Lecrae takes the stage Sept. 4 at California Baptist University for Lancerpalooza. He performed older hits in addition to songs from his new album.
Lecrae is releasing his album “All Things Work Together” Sept. 24. From the singles he has released so far, this album is expected to take a different angle than his previous studio albums.
The album, his eighth LP, features an eclectic list of artists such as Ty Dolla $ign, Tori Kelly, Aha Gazelle, Verse Simmonds and Taylor Hill.
His single “Blessings,” featuring rapper Ty Dolla $ign ,will be on the album. The single quickly rose to a top-10 spot on the Billboard mainstream R&B and Hip-Hop Chart.
Though the rapper looks up to artists like Tupac and Outkast, much of his music in the past was classified as Christian rap. With features from mainstream rap artists, Lecrae may be taking a different approach with this album.
George Petersen, junior business major, said he believes this shift in how Lecrae is labeling himself is a way to reach people who would not seek out Christian music otherwise.
“It may seem Lecrae is being what popular media calls ‘mainstream.’ However, I see this as a way to reach a larger audience with his gospel-centered music,” Petersen said. “Rap has become this anti-Christian culture that’s all about boasting and proclaiming self-pleasure as the subject of songs. Rap isn’t known as a Christian form of music. Yet, with this move by Lecrae, I believe he has the potential of changing that.”
This is the first studio album Lecrae has released in three years. He originally recorded more than 100 songs for this album but narrowed the track list down to 14.
Loyal Lecrae fan Zach Perry, junior health science pre physicians assistant major, said he thinks Lecrae is beginning to shy away from the gospel in his most recent release.
“If the singles he released are to draw people in and the rest of his album (is) about the gospel then I think that’s a super smart strategy to bring people to Christ. However, from the songs I have heard so far, it seems he’s more concerned with how big his audience can get than what they are actually hearing and how it may impact their life,” Perry said.
In June 2017, Lecrae was nominated for the BET Hip- Hop Award for Best Impact Track for “Blessings” alongside artists Kendrick Lamar, Cardi B, Jay Z, A$AP Rocky and Tyler the Creator. At the awards, Lecrae also won the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award.
In 2013 Lecrae tweeted, “I am a Christian. I am a rapper. But Christian is my faith not my genre.”
“I believe the old Lecrae would’ve said, ‘I’m a Christian who happens to be a rapper,’” Perry said.
His album title is taken from Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
“‘All Things Work Together’ can mean many things, which allows the listener to interpret it the way they would like,” Petersen said.
