Blessed and there is no doubt about it.
I've been worried lately about my lack of covering theological entertainment especially since I'm not only a Christian but I'm a recent licensed Preacher. But I just snagged a job at a His Word so that should change. But I'm glad I get to cover this because it's my first album review and it's for probably for one of the best MC's out there. Let's put it this way; Will Smith is my favorite worldly rapper—who shows his Christian faith anyways by the good music he makes—and Lecrae is my favorite Christian rapper.
I got into Gospel Hip-Hop when I was a little kid when Lil iROCC Williams brought out "All My People." I swear, out of all the black kids in my church, and I went to a Baptist church, I was the only one that actually bought "LIL iROCC Williams." I look back on “The Sequel” and I'm like, "Yeah, this is definitely for little kids;" but thank you iROCC for helping me realize that rap didn't just belong to the world.
I got into T-Bone's "Bon-Appetite: Servin’ Up Tha Hits!" on a weekend retreat with my best friend Emmanuel and I've been listening to that for years waiting for something else to entice me or for T-Bone to come out with another album. He is later this year, but come on, five years, really!? And that's why I like Lecrae because "Church Clothes" is his third album in the span of three years, and he has another project entitled "Gravity" that comes out later this year brining that total up to four. If that's not an indication that the Holy Spirit is moving through him and putting pen to paper then I don't know what is.
The first song I ever heard from Lecrae was "Prayin' For You" from his second album "After the Music Stop." After iROCC and T-Bone my dad was trying his hardest to get me into a lot more Gospel Hip-Hop. We had this Sunday Morning ritual as we got ready for church that we would watch Bobby Jones Gospel and then Video Gospel right after. I found out about iROCC this way because my parents were watching while I was getting dressed and they called me to see "All My People" because they couldn't tell if iROCC was a girl or not. Well there lack of perception opened me up to Gospel Hip-Hop and a few years later Lecrae tripped me out when in his video he said, "And matter fact there's somethin' else I'm concealing' see the person I've been prayin' about is really me." Whenever a new Christian MC was shown on Video Gospel my dad tried to see if they were someone I'd like. But each time all I saw was a man dancing in a club saying Jesus or Lord every once in a while. To me they were still in the world and if I could tell that at a young age they needed to reassess themselves. But when "Prayin' For You" came on the video showed a man who was having some hard times and Lecrae is rapping about trying to help him through prayer and the shocker was when you find out he's praying for himself. It was powerful and has a message while not tainting it with the video. Instead, the video enhanced it and you know what I mean if you’ve seen the video. From that moment on Lecrae left a permanent mark on me.
Now honestly, "Church Clothes" is the first "album" of his I have. Mixtapes are still albums people, they're just free. I wanted to get "Rebel" but I didn't have the money to get it at the time it came out and after two more of my parents’ paychecks I forgot about bugging them for it. Recently I've been looking for more Gospel Hip-Hop because worldly rappers don't have a clue (besides B.o.B) and since no one was coming out with anything I just ended up making a T-Bone/Lecrae playlist on Pandora and was bumping that every day. Then a friend of mine advertised about "Church Clothes" on Facebook and I went and downloaded it. Here's my reaction: Holy Crap!
“Church Clothes” is about forgetting a lot of the silly traditions that keep sinners away from the church. We should be worried more about their souls and not what they wear, who they are, or where they are coming from. We forget the Word says, “Come as you are” and that He takes us for who we are.
“Better not be no real Jesus/ with real forgiveness, for hurt folks/ If God gon take me as I am/ I guesss I already got on my Church Clothes.”
—Lecrae from “Church Clothes” from the same titled mixtape
Showing that it doesn’t matter what you were; it doesn’t matter what you do but because we continue to keep holding onto these silly rules many people are getting hurt. The easiest way to put it is to use another line from the actual song “Church clothes”: “Plus I know ol' girl a freak/ Now how she singin a solo, I walked in the church with a snapback/ And they tellin me that that's a ‘nono’?” Too many times people in the church, mainly the older folks, forget that while God and His word are timeless, how we reach his people isn’t. With each generation we need to find new ways to reach to the young as they face difficult and totally different problems than the last generation. You know that old saying, “You have no idea what it’s like to grow up now days!” Yeah well, it’s true especially for a lot of churches.
“Church Clothes” also focuses on the hypocrisy a lot of Christians display. One second we’re saying one thing but the next we’re doing something or someone else. The mixtape uses fresh beats and clever lyrics written by a man who “started out just like you” but knows the Word of God.
Don Cannon “the one man army” who produces most of the tracks, leads you into each song with beats you can chill back and nod your head to or that make you want to get up and dance. While Lecrae and fellow Christian Artist such as Thi’sl, Tedashii, No Malice, Propaganda, Braille, Odd Thomas, and etc. show how truly blessed they are with the talent to preach the Word and talk about reality through their lines. Honestly, it comes down to if you’re the kind of person who really listens to rap music or do you just pick out some lines you love in a song and dance to the beat. Whether you believe in Christ or not, these artists, especially Lecrae, have lines so sharp they cut you every time you really hear it to the point you never get rid of the amazement you have whenever you hear that line. I’ll admit, if you do believe in Christ or at least know some of his teachings, the lyrics brilliantly and mentality cut you even more because it resonates in your soul; even if not something about this music can reach anyone.
As it is, Lecrae posted on his Facebook page a couple of weeks ago that the FREE mixtape has gone Platinum on Datpiff.com. I don’t know how a free download can go Platinum but they must have some way of keeping track, probably just the downloads. Speaking of downloads, when “Church Clothes” was first released within 48 hours it had 100,000 downloads (Wikipedia.com). And that’s because religious beliefs aside, listening to Lecrae is a wakeup call to what real rap is and for those of us who do believe it’s a powerful message using a powerful and popular medium to reach the world. I already have several non-Christian friends who have become fans of his because they like his flow. I’m just praying that they start to really feel the message too.
Honestly, as with anything I review strongly, I always tell you I could write all day but you won’t get what I mean unless you check it out for yourself. So head to Datpiff.com and download the FREE Mixtape, and maybe when his next project “Gravity” comes out we can talk about how “Church Clothes” lead you to buy it. But until next time, According to Michael III, “I'm not livin for today cause tomorrows looking pleasant/And the future is a gift even though this is the present/Yea I do believe in heaven but my actions ain't the key/Them gates remain locked if everything follow me.”
—Lecrae, “No Regrets” from “Church Clothes”
—Michael III
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZNEaTWxG_o
This is the link for the video “Prayin’ For You”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpke_zl0vVA
The link to just the music to “No Regrets” from “Church Clothes,” one of my favorite songs.
Check them out =)
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