Watch Lecrae Reflect on Faith, Chance the Rapper
Grammy award-winning artist Lecrae has experienced a mainstream breakthrough over the last few years, which was recently boosted by a major label signing and a collaboration with Ty Dolla Sign. The Texas-born artist sat down with Rolling Stone to talk about his single “Blessings” and how faith plays a role in his music.
“I had just been a fan of his work then I came to find out he was a mutual fan of my work,” Lecrae says of Ty Dolla Sign, who appears on the single “Blessings,” released earlier this year. “I sent him a couple records. He liked some of them, and ‘Blessings’ was the one that stuck.”
While his relationship with God and his religion play a huge role in his lyrics and sound, Lecrae wants potential audiences to know that his upcoming album will range in topics. “People think I make music for Sunday, but I got music for Monday through Friday and Saturday night,” he reveals. He gives thanks to an artist like Chance the Rapper, who has found incredible success as a rapper whose influences range from gospel to trap. “There’s room for that.”
Over the course of his career, Lecrae has seen the spiritual side of his music get shunned from the rap community, aligning with millennial views of the church and religion as being associated more with patriotism and conservatism. “Those are more akin to American culture than they are to faith,” he muses. “When you start adopting those, you’re throwing away what really matters and adopting this cultural thing that has nothing to do with the faith component.”