Lecrae facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lecrae
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Lecrae in 2014
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Lecrae Devaughn Moore
October 9, 1979 Houston, Texas, U.S.
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| Education | Middle Tennessee State University |
| Alma mater | University of North Texas (BAS) |
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| Years active | 2004–present |
| Spouse(s) | Darragh Moore |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Full list |
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Lecrae Devaughn Moore (born October 9, 1979) is an American Christian rapper and singer. He started his music career in 2004. Since then, he has released ten studio albums and three mixtapes as a solo artist. He has also released three albums with his hip hop group, 116 Clique.
Lecrae's first two albums, Real Talk (2004) and After the Music Stops (2006), were released by himself and received good reviews. His third album, Rebel (2008), was the first Christian hip-hop album to reach number one on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart. It was also his first album to appear on the main Billboard 200 chart.
After his fourth album, Rehab (2010), Lecrae started getting attention from a wider audience. This happened after he performed at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards Cypher. His sixth album, Gravity (2012), was called a very important album in Christian hip hop history. It reached number three on the Billboard 200. With this album, Lecrae became the first hip hop artist to win a Grammy Award for Best Gospel Album. His seventh album, Anomaly (2014), was his first to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. It was also the first album to top both the Billboard 200 and Top Gospel Album charts at the same time.
In 2016, Lecrae signed with Columbia Records. He released his third mixtape, Church Clothes 3 (2016), and his eighth album, All Things Work Together (2017). He also released a joint album with producer Zaytoven, called Let the Trap Say Amen (2018). He left Columbia Records in 2020 and released his tenth album, Restoration, that same year.
Lecrae has helped start three media companies. These include the record label Reach Records in 2004, the non-profit ReachLife Ministries (which is no longer active) in 2007, and the film studio 3 Strand Films in 2019. He has won many awards, including a GMA Dove Award for Artist of the Year and a BET Award for Best Gospel Artist. He has also acted in several films and TV shows. Lecrae often speaks and writes about racial tension and injustice in the United States. He also encourages men to be responsible fathers. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he helped homeless people in Atlanta by giving out hand-washing stations and food.
Contents
Lecrae's Journey
Early Life and Faith
Lecrae grew up in a tough neighborhood in southern Houston. He was raised by his single mother. As a teenager, he looked up to rapper Tupac Shakur and his uncle.
He earned a scholarship to study theater at the University of North Texas and graduated in 2002. He also spent some time at Middle Tennessee State University.
When he was 19, a college friend invited him to a Bible study. He was surprised to find people there who liked the same things he did but were also very loving. He decided to live for God, but he still made some mistakes. Later, he went to a Christian conference in Atlanta. He was very impressed by a Christian rap group called The Cross Movement. He also heard a clear message about faith from Pastor James White. After this, he asked for forgiveness and felt like he had a new start in life.
After a car accident where he was unharmed, he met Ben Washer in 2003. They volunteered and sang in a juvenile correctional facility. The young people there really liked their Christian rap music. This positive response encouraged Lecrae and Ben to start their own record label.
Starting His Career (2004–2011)
In 2004, Lecrae and Ben Washer founded Reach Records. Lecrae, at 25, released his first album, Real Talk. The next year, it was re-released by Cross Movement Records and reached number 29 on the Billboard Gospel Albums chart. It stayed on the chart for 12 weeks. The album was also nominated for an award in 2007. In 2005, Lecrae also helped start ReachLife Ministries. This group helped Christian leaders use Bible teachings in hip-hop culture. Also in 2005, the group 116 Clique released their first album, The Compilation Album.
After Real Talk did well, Lecrae released his second album, After the Music Stops, in 2006. This album reached number 5 on the Billboard Gospel Albums chart and number 7 on the Christian Albums chart. It was nominated for a Dove Award. In 2007, 116 Clique released their second album, 13 Letters, which also did well on the charts.
