Jumping on the Christian music bandwagon of the week, I now direct your attention to chart-topping, evangelical rap artist Lecrae.
Since the realease of his new album Gravity on September 4, he has held three of the top five spots on iTunes’ hip hop charts, including No. 1 and 2. Time Entertainment tells us, “Lecrae is certainly no stranger to topping charts. In 2008 his album Rebel became the first Christian rap album to take the top spot on Billboard’s Top Gospel chart. It spent 78 weeks there.”
Not only is he topping charts, but “In 2005 he co-founded ReachLife Ministries, a resource center to ‘help bridge the gap between biblical truth and the urban context,’ according to the ministry’s website.”
Lecrae was raised by his mother and has lived in San Diego, Denver and Dallas, where he pursued the street life he idolized as a child, according to his website bio. But after adopting a new worldview [after his conversion at the age of 19] and committing to following Jesus, he started speaking and rapping in Dallas and volunteered at a juvenile detention center while creating his debut album, Real Talk.
“This week on Instagram,” Time says, “Lecrae pointed out the difference in his lyrics, writing, ‘Dear Hip-Hop, this didn’t happen because of swag, drug references, or stripper anthems. #Godisgood’”
A song from his new album: “Gravity (feat J.P.)”
I don’t know if I would add his work to Matt Schmitz’ Fifty Essential Religious Songs, but he seems to be making headway in the mainstream.
September 11th, 2012 | 11:38 am
It is impossible to deny the popularity of rap music among certain groups, including some respected music critics. As someone who grew up with rock music in the 1960s, I like to think that I am not like my father back in those days, who had an aversion to whatever music I and my contemporaries were listening to. (My mother actually enjoyed a lot of rock music.) In any case, I do not respond to rap music. My father used to say of the music I listened to, “It all sounds alike.” Well, of course it didn’t. If you couldn’t tell the difference between The Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones, the problem was with you, not with them. But I confess that all rap music sounds alike to me. I could not bring myself to listen to Gravity all the way through. Am I just too old (like my father) to accept a new genre, or were I a young person today, would rap music still not be to my taste?
September 11th, 2012 | 12:41 pm
David, the truth is, you are older and your sensibilities are different from rap music. I grew up with hip hop music in the 1970s but cant listen to the stuff on the radio today. However I like Lecrae because he does something mainstream rap stopped doing over 20 years ago: telling important stories.
I am in my 40s now and my sensibilities are different. I still enjoy rap but mostly the kind I grew up with.
What I am fascinated with is how rap music is becoming the voice of global youth culture.
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