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Lecrae Devaughn Moore (born October 9, 1979) is an American Christian rapper, singer-songwriter, actor, and recording producer and executive. Since having begun his career in 2004, he has released ten studio albums and four mixtapes as a solo artist, as well as recording with the hip-hop collective 116, which he co-founded. Lecrae's first two studio albums, '' Real Talk'' (2004) and '' After the Music Stops'' (2006), were both released independently and met with critical praise. His third, '' Rebel'' (2008), became the first Christian hip-hop album to peak atop the ''Billboard'' Top Gospel Albums, and his first to enter the ''Billboard'' 200. After the release of his fourth album, '' Rehab'' (2010), Lecrae began attracting mainstream attention following his performance at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards Cypher, and his guest appearance on Statik Selektah's single " Live and Let Live" that same year. His sixth album, ''
Gravity In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force b ...
'' (2012), and has been called the most important album in Christian hip hop history by
Rapzilla Rapzilla is a Christian hip hop online magazine. The website contains recent news, albums reviews, articles, interviews, music downloads, videos, release dates, and columns. History Rapzilla was founded in 2003 by Philip Rood, who was the chi ...
and '' Atlanta Daily World''. Along with continued critical praise, it peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' 200 and made Lecrae the first hip hop artist to win in the category of Best Gospel Album — at the
55th Annual Grammy Awards The 55th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 10, 2013, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ...
. His seventh album, '' Anomaly'' (2014), became his first to debut atop the ''Billboard'' 200, as well as the first album to peak both the ''Billboard'' 200 and Top Gospel Album charts simultaneously. In May 2016, Lecrae signed with
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
. He released his third mixtape, '' Church Clothes 3'' (2016), his eighth album, '' All Things Work Together'' (2017), and his collaborative album with American record producer
Zaytoven Xavier Lamar Dotson (born January 12, 1980), known professionally as Zaytoven, is an American record producer from Atlanta, Georgia. He has released collaborative projects with artists including Gucci Mane, Usher, Future, Young Dolph, Mig ...
, '' Let the Trap Say Amen'' (2018). He left Columbia in early 2020, and released his tenth album, '' Restoration'', in August of that year. He has co-founded three media entities: the record label Reach Records in 2004, the now-defunct non-profit organization ReachLife Ministries in 2007, and the film production studio 3 Strand Films in 2019. Lecrae received nominations for Artist of the Year at the 43rd, 44th, 45th, and 46th
GMA Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards ceremonies presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee exce ...
s, the last of which he won, and for Best Gospel Artist at the
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
and 2015 BET Awards, the latter of which he won, a first for a rap artist. Lecrae's filmography includes a role in the television film ''A Cross to Bear'' (2012) and brief roles in the comedy film '' Believe Me'' (2014), crime film '' Superfly'' (2018), and Christian drama film '' Breakthrough'' (2019). Lecrae has presented on and written about racial tension and
injustice Injustice is a quality relating to unfairness or undeserved outcomes. The term may be applied in reference to a particular event or situation, or to a larger status quo. In Western philosophy and jurisprudence, injustice is very commonly—but ...
in the United States as well as advocated for the preservation of responsibility and fatherhood values among men in the United States. In 2013, he partnered with
Dwyane Wade Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. ( or , born January 17, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who is currently the co-owner of the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association. He is also currently the host of the American a ...
and Joshua DuBois in the multimedia initiative ''This Is Fatherhood'' as part of the
Obama administration Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, took office following his victory over Republican nomine ...
's Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative, and in 2020 during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
worked with Love Beyond Walls to distribute hand-washing stations and food to homeless people in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
.


