We are a little less than a month from the release of Lecrae’s book Unashamed, Lecrae continues to drop chapters and quotes from the book. This week on medium.com, Lecrae dropped another portion of the book titled “Red Carpet Treatment.” This section gives the reader a candid look inside the glitz and glam of the Grammy’s and other high-profile events. Here is an excerpt:
“When I reached the end of the carpet — you know, the place where artists stand in front of the Grammys backdrop and a crowd of photographers takes their picture — a security guard lowered his hand and asked me to wait. He waved Iggy Azalea around me. She smiled, and the cameras went crazy. When she finished, I started to proceed and the security guard stopped me again. He waved Rick Ross through.
This happened so many times I lost count. Wiz Khalifa and then Taylor Swift and then Keith Urban and then Ziggy Marley. Somewhere in the process my wife threw up her hands and left me to go sit down. For 45 minutes I waited until the security guard finally raised his arm and waved me through.
I walked in front of the backdrop in my crisp tuxedo and shiny shoes, standing tall and proud as a nominee in a respected category. I gave them the best smile I had. And . . . almost every journalist lowered their camera. Maybe five of the forty photographers took my picture, and I’m pretty sure those were snapped out of pity.
Some people say the red carpet is the best litmus test for how famous you are or how famous you’re not. For how accepted you are or aren’t. If this is true, the message was clear: I am not one of “them.”
This a great rebuttal to those who have accused Lecrae of chasing fame and selling out for money. The reality is, if Lecrae stayed in the CHH/Gospel arena and made like 8 more “Background” songs, he would be rolling in the money. Lecrae is a superstar in Christian music and almost a nobody in the mainstream industry. Here is another excerpt that may give a little more clarity to the removal of the Christian Rapper label:
You might assume I was an outsider because I’m the “new kid” and people just didn’t know who I was. But as record executives started introducing me to others, I discovered this was not true.
“I want you to meet Lecrae,” the record executive would often say. “He’s a Christian rapper.”
“I know who you are,” they would respond with a patronizing smile. “I’m familiar with your music.”
The awkwardness would grow, and I could almost hear their thoughts: Can I cuss around him? He is about to preach at me, or judge me if I drink this whole bottle of Cristal and stumble out of here? Maybe they don’t know if they can be fully themselves around me. Or perhaps they don’t think they would like the content of my music or the assumptions behind my music or the worldview I hold. Regardless, they don’t want to know more. From that point on, it felt awkward. It was like I was marked.
Being an outspoken Christian in the music industry means always feeling out of place. It’s like whatever you have accomplished is less credible because of your faith. You’re in the circle, but you’re not really in the circle. You fit in, but you don’t really fit in. When you’re standing next to people or sitting beside people, it’s as if you’re not really there.
This is one of the reasons I don’t fully embrace the “Christian rapper” label. It isn’t that I’m ashamed of being a Christian. I’m not. If someone asked me to renounce my faith or take a bullet in the brain, I’m dying that day. But labeling the music that way creates hurdles and is loaded down with baggage. Plus, it just isn’t a true expression of the music I’m making. I try to produce music that is life-giving and inspires people to hope, but it isn’t just for the super-religious. I want to address themes that people who aren’t Christian can appreciate.
There was a time when I was making music that appealed only to those inside the church. But that day of exclusivity is long gone. My albums will always have my DNA in them, and I will always be a Christian, but I’m trying to do something different now. But for many who aren’t familiar with me, this doesn’t matter. I’m already marked a Christian rapper, and maybe I always will be. As a result, whether I’m walking the red carpet or at a party or talking to professional athletes or even having a conversation at the barber shop, I’ll always feel tension. I’ll always be an outsider.
Be sure to preorder his book at www.unashamedbook.com.
