A week ago, a tweet came across my desk that disturbed me. Trump advocate Charlie Kirk sat down with pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino church to discuss some things. At around the 20 minute mark, Lecrae is mentioned. Kirk is disgusted that Christian rapper Lecrae would endorse Raphael Warnock when he was running for Senator. Kirk zeroed in on the fact that Warnock is Pro-Choice and that Lecrae endorsed him. Kirk would then go on to say that in his personal opinion, “Lecrae should never be allowed to perform in a church again,” and that’s where I take issue.
Charlie Kirk’s opinion, and the subsequent applause that followed his ignorant statement, gives me cause for concern. Make no mistake, Charlie Kirk’s statement about Lecrae is outdated but the threat remains for those not in Crae’s shoes. Which Lecrae did Kirk think he was affecting? The Lecrae who landed two songs on the Spider-Man: Miles Morales video game? The Lecrae who is making moves in his community? That Lecrae?
Everyone who is reading this knows that Lecrae will be fine, but what about other black artists operating in this “Christian” space? The “Christian” is in quotations for a reason. Charlie Kirk identified Lecrae as a Christian Rapper and then said that this Christian Rapper shouldn’t be allowed to perform in churches again. This “brother” in Christ suggested that his “brother” should be stripped of his ability to make a living because of a political candidate that Lecrae may or may not have endorsed. That doesn’t sound very Christ like. Then there was the applause, meaning there were a lot of people in that church that agreed with Kirk’s sentiment, and that disgusts me.
American Christians have made idols of their political parties for so long and that was exposed during the 2016 election. After four years of what can only be described as a regime, the American people decided to vote differently. Instead of bowing out gracefully and honoring the nation’s new leader, a massive temper tantrum was thrown. What’s also disgusting is the confusion of morality with political alignments. Conservatives act las if their stance of abortion is how they’ve always felt, like it was a foundational principle, but it wasn’t. Conservatives didn’t rally around abortion until the late 70s. Why? Simply put: racism. There’s a great podcast that goes into it here.
Charlie Kirk nonchalantly leveraged his “influence” to suggest that Lecrae not be able to make money because of a difference of opinion. That sounds like oppression and White Supremacy to me. Derek Minor shared a tweet with a clip of Kirk’s indictment against Lecrae and suggest that Black CHH artists need to start planning a pivot. He asserts that after the pandemic has run its course, there will be many places that won’t allow Black Christian Hip Hop Artists in their spaces. There has been a thought in CHH that many white Christians care about Black artists’ content but not the artists themselves. If you don’t believe them, check their comment sections anytime they talk about being Black in America or anything else that’s not music related.
I always find it funny how folks claim they want unity in the Body until it comes to politics. The voter shaming and attempted bullying is not effective, but it does reveal where a person’s heart truly lies. Folks like Charlie Kirk can(and will) try to bully black folks but it won’t work. We’ve been bullied by this country since 1619, and despite all odds we’ve still survived. You can’t stop what God has planned, His plans supersede any political divide. To all the black artists: make plans to go where you are truly celebrated, not just where you are tolerated, even if it is outside the White Evangelical church.
Featured image taken from www.lecrae.com
Good morning black CHH. I hope you’re taking this time to pivot and figure out what’s next because when this pandemic is over, you ain’t welcomed back in many of these spaces. Listen to the applause after he said it. If they wanna cancel Lecrae, you don’t stand a chance. 😂 https://t.co/0sXG2TbRNs pic.twitter.com/siVEGpvjAS
— Derek Minor (@thederekminor) January 24, 2021
