Lecrae

From the south side of Houston to a major platform in the movement of urban reform, a rocky road provides a window into the grace he experienced throughout his life, with every situation molding him into the artist and leader he is today.

Born and raised by his mother, in a poor community, Lecrae Moore moved around a lot, giving him the versatile background and cultural awareness he carries with him. San Diego, Denver, and Dallas have once been home to him and the street life he idolized and pursued.  Along the way, like many in the inner city, he took to rapping as a way of communicating his thoughts.  It wasn’t until after high school that his hobby became a passion, and Jesus Christ redeemed his Hip-Hop background.

At 19-years-old, at the encouragement of a Christian leader, he had attended a conference and heard James White delivering the message.  In that moment, sitting in a chair, his world was flipped upside down as the Holy Spirit convicted him of his sin and need for a Savior.  Almost instantly, his renewed heart spilled over as he printed his testimony and passed it out across the University of North Texas campus.  The next five years included many struggles and victories before he teamed up to found Reach Records, releasing his first album at the age of 25.

Since then, Lecrae has released the groundbreaking album After the Music Stops and the first Christian Rap album to ever sit in the No. 1 position on Billboard’s Top Gospel Charts--Rebel. Led by the classic single‚ “Jesus Musik,” After the Music Stops slowly spread to the mainstream market with other hits such as “Praying For You” and “Send Me.”  His follow up, Rebel, released in 2008, garnered even more success: becoming the first Christian Rap album to ever sit in the No. 1 position on Billboard’s Top Gospel Charts and spending 78 weeks on the Billboard charts.

Lecrae returned in 2010 with an album whose influence extended into mainstream media and culture. Rehab, an honest look at his problems and the only solution to them, broke into the Billboard Top 200 Albums debuting at No. 17, while reaching No. 3 on the Top 10 Albums chart on iTunes.  The impact of this album spread across the globe, receiving nominations for several awards including a Grammy for Best Rock/Rap Gospel album.

In 2011, the music industry continued to take notice, with a well-received appearance on the BET Hip Hop Awards Cypher, a feature on Statik Selektah‘s mixtape and collaborations with other mainstream artists and producers.  In May 2012, he released the Church Clothes mixtape hosted by Don Cannon and featuring production by Bio-1a, 9th Wonder, S-1 and Street Symphony.

In September 2011, Gravity dropped and made waves in several mainstream outlets with 70,490 units sold in its first week making it the #1 Rap Album, #1 Independent Album and #3 on the Billboard 200. The album also ranked as the #1 Christian Album and #1 Gospel Album. To date, Lecrae holds the title as the highest-selling independent artist in first week sales for 2012.

A graduate of the University of North Texas, Lecrae now resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife and children.  His passion for impacting urban culture persists.  With a musically evolving and successful discography, nationwide tours along with the 116 Clique, and a generation of young believers around the world inspired to live unashamed; Lecrae is humbled by his position in the growing movement to bring truth to every arena.  His hope is that Reach’s impact will spread far beyond simply the music and into the lives of individuals across the globe, ultimately exalting Jesus Christ.