Life and career


Early life

Lecrae was raised by his single mother in a poor neighborhood in southern
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
. Shortly after his birth, he moved to
Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
, away from his father, then to
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
. At the age of 6, he was sexually abused by his babysitter. As a teenager, his role models were the rapper
Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...
and his uncle, a member of a street gang.Jonathan Landrum Jr.
Christian rapper Lecrae opens up about troubled past in book
seattletimes.com, USA, May 12, 2016
At age 16, he began using
drugs A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestio ...
, trying almost every substance except crack and
heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...
. He started stealing in high school and dealing drugs, using his grandmother's
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
as a lucky charm.Steve Almasy,
For the rapper, a new life, a new message
, cnn.com, USA, November 10, 2010
He was arrested for possession of drugs, but the policeman who arrested him discovered his Bible and made him promise that, if he let Lecrae go, he would live according to biblical principles from now on. Subsequently, he began rehab. He dropped drugs but replaced them with alcohol and partying. Lecrae received a scholarship to study theater at the
University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public university, public research university located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Its main campus is in Denton, Texas, Denton, with a satellite campus in Frisco, Texas, Frisco. It serves as the ...
, and graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences in 2002. He also briefly attended
Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a Public university, public research university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight Undergraduate education, undergraduate colleges as ...
. At 19, he went to a Bible study after being invited by a girl from college. He was amazed to see people like himself there, who liked the same books and music, but who were loving. He decided to live for God, but continued to make bad choices. Following a friend's invitation, he attended a Christian conference in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
and was impressed by the performance of a Christian rap group, The Cross Movement. He was also touched by a clear presentation of the gospel by Pastor James White (o
Christ Our King Community Church
. He then asked forgiveness for his sins and claimed to have experienced a
new birth To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...
. Subsequently, he was in a car accident but came out unscathed. In 2003, in a Bible study meeting a
Denton Bible Church
in
Denton, Texas Denton is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Denton County, Texas, Denton County. With a population of 139,869 as of 2020, it is the List of cities in Texas by population, 20th-most populous city in Texas, the List of Un ...
, he met Ben Washer, with whom he would volunteer and sing in a juvenile correctional facility. Young people's positive response to Christian rap encouraged them to start a label.


Early career (2004–2011)

