzilla is known for its up-to-date news.
The we ...
. He kept details of the features under wraps, saying he's been in the studio with "a lot of people", but did however confirm
Tori Kelly
Victoria Loren Kelly (born December 14, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter, and voice actress. She first gained recognition after posting videos on YouTube as a teenager, and made it through to Hollywood week on the ninth season of ''Americ ...
was featured.
Upon his signing with
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
, Lecrae worked with producers such as
Boi-1da
Matthew Jehu Samuels (born October 12, 1986), known professionally as Boi-1da ( , a play on "boy wonder"), is a Jamaican-Canadian record producer and songwriter based in Toronto, Ontario.
The Toronto raised producer has worked with a variety o ...
,
T-Minus
A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...
, Pluss,
Dem Jointz
Dwayne Allen Abernathy Jr. (born July 17, 1976), better known by his stage name Dem Jointz, is an American record producer. He has produced tracks for numerous artists including Rihanna, Anderson .Paak, and NCT, among others. He also co-produce ...
, REO, Go Grizzly, Ayo the Producer,
Swoope and
DJ Frank E
Justin Franks, known professionally as DJ Frank E, is an American DJ and record producer from Denver, Colorado.
Frank E started working closely with Adelio Lombardi, founder of Side 3 Entertainment and owner of Side 3 Studios in Denver, while ...
.
The album title, ''All Things Work Together'' is a biblical reference to Romans 8:28.
In an interview with ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'', Lecrae explained the message of the album and the creative process by saying: "This was a hard project for me. It took a long time. I recorded about 60-70 records, and these 14 are the ones that stuck. It was a lot of emotional stuff, and we we're like, 'We need to find some light in the midst of all these songs,' because they sounded so dark......I hope that they understand there is hope in the chaos. I hope that they get that God loves them and there is nothing they can do about it – it's an unrelenting pursuit of you – and I want people to feel that. I want people to feel that they can make it."
Promotion
On October 21, 2016, Lecrae released the album's lead single "Can't Stop Me Now (Destination)". On January 21, 2017, he released the second single "Blessings" featuring
Ty Dolla Sign
Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...
. In June 2017, Lecrae released "
I'll Find You" as the featuring
Tori Kelly
Victoria Loren Kelly (born December 14, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter, and voice actress. She first gained recognition after posting videos on YouTube as a teenager, and made it through to Hollywood week on the ninth season of ''Americ ...
as the third single and "Hammer Time" featuring 1K Phew as a promotional single. On August 8, 2017, Lecrae announced the title of the album, ''All Things Work Together''.
Concerts and touring
On August 3, 2017, Lecrae was a guest on
Nick Cannon
Nicholas Scott Cannon (born October 8, 1980) is an American television host, actor, rapper, and comedian. In television, Cannon began as a teenager on ''All That'' before going on to host ''The Nick Cannon Show'', ''Wild 'n Out'', ''America's G ...
's ''
Wild 'n Out
''Wild 'N Out'' is an American sketch comedy and improv game show series that was created and is hosted by musician and comedian Nick Cannon currently airing on VH1. It debuted on July 28, 2005 on MTV.
In April 2019, the series had been rene ...
'', where he also performed "Blessings".
On August 8, 2017, Lecrae announced the All Things Work Together tour along with the album title. The Tour will be starting on October 4 running through December 5, stopping through 24 cities throughout North America.
On September 22, 2017, Lecrae performed "I'll Find You" with
Tori Kelly
Victoria Loren Kelly (born December 14, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter, and voice actress. She first gained recognition after posting videos on YouTube as a teenager, and made it through to Hollywood week on the ninth season of ''Americ ...
on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
's ''
Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. ...
''.
On December 21, 2017, Lecrae performed "Broke" on
BET's ''
The Rundown With Robin Thede''.
In January 2018, a second leg of the All Things Work Together tour was announced, running from February to June in the United States, Europe and Africa.
Critical reception
Writing for Jesus Freak Hideout, David Craft awarded the album three out of five stars, lamenting that "the album is not as subversive as it thinks, and much of its construct seems to rely on
hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mech ...
meretricious assumption," and concludes by noting that "''All Things Work Together'' is a middle-of-the-road album."
Also writing for Jesus Freak Hideout, Kevin Hoskins had a more favorable opinion, and in his four star review, stated that "throughout ''All Things Works Together'', the production is hot, Crae spits fire, and most tracks are worthy to be on any
Reach
Reach or REACH may refer to:
Companies and organizations
* Reach plc, formerly Trinity Mirror, large British newspaper, magazine, and digital publisher
* Reach Canada, an NGO in Canada
* Reach Limited, an Asia Pacific cable network company
...
release."
Aaron McKrell of HipHopDX described the album as "Lecrae at his rawest". He praised the content of the album by saying "......is the culmination of Lecrae’s unapologetic faith combined with his ambition to spread his message through Hip Hop. His naked honesty and knack for conveying relatable emotions make the album one of his best projects to date."
Commercial performance
''All Things Work Together'' debuted at number 11 on the
''Billboard'' 200 selling 29,227 equivalent copies (20,322 in pure album sales).
It also charted at number 1 on the
Christian Albums Chart and number 6 on the
Rap Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated Jan ...
chart.
Track listing
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.
Notes
* signifies a co-
producer
* signifies an additional producer
Sample credits
* "Can't Stop Me Now (Destination)" contains elements from "Djohariah", written and performed by
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens ( ; born July 1, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released nine solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nomi ...
* "8:28" contains elements from "Indecision", written and performed by Sampha.
Personnel
* 1K Phew – featured artist
*
Aha Gazelle
William Gazelle Fields Jr. (born September 25, 1993), professionally known as Aha Gazelle, is an American rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. In 2012, he had a project released called #TeamGMG. In 2014, Aha released his first official mixtape, '' ...
