Lecrae Old Songs
Herminia Remmen
There are times to hum music to ourselves and there are times when we need to shout to the rooftops. God is worthy of glory and honor in the songs we sing. As the redeemed in Christ, we are unashamed to pump up the music and rejoice in the God of our salvation.
Many people resist the teachings of God because of all the hypocrites in the church. Hypocrites are those who participate in the activities of the church and yet remain spiritually unchanged. As believers we must strive to keep our worship in sync with our whole life and not just in a church service. Those outside of the faith will see our good works and glorify God.
We can get so enamored with outside appearances (both with ourselves and others) that we may forget how the Lord sees our hearts. God knows what we are thinking when we are praised or criticized. Our everyday practice should be an inward heart check to be who we are in Christ no matter where the Lord leads us.
If you got the call you hoped never to get, remember Jesus invites us to ask him for everything we need. Cry out for healing, ask him to be present in the midst of the suffering, and remember he is worthy of our praise even when the news is not what we hoped for.
Lecrae is reaching the young hip hop lovers and connecting them to Christ through his amazing lyrics and catchy songs. Lecrae talks about the life of a Christian but delivers it in a way to reach the masses in a modern way.
Christian Hip-Hop (CHH) artists are increasingly vocal about social and racial justice. Over the past year, Lecrae has engaged in conversations surrounding Black Lives Matter and Derek Minor appears more occupied with Black ownership than with music. This concern held by artists for social and racial justice has sparked various responses to these artists. Some argue that these commitments to justice and racial equality by Lecrae and Minor are at best presently popular or political and at worst anti-Christian.
Regardless of where you stand on the debate, I invite you to walk with me down the corridors of CHH spanning the past decade to see how Lecrae and Minor have spoken on behalf of the oppressed and marginalized in the lyrics of their music.
By expressing the above, Lecrae breaks the mold of his previous albums. Instead of strictly focusing on Christian morality and encouraging listeners to avoid violence, substance abuse, or lifestyles contrary to Christian values, Lecrae lifts the social reality of a community to the attention of the listener.
Almost like an academic, Lecrae supplies the listener with the historical context of the Black community, prior, during, and after the Civil Rights movement. He argues that the Black community deserves the very equality that they have continually fought for.
Lecrae and Derek Minor have openly addressed race and social justice for the better part of the past decade, and these are only two artists. The above selection of songs demonstrates that CHH artists have publicly commented on social and racial inequality within their music. Lecrae and Derek Minor have labored in this issue for ten years and counting, and, as we have seen, the conversation is complex and requires attention to a number of topics.
I, James Cheesman, am the sole owner of James Cheesman Music and jamescheesman.com, and I will not distribute any of your personal information, including your name, email address, or financial information without your prior consent.\u00A0
Warning: Jay-Z's music is very explicit. I do not endorse his music. This "accidental comparison" is a humbly offered cultural analysis comparing two songs with similar music but completely opposite worldviews.
I know I am two months behind the times, but last week I started listening to Christian rapper Lecrae's newest album Anomaly. As I listened to the first track, "Outsiders," I couldn't help but recognize the similarities between it and Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake's song, "Holy Grail."
The fact that the songs sound similar (listen to both if you want to see for yourself), AND have a similar theme is incredibly interesting. Jay-Z is rapping about his love/hate relationship with his fans, but how he is going to keep rapping despite all the negative things he has to face. I think he finds his identity grounded in his rap and his money. In Lecrae's rap, he talks about how living out his Christian faith, especially in the midst of the hip-hop industry, has caused him to become an "outsider." He would definitely assert that his identity is grounded in Christ.
I don't know how intentional the similarities were on Lecrae's part (because his song came second). However, I do know that he is very deliberate and thoughtful about his art. If you want to read more about his goal as a rapper, check out this insightful blog he wrote in 2012: -Clothes-Purpose-Passion-Progression
I welcome any thoughts or discussion regarding this comparison. I may be completely off in claiming there are any similarities in the music and theme of the lyrics. However, I think that both men, like every human, deal with the struggle for identity. They fleshed out their individual struggles in these respective songs in similar, yet completely different ways.