In 2004, five years after his conversion, Lecrae teamed up with Ben Washer to found Reach Records, and at the age of 25 he released his first album, '' Real Talk''. The following year it was re-released by Cross Movement Records and reached No. 29 on the ''Billboard'' Gospel Albums chart, staying on the chart for 12 weeks. The album later received a nomination at the 2007
Stellar Awards A Stellar Award is an award presented by SAGMA to recognize achievements in the gospel music industry.Sagma
The Stel ...
. In 2005, Lecrae co-founded the non-profit organization ReachLife Ministries (no longer operational since April 2015), which equipped local Christian leaders with tools, media, curriculum, and conferences that were based on the teachings of the Bible and relevant to hip-hop culture. Also in 2005, the debut album of 116 Clique, '' The Compilation Album'', was released. After the success of ''Real Talk'', Lecrae then released his second studio album on August 15, 2006. ''After the Music Stops'' charted at No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' Gospel Albums chart, No. 7 on the ''Billboard''
Christian Albums Top Christian Albums is a weekly chart published in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the best-performing Christian albums in the United States. Like the ''Billboard'' 200, the data is compiled by Nielsen Soundscan based on each album's weekly ...
chart and No. 16 on the ''Billboard'' Heatseeker Album charts, and received a nomination for a
Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards ceremonies presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee exce ...
, as did the single " Jesus Muzik", featuring Trip Lee. In 2007, 116 Clique released its second album, '' 13 Letters'', reaching No. 10 on the Gospel Albums chart and No. 29 on the Christian Albums chart. 116 Clique also released the remix EP '' Amped'', which peaked at No. 24 on the Gospel Albums chart. On October 8, 2008, Lecrae's third album, '' Rebel'', entered the ''
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 ...
'' charts at No. 60 with 9,800 units sold and topped the ''Billboard'' Gospel Album charts for two weeks, the first hip-hop album to do so. It also charted at No. 2 on the Christian Albums chart and No. 15 on the Top Independent charts. In 2009, the album received a nomination at the 40th Dove Awards, as did the
Flame A flame () is the visible, gaseous part of a fire. It is caused by a highly exothermic chemical reaction made in a thin zone. When flames are hot enough to have ionized gaseous components of sufficient density, they are then considered plasm ...
song "Joyful Noise", which featured Lecrae and John Reilly. 2009 also saw Lecrae's first film role, when he appeared in the documentary ''Uprise Presents: Word from the Street'' by the UK-based TV channel OHTV. In 2009, he moved to
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
and he helped establish Blueprint Church (
Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestant, and the second-largest Chr ...
). On February 5, 2010, Lecrae released a charity single entitled "Far Away", a tribute to the victims of the
2010 Haiti earthquake The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake that struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest (departm ...
. Lecrae promised that all proceeds from the single's sales would go directly to the Haiti relief effort. On July 7, Lecrae announced on the Reach Records website that the title of his new album would be '' Rehab''. On August 5, 2010, Rapzilla shared a new song from Lecrae called "Amp It Up". Lecrae subsequently clarified on his Twitter account that the song was not a single from ''Rehab'', but rather a theme song for Kanakuk Kamps, a chain of Christian camps for which he writes songs annually. On August 31, 2010, Reach Records revealed the track list for ''Rehab'', released it for pre-order, and premiered a promotional video "Idols". A second promotional video, entitled "I Am Dust", debuted on September 9, 2010. Upon its release, ''Rehab'' hit No. 16 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, making it one of the highest selling Christian hip hop albums at that time. On September 22, 2010,
Rapzilla Rapzilla is a Christian hip hop online magazine. The website contains recent news, albums reviews, articles, interviews, music downloads, videos, release dates, and columns. History Rapzilla was founded in 2003 by Philip Rood, who was the chi ...
reported that the ''Rehab'' packaging came with an advertisement encouraging buyers to purchase another upcoming album, '' Rehab: The Overdose'', which saw release on January 11, 2011. It included 11 new songs and featured several other Christian artists such as Thi'sl and Swoope. ''Rehab: The Overdose'' debuted at No. 15 on the ''Billboard'' 200. On August 29, 2011, Lecrae announced through Twitter that on September 27, 2011, he would release a special edition of ''Rehab'', entitled ''Rehab: Deluxe Edition''. On the same day, 116 Clique released their fourth album, entitled ''Man Up''. On September 7, 2011, Rapzilla announced that Lecrae would be featured on the BET Hip Hop Awards Cypher on October 11, 2011. Lecrae gained popularity after his verse on the cypher trended nationwide on Twitter and was featured on AllHipHop. Lecrae then appeared as a feature on Statik Selektah's song "Live and Let Live" from his '' Population Control'' album.


Mainstream breakthrough (2012–2016)

