Lecrae
Lecrae Moore grew up on the southside of Houston, TX. He has been led by God in the urban reform movement and has become a leader in showing nonbelievers the way, truth, and the life God has put in his own life.
Lecrae was raised by his mother and has moved to several places throughout his upbringing; San Diego, Denver, and Dallas. This has given him exposure to various types of cultures and backgrounds he is able to utilize this in delivering Gods message to a greater mixture of people. But he did not start off with the intention to show people God’s truth through his lyrics. He, like many inner city kids, took to rap music as a way to communicate what was on his mind and idolizing the street life.
Encouraged to attend a Christian conference led by James White, Lecrae received a revelation through the conviction of the Holy Spirit. He realized his sinful ways and the Holy Spirit gave him the means to a desperately needed Savior in Jesus Christ. God’s word in Mark 16:15 states “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.” Lecrae began to share his testimony at his University of North Texas campus, which gave him many struggles as well as triumphs. Lecrae’s God given gift of speaking and rapping God’s message helped him while he volunteered at a juvenile detention center.
By age 25, Lecrae joined Reach Records and released his debut album entitled “Real Talk” on May 20, 2004. “Pouring out a genuine discussion of life issues and passionate, unashamed pursuit of Jesus Christ, Real Talk was released to the world where he quickly became noted as an emcee that would meet listeners where they were by delivering transparent, relatable, and impacting messages.”(Reach Records)
Lecrae’s debut album impacted the music industry as well as many lives, but he knew he needed to do more to help the urban culture that has been significantly neglecting God. Lecrae Cofounded ReachLife Ministies in 2005 which established a culturally relevant and biblically solid resource center to help train the next generation. This non-profit organization is equipped with local leaders who can use culturally relevant tools to strengthen communities through the word of God.
In 2006, Lecrae released his sophomore album titled “After the Music Stops” which surpassed his debut album by reaching no. 5 on the Billboard Gospel Album charts. The album was also nominated for the Dove Awards. The success of the single “Jesus Muzik” was the talk of the town.
In 2008, Lecrae released his third album titled “Rebel” and the country went wild. Not only did he make no. 60 on billboard’s overall charts, but ranked no. 2 in iTunes rap downloads and was atop the Christian album charts for 2 weeks! This was history in the making as no other rap album had ever achieved this feat. It would remain on the Gospel charts for 78 weeks straight. It was clear that Lecrae was able to produce a sound that even the mainstream audience would admire and be drawn to.
Lecrae didn’t stop there. While many of us were enjoying this new music craze, Lecrae was working on a new album. It would be tough to top the achievements he has already set with “Rebel”, but Lecrae was destined to keep bringing the Gospel through his lyrics and his unique style and flow. In 2010, Lecrae released his best album yet. Titled “Rehab,” this album soared to no. 16 on Billboards 200 list, top 5 on the Best R&B/Hip Hop Album charts, and was one of the highest selling Christian Rap/Hip Hop albums of all time. It is still successful on the charts as I write this.
As a clever marketing tactic, all “Rehab” albums were packed with an advertisement to encourage buyers to purchase Lecrae’s upcoming album titled “Rehab: The Overdose” and in January, 2011 the album was available for purchase. I believe by now you can see a theme building here. Again, Lecrae takes a stand with his Christian beliefs using his lyrics and this new album soars to no. 1 in iTunes, no. 1 on the Hip-Hop charts and no. 1 on the Christian Hip-Hop charts.
Following a fantastic Unashamed Tour 2011, Lecrae released a mixtape titled “Church Clothes” hosted by DJ Don Cannon, which was downloaded over 100,000 times in less than 48 hours! Lecrae’s next project will be entitled “Gravity”, and is expected to be released late 2012.