Lecrae is a pretty well-known Christian rapper. Most of you know (or if you don't, now you do) that he recently came out with a new song called Blessings ft. Ty Dolla $ign and, well, let's just say that although it is a great song, it has received its share of mixed reviews. Now, the controversy doesn't revolve around the song itself, but rather the artist that is featured in it:Ty Dolla $ign. This is because Ty Dolla $ign is not Christian and his songs are very much secular. When people found out that he would be featured in Lecrae's new song, many weren't very happy. There are some who think that Lecrae shouldn't have featured in him in the song because he is not a Christian artist. Many thought that it was wrong and quite inappropriate; however, there are also many who either don't care or believe that it isn't actually wrong. Despite the controversy, an interesting point to note is that in general, people have found that the song itself isn't actually bad. With that being said, let's take a closer look.
I think that most people who have listened to the song can agree when I say that the song is awesome. The lyrics are powerful and the song itself has so much meaning behind it. Not only did I listen to the song and watch the music video, I also looked up the lyrics to read them for myself. I have been listening to this song on repeat because to me, it's just that good. I really believe that it can be an encouragement and help to those who are struggling, and most importantly, for those who may need a reminder of how much there is to be thankful for. My favorite part of the song is the intro, or chorus of the song:
I think that these lyrics really go to show that even though we may be feeling down, one - it's not the only time we've ever fallen and two - when we become immersed in the amount of blessings that we have, we forget to worry and we forget about our stress. We live in a society where we just keep wanting more and more, where we're never satisfied because there is always something new. Because of this, we forget about how blessed we already are. We easily take things, and even the people in our lives, for granted. It's easy to forget about how much God has blessed us, but when you take the time to really think about it, man, you realize that there are so many blessings. Now, I am not saying it is wrong to want more. What I am saying is, don't forget about the things that you already have. Always remember to take the time and see how much God has blessed you, because He has, abundantly. If you haven't listened to the song already, I highly suggest that you listen to it, so here you go, I totes recommend ;)
Though this song has caused controversy I still believe that there is more to it than just the artist who sings it. It has powerful lyrics and great meaning behind it, and that's what makes it awesome. So check it out for yourself and who knows, maybe you'll end up loving it. Lastly, I shall leave you with this, what really determines the quality of a song, the artist or the song itself?
Our top 10 Lecrae songs list presents ten of the best songs released by an Atlanta-based artist renowned for his Christian rap influence. His songs are solely inspired by his love for the teachings of Christianity, his life as he grew up, and other social menaces, including injustice and racial tensions. Lecrae has cited The Cross Movement, Tupac, Nas, and Scarface. Besides his career as a musician, Lecrae has established himself as a reputable actor, entrepreneur, songwriter, producer, and philanthropist.
Five years after turning to Christianity, Lecrae collaborated with Ben Washer, intending to start an independent record label. The result was Reach Records, the label Lecrae has used throughout his music career to release his music albums. Reach Records solely specializes in Christian hip hop. Some artists to have signed with Reach Records include Trip Lee, Wande, Tedashii, Sho Baraka, KB, and Andy Mineo.
Lecrae released his debut LP Real Talk in 2004 on his label. Real Talk was later re-issued under Cross Movement Records in 2005, a record label founded in 1997 by the Christian hip hop group The Cross Movement. The re-issued version guided Lecrae to success, peaking at number twenty-nine on the Billboard Gospel Albums chart. Real Talk spent twelve weeks on the chart, helping catapult Lecrae to stardom in the Christian hip hop scene.
In September 2008, Lecrae released his third studio album, Rebel. The LP was his first release to top the Billboard Gospel Albums chart. Rebel also managed to rise to number sixty on the Billboard 200. The album is among the highest-selling Christian rap LPs, lauded for featuring moving gospel hits.
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