On February 16, 2012, Rapzilla announced that Lecrae was preparing to release his first mixtape, '' Church Clothes''. On May 3, 2012, Lecrae premiered his music video for the title track of his ''Church Clothes'' mixtape online on '' XXL''. The video was noted for including cameos by
Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...
and DJ Premier, and attracted almost 20,000 views in less than a day. Hosted by Don Cannon, the mixtape featured the song ''Darkest Hour'', in which Lecrae collaborated with No Malice of
Clipse Clipse, also known as the Clipse, is an American hip-hop, hip hop duo from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Formed in 1994, it consists of brothers No Malice, Gene "Malice" and Pusha T, Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton. Pusha T was known as Terrar during t ...
. ''Church Clothes'' was downloaded more than 100,000 times in less than 48 hours on DatPiff.com, and in less than a month reached 250,000 downloads, a platinum rating on the website. On June 25, 2012, a
remastered A remaster is a change in the sound or image quality of previously created forms of media, whether Mastering (audio), audiophonic, Cinematography, cinematic, or Videography, videographic. The resulting product is said to be remastered. The term ...
version of the mixtape, without DJ Don Cannon, was released as an EP for sale on
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
. Due to issues with sampling, this version was much shorter with only seven songs. Upon its release, the EP debuted on the ''Billboard'' charts at No. 10 on both the Christian Albums and Gospel Albums charts for the week of July 14, 2012. On April 27, Lecrae announced that his next album, ''
Gravity In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force b ...
'', was to be released in late 2012, and recording sessions began in May. On June 21, 2012, Lecrae appeared live at the
Apple Store The Apple Store is a chain of Retail, retail stores owned and operated by Apple Inc. The stores sell, service and repair various Apple products, including Macintosh, Mac desktop and MacBook laptop personal computers, iPhone smartphones, iPad ta ...
in Chicago for Black Music Month. The release date for ''Gravity'', September 4, 2012, as well as the album artwork was announced on July 19, 2012, via Rapzilla. On August 30, 2012, the rapper
Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...
announced that Lecrae would be one of the featured artists on his upcoming album '' The Greatest Story Never Told Chapter 2: Bread and Circuses'', due November 6, 2012. ''Gravity'' was released on September 4, 2012, to critical acclaim. Upon its release, ''Gravity'' debuted at No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' 200, with 72,000 units sold. The album also debuted at No. 1 on the Christian, Gospel, Independent, and Rap Album charts, No. 3 on the Digital Albums chart, and 24 on the
Canadian Albums Chart The ''Billboard'' Canadian Albums is the official record chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given ...
. After the iTunes deluxe version of the album hit No. 1 on that vendors charts, and the regular version at number No. 2, ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' wrote an article about Lecrae and his success with the album. On November 7, 2013, Lecrae released his second mixtape, entitled '' Church Clothes Vol. 2'', hosted once again by Don Cannon. The mixtape debuted at No. 21 on the ''Billboard'' 200, No. 1 on the ''
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 ...
'' Christian Albums and Gospel Albums charts, and No. 3 on the Rap Albums chart. On Datpiff.com, the album was download over 146,000 times by November 26, 2013. On June 3, 2014, Lecrae announced through social media that his seventh studio album would be titled '' Anomaly''. The album released on September 9, 2014. It is supported by the single "Nuthin". It debuted at No. 1 on the ''
Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...
'' with over 88,000 copies sold through the first week. It is the first time an album tops both the ''Billboard'' 200 and the Gospel Albums chart. Lecrae also became the fifth artist following Chris Tomlin (2013), TobyMac (2012),
LeAnn Rimes Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (born August 28, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She originally rose to success as a country music artist at the age of 13 and has since crossed over into pop, contemporary Christian, and o ...
(1997) and Bob Carlisle (1997) to score a number one album on both Christian Albums and the ''Billboard'' 200. ''Anomaly'' also marks the sixth time that Lecrae topped the Gospel Albums chart and the fifth time he topped the Christian Albums chart. In its second week of sales, the album sold 31,000 copies, bringing the total to 120,000 copies sold. In its third week of sales, the album sold another 17,000 copies, bringing the total to 137,000 copies. ''Anomaly'' went on to sell over 500,000 copies, and was certified Gold by the
RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
on August 26, 2016. As a reward to fans for their support in helping his album go No. 1 on ''Billboard'', Lecrae released a new song, "Non-Fiction", as a free download on September 17. The song was subsequently released on October 21, 2014, in the iTunes store. The single "All I Need Is You" from the album was nominated for Best Rap Performance at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, and on June 12, 2019, the song was certified Gold by the RIAA. To promote ''Anomaly'', on September 18, 2014, Lecrae appeared on
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It i ...
, performing alongside
The Roots The Roots are an American Hip-hop, hip hop band formed in 1987 by singer Black Thought, Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and drummer Questlove, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''T ...
, the program's
house band A house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play at an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to bands which ...
. He made a subsequent appearance the following year, on January 9, 2015, this time as a featured performer. On January 15, 2016, Lecrae released his third mixtape '' Church Clothes 3''. The mixtape debuted at No. 12 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and No. 1 on the Christian, Rap, and Independent charts, selling some 29,207 units.


