A phase I went through that was indicative of my spiritual condition at the time. As a local (very local) producer and Christian rapper in South Florida, I went through my "I don't want to be labeled a Christian rapper" phase and that's just what it was. With that said.ĭid King David ever employ Philistines to play lyres and tamborines? Lecrae has employed secular producers such as Don Cannon.ĭid King David ever ask the Hittites or Canaanites to lend their vocals in the 288-member worship band of the First Temple? Lecrae has shared his microphone with B.O.B., David Banner, Paul Wall, Kendrick Lamar, among others (I wonder if these secular artists would have been so open-minded to Christian artists on their albums).īut that's my personal conviction, not essential doctrine.
Lecrae rebel album artwork how to#
He was described as “a man after God’s own heart” so he's the Poster Child (or King of Israel) of how to do worship music. When it comes to Gospel music, many artists like to relate to King David who was himself a stringed instrumentalist and prolific songwriter. Would I make some of the decisions he is making if I were in his position? No, but let me explain why. And by news clips and interview accounts, Lecrae is still a devout Christian. "By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God" - 1 John 4:2Īdmittedly, that's a little oversimplified but a basic litmus test for Christianity nonetheless. How can you spot a sellout or heretic in the church? That doesn't make him a sellout or a heretic. So Lecrae is well within the Grace of God to un-obligate himself to the number of times he says "Jesus" in his lyrics. There is no commandment that says music can only be used for Christian purposes and for the first half-hour of church on Sunday morning. There is no explicit command that says you must evangelize in your music if you’re a Christian musician. The choice is ours of how we use this powerful medium. We may not know what the Bible says about the Billboard charts or MTV but we have examples of what it was used for in scripture. It was for the Church to use to minister and edify each other. It was used as a clarion call to worship pagan gods. It was used for praise & worship to YHWH. What do we know about music and its relationship to the Bible? In the Earth’s 6,000+ year history, music didn’t get duplicated and sold until a little over 100 years ago! So we’re left with matters of the heart and history when it comes to God's take on it and what the Bible says about music. So, I guarantee you will not find an answer on what the Bible thinks about the Music Industry-just gray areas of tradition that we created. It went from grand symphonic concertos to packaged records, cassettes, CDs and MP3s. Music is a tricky business because businessmen MADE IT A BUSINESS when they saw that they could put tunes on phonograph vinyl and they found people who would pay for it and attend concerts. or Flame? Where do we draw the line when a Gospel artist is no longer about the Gospel? But does that make him any less of a Christian than artists like W.L.A.K. His recent material suggests he's fed up with the church, in general. They believe he's turning his back on the church when he says he doesn't want to be labeled a Christian rapper anymore. They believe he's sold out for mass appeal. However, there are many fans that are not happy with the change Lecrae is making. Lecrae has arrived to the top of the mainstream mountain of credibility. Busta Rhymes is giving him a nod of Hip Hop approval. He is giving props to fellow emcees that drop F-bombs in their cypher exhibitions.
His spotlight is getting bigger, the world is (suspiciously) inviting him into their circles. He is inviting non-Christians onto his projects to collaborate, albeit not an unprecedented strategy. We can logically conclude this must mean Lecrae is deliberately writing EXPLICITLY less Gospel references in his music than we’re used to. Is it safe to assume that every Christian rapper wants to pen quality lyrics and vocalize them over quality production? Is it safe to assume that every Christian rapper wants to have the broadest audience they can possibly get without compromising the message of the Gospel IF their aim is to evangelize with music? So exactly what is every scrutinizing blogger talking about with this “new direction” Lecrae is taking? Exactly what is this new direction Lecrae is going with his music that has his loyal fans questioning and scratching their puzzled heads? First, let's ask ourselves a couple of questions about the Christian rap genre.
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