– featured artist
* Alex Medina – producer
* Ayo the Producer – producer
*
Boi-1da
Matthew Jehu Samuels (born October 12, 1986), known professionally as Boi-1da ( , a play on "boy wonder"), is a Jamaican-Canadian record producer and songwriter based in Toronto, Ontario.
The Toronto raised producer has worked with a variety o ...
– additional production
*
Childish Major
Markus Alandrus Randle (born July 4, 1991) known professionally as Childish Major, is an American rapper and record producer based in Atlanta, Georgia. He initially rose to fame as the producer of the 2013 Rocko single, "U.O.E.N.O.", which peake ...
– vocals
* Colin Leonard – mastering engineer
*
Danny Majic
Daniel Majic, or Danny Majic is a Croatian American record producer based in Los Angeles, CA. Majic has produced and written songs for G-Eazy, OneRepublic, Eminem 2 Chainz, Lecrae, Calum Scott, Galantis, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Galantis, Davi ...
– producer
*
Dem Jointz
Dwayne Allen Abernathy Jr. (born July 17, 1976), better known by his stage name Dem Jointz, is an American record producer. He has produced tracks for numerous artists including Rihanna, Anderson .Paak, and NCT, among others. He also co-produce ...
– producer
*
DJ Dahi
Dacoury Dahi Natche (born March 10, 1983), professionally known as DJ Dahi, is an American DJ, songwriter, record producer and singer from Inglewood, California. Dahi is perhaps best known for producing " Money Trees" by American rapper Kendric ...
– producer, sleigh bells
*
DJ Frank E
Justin Franks, known professionally as DJ Frank E, is an American DJ and record producer from Denver, Colorado.
Frank E started working closely with Adelio Lombardi, founder of Side 3 Entertainment and owner of Side 3 Studios in Denver, while ...
– producer
*
DJ Khalil
Khalil Abdul-Rahman Hazzard (born October 16, 1973), professionally known as DJ Khalil, is an American music producer and DJ from Los Angeles. He is the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Self Scientific (along with rapper Chace Infinite) an ...
– producer
*
Don Clark – art direction, graphic design
* Ekemini Uwan – additional vocals
* Fernando Cuellar – assistant engineer
* Go Grizzly – producer
* J Stevenson – recording engineer
* John Lanier - recording engineer
* J-Hill – producer, electric guitar
* Jacob "Biz" Morris – recording engineer, mixing engineer
* Jason Romero – assistant engineer
* Jawan Harris – featured artist
* Jeremy Stevenson – A&R
* John Horesco IV – mastering engineer
* Jonathan Azu – A&R
* Joshua Kissi – photography
* Keyzbaby – producer, keyboards
* Kiarra Sheard – featured artist
*
Koen Heldens
Koen Heldens is a Dutch born mix engineer residing in Miami Florida. Koen started his career in 2003 and rose to prominence in 2017 when he started working with the late XXXTentacion with which he earned a Guinness World Records for most streame ...
– mixing engineer
*
Manny Marroquin
Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is an American mixing engineer.Daley, Dan (May 2005).Manny Marroquin. ''Sound on Sound''. Retrieved February 10, 2007 He has received ten Grammy awards for his professional audio work.
Life and career
...
- mixing engineer
* Scott Desmarais - mixing engineer
* Robin Florent - mixing engineer
* Miles Walker - mixing engineer
*
Lecrae
Lecrae Devaughn Moore (born October 9, 1979), mononymously known as Lecrae, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record and film producer, record executive, actor, and entrepreneur.
He is the president, co-owner and co-founder of the in ...
– primary artist
* Lewis Sky – additional vocals
*
Metro Boomin
Leland Tyler Wayne (born September 16, 1993), professionally known as Metro Boomin, is an American record producer, record executive, beatmaker, and DJ. He is known for his dark production style and its influence on modern hip hop and trap.
...
– producer
* Natalie Lauren – A&R
* Nija – featured artist, additional vocals
* Nikhil "Kromatik" Seetharam – co-producer
*
No I.D.
Ernest Dion Wilson (born June 23, 1971), professionally known as No I.D. (formerly Immenslope), is an American hip hop and R&B producer from Chicago, Illinois. Wilson is also a disc jockey (DJ), music arranger and former rapper, having releas ...
– producer, bass guitar
* Perfekt – vocals
* PLUSS – producer
* Ramon "REO" Owen – producer
* Ryan Jumper – assistant engineer
*
Swoope – producer, keyboards
* T-Minus – producer
* Tane Runo – producer
* Tariq Beats – producer
* Taylor Hill – producer, featured artist, keyboards
*
The Futuristiks
Mike & Keys (formerly known as The Futuristiks) are an American hip hop production and songwriting duo from Los Angeles, California that consists of Money Mike (born Michael Ray Cox, Jr.) and J-Keys (born John Groover).
History
J-Keys, born ...
– producer
* Tony Evans – additional vocals
*
Ty Dolla $ign
Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...
– featured artist
*
Verse Simmonds
Maurice "Verse" Simmonds is a Puerto Rican/Virgin Islander rapper, singer, composer, record producer, and record executive. Based in Los Angeles, California but raised in the Virgin Islands, he moved to the United States after high school and he ...
– featured artist
* Wordsplayed – producer
* Zach Paradis – recording engineer
*
Devvon Terrell – recording engineer
Charts
References
{{Authority control
Lecrae albums
2017 albums
Reach Records albums
Columbia Records albums
Albums produced by Boi-1da
Albums produced by DJ Dahi
Albums produced by DJ Frank E
Albums produced by DJ Khalil
Albums produced by Metro Boomin
Albums produced by No I.D.
Albums produced by T-Minus (record producer)