Signing with Columbia and ''Restoration'' (2016–present)

In August 2015, Lecrae announced an upcoming memoir titled ''Unashamed'', which on May 3, 2016, was published through B&H Publishing Group, a subsidiary of LifeWay Christian Resources. It opened at No. 19 on
The New York Times Best Seller list ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...
. In May 2016, Lecrae signed to
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
, which will release future recordings in conjunction with Reach. Lecrae explained that he signed this deal in order to increase the international audience for Reach, since his label peaked nationally with the release of ''Anomaly''. In September 2016, Reach Records announced Lecrae's upcoming tour schedule, The Destination Tour (You're Accepted), which ran through October and November. On October 21, 2016, Lecrae released the single "Can't Stop Me Now (Destination)", the lead single from his upcoming studio album. On January 27, 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, rapper, and record producer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Griffin gai ...
. Lecrae followed this up with the third single " I'll Find You", featuring Tori Kelly, on June 8, 2017. Then, on June 23, 2017, he released a promotional single "Hammer Time", featuring 1K Phew. On August 7, 2017, Lecrae announced his eighth studio album, '' All Things Work Together'', his major label debut. The album was released on September 22, 2017. "Blessings" went on to be certified Gold on April 30, 2019, and "I'll Find You" was certified Platinum on February 26, 2020. On May 24, 2018, he announced in a DJ Booth editorial that he and producer
Zaytoven Xavier Lamar Dotson (born January 12, 1980), known professionally as Zaytoven, is an American record producer from Atlanta, Georgia. He has released collaborative projects with artists including Gucci Mane, Usher, Future, Young Dolph, Mig ...
would release a collaborative album called '' Let the Trap Say Amen''. The album was released on June 22, 2018. In December 2019, the
Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...
accidentally leaked information about a new Lecrae album coming March 2020 when they posted about a Lecrae performance—also in March—that included information about the album: ''Restoration''. In an interview with Black Enterprise, Lecrae said that he is excited to put out some healing music, that there is always "hope, healing, and restoration available if you seek it". In the same interview, Lecrae discussed his forthcoming second book, ''I Am Restored: How I Lost My Religion but Found My Faith'', which will be a follow-up to his first book ''Unashamed''. ''I Am Restored'' will release October 13, 2020. The first single to ''Restoration'', "Set Me Free", featuring YK Osiris, and the accompanying music video, was released on March 20, 2020. In May 2020, Lecrae left Columbia, and stated that this would give him more artistic freedom and control. '' Restoration'' was released on August 21, 2020. On December 3, 2021, Lecrae released ''No Church In a While'', a ten-track collaboration album with 1K Phew. With American Christian rapper Andy Mineo, he released "Coming In Hot", as a single, and later included on the Reach Records collaborative album titled Summer Eighteen, as well as Mineo's 2021 album ''Never Land II''. It has been certified RIAA certification, RIAA Digital Gold for more than 500,000 downloads and on-demand streams in August 2021, and Digital Platinum in 2023 for exceeding one million, also becoming a Viral video, viral song on social networks, even used by personalities like Kim Kardashian and Will Smith. It managed to position itself on Billboard three years after its release, making this a rare phenomenon in music.