On October 8, 2008, Lecrae's third album, Rebel, made history. It was the first hip-hop album to reach number one on the Billboard Gospel Album charts. It also charted high on other lists. In 2009, the album was nominated for a Dove Award. That same year, Lecrae appeared in a TV documentary called Uprise Presents: Word from the Street.
In 2009, Lecrae moved to Atlanta and helped start Blueprint Church. In 2010, he released a song called "Far Away" to help victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. All the money from the song went to help those in need.
Lecrae gained more attention in 2011 when he was featured on the BET Hip Hop Awards Cypher. His part in the cypher became very popular online. He also appeared on Statik Selektah's song "Live and Let Live".
Major Success (2012–2016)
In 2012, Lecrae released his first mixtape, Church Clothes. It was downloaded over 100,000 times in less than two days. A shorter version of the mixtape was later released for sale and appeared on the Billboard charts.
Lecrae announced his next album, Gravity, in April 2012. It was released on September 4, 2012, and received great reviews. Gravity debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 72,000 copies. It also reached number one on the Christian, Gospel, Independent, and Rap Album charts. Time magazine wrote an article about Lecrae's success with this album.
On November 7, 2013, Lecrae released his second mixtape, Church Clothes Vol. 2. This mixtape debuted at number 21 on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Christian and Gospel Album charts.
On June 3, 2014, Lecrae announced his seventh studio album, Anomaly. It was released on September 9, 2014, and featured the song "Nuthin". The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, selling over 88,000 copies in its first week. This made it the first album to top both the Billboard 200 and the Gospel Albums chart at the same time. Anomaly eventually sold over 500,000 copies and was certified Gold. To thank his fans, Lecrae released a new song, "Non-Fiction", as a free download. The song "All I Need Is You" from the album was nominated for a Grammy Award.
To promote Anomaly, Lecrae performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in September 2014 and again in January 2015. On January 15, 2016, Lecrae released his third mixtape, Church Clothes 3. It debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200.
Columbia Records and Restoration (2016–Present)
In August 2015, Lecrae announced a book about his life called Unashamed. It was published on May 3, 2016, and reached number 19 on The New York Times Best Seller list. In May 2016, Lecrae signed with Columbia Records. He explained that this deal would help Reach Records reach more people around the world.
In September 2016, Lecrae announced his "The Destination Tour". On October 21, 2016, he released the song "Can't Stop Me Now (Destination)". He followed this with "Blessings" (featuring Ty Dolla Sign) in January 2017 and "I'll Find You" (featuring Tori Kelly) in June 2017. His eighth album, All Things Work Together, was released on September 22, 2017. Both "Blessings" and "I'll Find You" later received Gold and Platinum certifications.
In May 2018, Lecrae announced a joint album with producer Zaytoven called Let the Trap Say Amen, which was released in June 2018. In December 2019, news about a new Lecrae album, Restoration, was accidentally leaked. Lecrae said he was excited to release "healing music" with a message of "hope, healing, and restoration." He also announced a second book, I Am Restored: How I Lost My Religion but Found My Faith, which came out in October 2020. The first song from Restoration, "Set Me Free" (featuring YK Osiris), was released in March 2020. In May 2020, Lecrae left Columbia Records for more artistic freedom. Restoration was released on August 21, 2020. In December 2021, Lecrae released No Church In a While, a collaboration album with 1K Phew.
Lecrae also released "Coming In Hot" with Christian rapper Andy Mineo. This song became very popular online, even used by celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Will Smith. It was certified Platinum in 2023 for over one million downloads and streams.
Musical Style and Influences
Lecrae's music is mostly Southern hip hop. It has been described as having elements of crunk and hardcore hip hop. On his album Rebel, he used a slower style on many songs. With Gravity, Billboard noted that Lecrae added reggae and soul influences to his sound. His album Let the Trap Say Amen mixed Lecrae's spiritual lyrics with Zaytoven's trap style.
