“Dear Hip-Hop, this didn’t happen because of swag, drug references, or stripper anthems.” A wise quotation from hip-hop artist Lecrea.
Time magazine calls Lecrae the “new hip-hop king.” Hip-hop theologian Efrem Smith says that Lecrae is “more gifted and talented than many artists being pushed…today.”
His sixth and most recent album, Gravity, reached number one on the iTunes hip-hop/rap chart. Why is this such a big deal?
It’s because he keeps his faith at the forefront of his rhymes. You see, Lecrae is a Christian rapper, an anomaly in an industry where swag, drugs, and sex are the norm.
Lecrae uses Gravity to show how that this world cannot offer true freedom and happiness, a modern-day book of Ecclesiastes, per se.
He brings in a stable of guests, both spiritual and secular, to help tell the tale, including Big K.R.I.T., Mathai from “The Voice,” Tenth Avenue North, and Tedashii.
Musings about life and the emptiness of being famous is one of the themes tackled on Gravity. On “Free From it All,” Lecrae raps, “Round of applause, I pause to take a photo op/ None of it’s real; it’s just Photoshopped.” He goes on to describe life as a “prison of everyone’s approval.”
On “No Regrets,” he points out that celebrity status must be earned, not inherited, saying: “You not a leader cause they follow you on twitter / And you not a man based upon your age and your gender.”
On “Confe$$sions,” Lecrae tells of a man who is “flyin’ first class thinkin’ everyone behind him is a peon / Goin’ home to a model chick he prolly gon’ cheat on / He’ll be empty for eons.”
Another one of the topics Lecrae tackles on Gravity is gang life.
As a teen, Lecrae was involved in gangs, and he uses this firsthand experience to denounce the lifestyle as not only dangerous, but dumb.
On “Violence” he raps about the allure of gang life and how easy it is to get sucked in, saying “six million ways to die, choose ten / And if he don’t die then he probably do ‘em again.”
Later on he warns the listener to stay away from those with “no respect for humanity.” “Fakin’” calls out those who join up with the desire of being seen as tough. “Careful with that cannon boy / You might just shoot ya’ self,” Lecrae taunts.
Guest Thi’sl lends his take on the situation, saying, “He think he Scarface, guess he ain’t seen the movie / Keep on fakin’ ‘til you face down in a Jacuzzi / With some killas in you room with some real guns / That don’t make noise and ain’t plastic but they real guns.”
Life can be terrible, Lecrae seems to be telling us. And while the topics addressed in Gravity are indeed heavy, the tenor of the album does not stay dark. “Yesterday is just a phrase standing in your way,” he raps on “Higher,” telling his audience not to get dragged down by failure and pain.
While life can overwhelm, Lecrae says that it does not have to with Jesus’ help. But he warns on “Power Trip” not to forget where this freedom comes from. “I’m self-inflated, self-infatuated,” he says. “The truth is I was made like the mob / Geppetto put me together; my strings lead to God.”
Andy Mineo adds “Who made the crowd put they hands in the sky? Me. Who made the sky with they hands?” helping put fame into perspective.
Lecrae realizes that these messages of hope are unorthodox to a cynical music industry. In fact, it has led to ridicule and even some spite from critics.
On “I Know,” he says critics are acting like he was “shootin’ folk or puttin’ coke in [his] rhymes.” Despite this, he says that he’s cool with it. “Yeah, I know they go’n hate us/ Type they blog up, debate us,” he says. “Keep that hate on hiatus/ Big ups to my Creator.”
It is this adherence to principle that makes Lecrae not only a strong artist, but also one with staying power. In an industry with little hope and virtue, this is a very welcome thing.