Influences and musical style

Lecrae's musical genre is predominantly Southern hip hop and has been described as falling under the styles of crunk, gangsta rap, and hardcore hip hop. On his third release, '' Rebel'', Lecrae slowed down his style on many songs. '' Rehab'' was noted for its stylistic diversity, particularly on the song "Children of the Light", which featured Dillavou and Sonny Sandoval and incorporated rock, and reggae influences. With the release ''
Gravity In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force b ...
'', ''
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 ...
'' described Lecrae as incorporating reggae and Soul music, soul influences into his "signature brash sound." ''Let the Trap Say Amen'' blended Lecrae's spiritual lyrics with
Zaytoven Xavier Lamar Dotson (born January 12, 1980), known professionally as Zaytoven, is an American record producer from Atlanta, Georgia. He has released collaborative projects with artists including Gucci Mane, Usher, Future, Young Dolph, Mig ...
's Trap music, trap-style production. Regarding which musical artists have influenced him, Lecrae, in an interview with ''Essence (magazine), Essence'', cited Tupac Shakur, Tupac, Nas, DJ Quik, Scarface (rapper), Scarface, and The Cross Movement. In an interview with ''The Christian Post'', Lecrae listed his top favorite five hip hop artists as Tupac Shakur, Tupac, Nas, The Ambassador (rapper), The Ambassador, Snoop Dogg, and Jay Z, though he admires Jay-Z for his business approach rather than his music. Lecrae also names Outkast and Lauryn Hill as major influences, particularly their albums ''Aquemini'' and ''The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'', respectively. He considers Hill's song "Adam Lives in Theory" the top song that nourishes him spiritually. In the song "Non-Fiction", he lists the Tunnel Rats (music group), Tunnel Rats alongside The Cross Movement as an influence when he was newly converted to Christianity. Theologically, Lecrae follows the Calvinism, Reformed tradition and is considered an influential figure in the New Calvinism, New Calvinist movement. He cites Tommy Nelson, John F. MacArthur, John MacArthur, and John Piper (theologian), John Piper, among others, as early influences on his Christian faith, and Lecrae even titled one of his songs, "Don't Waste Your Life", after the book of the same name by Piper. Lecrae explains that through Nelson, MacArthur, and Piper, he subsequently discovered Charles Spurgeon, John Calvin, and Francis Schaeffer, the last of whom Lecrae calls his "personal hero". Other theologians cited by Lecrae include Tim Keller (pastor), Tim Keller, Andy Crouch, Randy Alcorn, and Abraham Kuyper. He also looks to Martin Luther King Jr. for inspiration on working out faith in application to social issues. According to ''Miami New Times'', he frequently tells the press: "My music is not Christian, Lecrae is." He continues: "I think Christian is a wonderful noun, but a terrible adjective. Are there Christian shoes, Christian clothes, Christian plumbers, Christian pipes? I think if you're going to, you should label it hip-hop... hip-hop is a particular poetic style. Labeling it with the faith assumes that the song is going to be some kind of sermon, but there's a lot of social and political things that I don't think make it gospel or Christian music." He also stated, "I like to wrap my mind around a total situation. I'm a social anthropologist. If I never been homeless, let me try to be homeless for a week and soak up that information. More like a method actor. So for me it's spending time with people and talking about things from their perspective."


Popular culture

Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin recommended Lecrae and Hillsong United (band), Hillsong in an interview when asked about his pre-game music. Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow and professional wrestler Ezekiel Jackson have also endorsed Lecrae. During March 2014, Lecrae signed a ten-day contract with the
Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...
, and on April 4, 2014, he performed live at Philips Arena after the Hawks game. "Dum Dum", a song by Tedashii featuring Lecrae, was used on an episode of ''So You Think You Can Dance''. Lecrae also created the theme song for a new ESPN ''SportsCenter'' block called "Coast to Coast".