Lecrae has said that artists like Tupac, Nas, DJ Quik, Scarface, and The Cross Movement have influenced his music. He also admires Jay Z for his business skills. Lecrae considers Outkast and Lauryn Hill as major influences, especially their albums Aquemini and The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. He believes Hill's song "Adam Lives in Theory" helps him spiritually.
Lecrae often says, "My music is not Christian, Lecrae is." He explains that calling music "Christian" can make people think it's always like a sermon. He believes hip-hop is a style of poetry and can cover many topics, not just religious ones.
Social Activism
In 2011, Lecrae's groups, 116 Clique and ReachLife Ministries, started a campaign called Man Up. This campaign aimed to mentor young men in cities about fatherhood and being a good man based on the Bible. It included concerts, a short film, an album, and conferences.
In May 2013, Lecrae teamed up with NBA player Dwyane Wade and others to create This Is Fatherhood. This campaign worked to encourage healthy fatherhood in America. They held a challenge where people could submit videos, songs, and essays about fatherhood. Winners received prizes and a trip to Washington, D.C. Lecrae, Wade, and even U.S. President Barack Obama appeared in promotional videos for the campaign.
Lecrae has also written articles for Billboard about race relations in the United States. He wrote about events like the 2014 Ferguson unrest and the 2016 shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. In these articles, Lecrae called for understanding and empathy between different races. He stressed the importance of listening to those who are hurting and finding spiritual healing. In 2016, he gave a talk at Yale University about racial healing. He also spoke at a TEDx conference about hip hop culture, encouraging it to be used for positive social change. At the 2016 BET Hip Hop Awards, Lecrae performed a song about racial injustice.
In March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lecrae worked with a non-profit called Love Beyond Walls. They gave out hand-washing stations and food to homeless people in Atlanta. He also wrote an essay for Billboard about the need for kindness during the pandemic. After the murder of George Floyd, Lecrae was inspired to write the song "Deep End."
Lecrae also serves on the board of Peace Preparatory Academy in Atlanta. This school helps students and their community.
Other Ventures
Lecrae is an investor and co-owner of MXD, an audio production software. In 2020, he co-founded the film production studio 3 Strand Films. He is also involved in real estate projects in Atlanta, aimed at improving neighborhoods.
Personal Life
Lecrae lives in Atlanta with his wife, Darragh Moore, and their three children. He has spoken about struggling with depression and doubt, partly due to criticism he received for his public views on race. In 2020, Lecrae shared a video of himself reconnecting with his father, who had been absent for a long time.
Discography
- Real Talk (2004)
- After the Music Stops (2006)
- Rebel (2008)
- Rehab (2010)
- Gravity (2012)
- Anomaly (2014)
- All Things Work Together (2017)
- Let the Trap Say Amen (with Zaytoven) (2018)
- Restoration (2020)
- No Church in a While (with 1k Phew) (2021)
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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| 2009 | Uprise Presents: Word from the Street | Himself | TV documentary special |
| 2011 | Man Up | King | Short film by 116 Clique |
| 2012 | A Cross to Bear | Jerome | Television film |
| 2014 | Believe Me | Dr. Malmquist | Feature comedy film |
| 2015 | Chic | Himself | Documentary film |
| 2018 | Superfly | Funeral Rapper | Feature crime film |
| 2019 | Breakthrough | Himself | Feature drama film |
| 2023 | Journey to Bethlehem | Gabriel | Feature musical film |
Books
- Unashamed (B&H Books, May 3, 2016)
- I Am Restored: How I Lost My Religion but Found My Faith (October 13, 2020)
Awards and Achievements
In 2016, Lecrae received an honorary doctorate in music from the Canada Christian College. This was for his work in sharing a message of hope with young people.
Lecrae has won many music awards, including four Grammy Awards and twelve Dove Awards.
In 2013, he became the first hip hop artist to win the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Album for his album Gravity. In 2015, he was the first rapper to win the BET Award for Best Gospel Artist.
Images for kids
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Lecrae's signature
