Lecrae: ‘Anomaly’ Album Ironically Takes Christian Rap To The Top Of The Billboard Charts
Christian rap used to have a nickname that pretty much said what people felt about the sub-genre: c-rap. But over the years, the reputation of Christian rap reached new highs, and rapper Lecrae has played a large role in the surge of interest in Christian rap. What’s more, Lecrae even managed to best competing acts like Maroon 5 and Beyonce on the Billboard charts, so what is he doing so different from other Christian rappers? And, no, it’s probably not just an anomaly…
In a related report by The Inquisitr, to give you an idea of where he’s coming from, Lecrae once parodied Christian culture in a movie called Believe Me.
The 34-year-old rapper managed to release the first album ever to top both the Gospel Albums chart and the Billboard 200, never mind Christian ratings. Lecrae has released seven albums so far, and he’s even launched a Christian rap and hip hop label called Reach Records, which, as can be imagined by the name, is intended to focus on a Christian message.
“A mentor told me years ago, ‘Lecrae you’re not in the widget and gimmick business, you’re in the people business. As long as you take care of people, they’ll take care of you,'” Lecrae said. “So we’ve always looked at it as if we’re not trying to sell CDs, we’re trying to take care of people —Give them messages of hope and inspiration.”
But what might separate Lecrae from other Christian artists is his ability to keep it real.
“If someone feeds a homeless man, you don’t know why he’s doing it, but the homeless person still appreciates the food,” he said. “People want to feel what you believe and not just hear it. So let’s talk about fatherlessness, let’s talk about incarceration. Let’s celebrate a relationship or a marriage or a child being born. Let’s talk about social issues. Sure, I have a paradigm that I see the world through, but we all relate to those things and that’s where we connect.”
What do you think about the music videos for Lecrae’s Anomaly?