Social activism

In 2011, 116 Clique and ReachLife Ministries, both headed by Lecrae, launched a media campaign titled ''Man Up'', intended to mentor male urban youths on fatherhood and biblical manhood. It features concert tours and a curriculum centered on a short film and a studio album, both titled ''Man Up'', and since 2012 has also featured a string of conference events. In May 2013, Lecrae partnered with NBA player
Dwyane Wade Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. ( or , born January 17, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who is currently the co-owner of the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association. He is also currently the host of the American a ...
, filmmaker Art Hooker, and Joshua DuBois, the former head of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships under the
Obama administration Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, took office following his victory over Republican nomine ...
, to create the national media campaign ''This Is Fatherhood'', an initiative "devoted to restoring America's commitment to healthy fatherhood." The campaign began on May 1 with a "This is Fatherhood Challenge", in which contestants could submit videos, songs, and essays about fatherhood through June 10. The winners received cash prizes and a trip to Washington, D.C., for a ceremony on Father's Day (United States), Father's Day. In addition, Lecrae offered studio time and mentoring to the grand prize winner. Lecrae, Wade, DuBois, Jay Z, and U.S. President Barack Obama all made appearances in the campaign's promotional public service announcements. Lecrae has also contributed op-ed articles to ''Billboard'' dealing with Racism in the United States, race relations in the United States, including the 2014 Ferguson unrest, 2015 Charleston church shooting, and 2016 shootings of Shooting of Alton Sterling, Alton Stirling, Shooting of Philando Castile, Philando Castile, and 2016 shooting of Dallas police officers, five Dallas police officers. In these articles, Lecrae has called for understanding and empathy across racial divides and willingness to listen to the oppressed, and also pointed out the need for spiritual healing through Jesus Christ. In mid 2016, Lecrae did a talk about racial reconciliation at Yale University, titled "Knowledge through Narrative: Bridging the Racial Divide in America". He also spoke on hip hop culture at a Nashville TEDx conference, decrying the misogyny and violence rampant in much of hip hop's lyrics but advocating for hip hop to be used as an agent for social change. At the 2016 BET Hip Hop Awards, Lecrae performed an original composition addressing racial injustice in the United States, referencing the shooting of Philando Castile. In March 2020, during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, Lecrae worked with a local non-profit, Love Beyond Walls, to distribute hand-washing stations and food to homeless people in Atlanta. He also wrote an essay for ''Billboard'' in which he discussed the need for humane behavior in the midst of widespread social panic due to the outbreak. After the murder of George Floyd, Lecrae was inspired to write "Deep End", which was a late addition to ''Restoration''. Lecrae also serves on the board of Peace Preparatory Academy in Atlanta, a nonprofit school dedicated to the care of those in their school and in their community.


Other business ventures

Lecrae has partnered with Oust Labs to be an investor and co-owner of the audio production software MXD, which was founded by Jacob "Biz" Morris. In 2020, Lecrae teamed up with Adam Thomason to found the film production studio 3 Strand Films. He is a venture partner in Collab Capital, and has participated in several real estate ventures, including Invest Atlanta and Peace Preparatory Academy, intended to revitalize English Avenue and Vine City, English Avenue.


Personal life

Lecrae currently resides in Atlanta since relocating there from Memphis in 2009, and is married to Darragh Moore. The couple have three children together. In an interview with HipHopDX, Lecrae stated that
Clipse Clipse, also known as the Clipse, is an American hip-hop, hip hop duo from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Formed in 1994, it consists of brothers No Malice, Gene "Malice" and Pusha T, Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton. Pusha T was known as Terrar during t ...
member No Malice sought him out as a spiritual advisor. On October 20, 2016, Lecrae wrote in ''The Huffington Post'' that he has been struggling with depression and doubt, which was partly caused by the backlash he received from many Evangelicalism, American evangelicals who are critical of his public stance on race-related issues. On August 14, 2020, Lecrae posted a video on his YouTube channel that includes footage of him re-connecting with his long-absent father who now resides in
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
.


Discography

* '' Real Talk'' (2004) * '' After the Music Stops'' (2006) * '' Rebel'' (2008) * '' Rehab'' (2010) * '' Rehab: The Overdose'' (2011) * ''
Gravity In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force b ...
'' (2012) * '' Anomaly'' (2014) * '' All Things Work Together'' (2017) * '' Let the Trap Say Amen'' (with
Zaytoven Xavier Lamar Dotson (born January 12, 1980), known professionally as Zaytoven, is an American record producer from Atlanta, Georgia. He has released collaborative projects with artists including Gucci Mane, Usher, Future, Young Dolph, Mig ...
)
(2018) * '' Restoration'' (2020) * ''No Church in a While'' (with 1k Phew) (2021)


Production discography

* Self-release – '' Real Talk'' (2004) – Executive producer with John K. Wells, Ben Washer, and Chris Carreker ** 01. "Souled Out" ** 02. "We Don't" ** 03. "Aliens" ** 05. "Represent" ** 07. "Take Me As I Am" ** 09. "Nothin'" ** 11. "Who U WIt" ** 13. "Wait Intro" ** 14. "Wait" * Json (rapper), Json – ''The Seasoning'' (2005) – co-produced with So Hot Productions and C.I. * Self-release – '' After the Music Stops'' (2006) ** 10. "The King" ** 16. "Unashamed" * Trip Lee – ''If They Only Knew (Trip Lee album), If They Only Knew'' (2006) – co-produced with DJ Official, Tony Stone, Mac the Doulous, So Hot Productions * Tedashii – ''Kingdom People'' (2006) – Executive producer with Ben Washer ** 02. "Houston We Have a Problem" ** 04. "Off Da Hook" ** 09. "Lifestyle" ** 15. "No More" ** 19. "In Ya Hood (Cypha Remix)" * Sho Baraka – ''Turn My Life Up'' (2007) – co-produced with Bobby Taylor, DJ Official, BenJah, and So Hot Productions * Self-release – '' Rebel'' (2008) ** 09. "Change" * Self-release – ''
Gravity In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force b ...
'' (2012) – Executive producer * Self-release – '' Anomaly'' (2014) – Executive producer * ''Church Clothes 4'' (2022) ** 10. "Fear Not (Lecrae song), Fear Not" – co-produced with Juberlee, CuBeatz, Vinnyforgood, and Luis Bacqué


Filmography


Books

* ''Unashamed'' (B&H Books, May 3, 2016) * ''I Am Restored: How I Lost My Religion but Found My Faith'' (October 13, 2020)


Awards and nominations

In 2016, Lecrae received an honorary doctorate in music from the Canada Christian College of Whitby, Ontario, for his commitment to sharing a message of hope with disadvantaged young people. Lecrae has won many music awards over the space of his career, including four Grammy Awards and twelve
Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards ceremonies presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee exce ...
s. In 2013, he became the first hip hop artist to win the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Album, which was awarded to his sixth album, ''
Gravity In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force b ...
'', and in 2015 became the first rapper to win the BET Award for Best Gospel Artist.


See also

*


References


External links

*
Lecrae's Artist PageLecrae's Story
{{Good article Lecrae, 1979 births Living people 20th-century American male writers 20th-century Calvinist and Reformed Christians 21st-century American male rappers 21st-century Calvinist and Reformed Christians African-American activists African-American Christians African-American investors African-American male rappers African-American male singer-songwriters African-American poets African-American record producers American Calvinist and Reformed Christians American contemporary R&B singers American hip-hop record producers American investors American male poets American music industry executives American performers of Christian hip-hop American venture capitalists Articles containing video clips Businesspeople from California Businesspeople from Georgia (U.S. state) Businesspeople from Tennessee Businesspeople from Texas Calvinist and Reformed writers Columbia Records artists Cross Movement Records Grammy Award winners Film producers from Georgia (U.S. state) Film producers from Tennessee Film producers from Texas Hip-hop activists Male actors from Atlanta Male actors from Houston Male actors from Memphis, Tennessee Poets from California Poets from Georgia (U.S. state) Poets from Tennessee Pop rappers Rappers from Atlanta Rappers from Houston Rappers from Memphis, Tennessee Reach Records artists Record producers from Georgia (U.S. state) Record producers from Tennessee Record producers from Texas Singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) Singer-songwriters from Tennessee Singer-songwriters from Texas University of North Texas alumni West Coast hip-hop musicians