Monthly newspaper and online publication targeting 18 to 35 year olds. The ultimate guide to the hottest parties, going out and having fun. Music, fashion, film, travel, festivals, technology, comedy, and parties! London, Barcelona, Miami and Ibiza.
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You have been adamant to not call your- self a Christian rapper but a rapper whose a Christian - why is that distinction so important to you? I don't think it is as important for me as it is for people who don't know what to do with my music categorically right. If you meet me and I am dressed like this with my Yeezys on and you say oh, what do you do and I say I am a rocket scientist. And you say now come on mayne and it's like well why can't I be a rocket scientist and you have this expectation in your mind of a rocket scientist. But if I tell you I am Lecrae and you just get to know me and when you hear I am a rocket scientist and then it's like oh wow, tell me more. And so that's how I feel about the music. It like man I am an artist, respect the art and then if you want to talk about faith and spirituality, that's something that's there as well. You've since said there is such a thing as a "American Pie, colonized, Americanized, politicized faith", so what is that? I think history is very important when you dealing with anything and so if you don't understand the history of something then you are just embracing or accepting what- ever version of it that has been placed in front of you. So when someone puts a brand of rap in front of you and even if let's say you have never heard rap at all in your life and I put one brand of it in front of you and it's the whole time artists, all they talking about is drugs and now you are like, I don't like rap because all rap talks about is drugs. Well I am like no that's a brand of rap that you have experienced, that's not rap, you don't know the history, you don't know any of those things so now you are just done with it all and I think that there is a brand of Christianity that exists in America, specifi- cally. There is brands of it everywhere but America has exported it you know in Africa, in the Caribbean and it is a version of the faith that has more to do with the American culture than it has to do with the actual faith itself. So you are really exporting your culture, so people do that all the time, it's like oh no, no, no, you got to wear a dress to cover ankles, like that's culture. So I think once the traditionalism, the culturalism, nationalisms start to bleed into the faith it dilutes the faith and it starts to create conflicts and issues and so for me I don't want anything to do with those things. I want it as pure as I can possibly have it and that means in some senses having to say that's more American than it is God and you know it is not sacred, the national anthem is not sacred, but now you are treading on thin ice. So if we think of religion in the traditional sense and also taking into account that 'Americanized, politicized faith' would you say this is what is behind the rise of Trump in particular Christian spaces? It gets really nuance and complex and I think someone will have to care to listen to a lot of specific details to hear that criticism. You have a sect of people who just follow the Republican party because of the con- servatism as far as it pertains to women's rights or abortion. So they say oh, anything that is anti this I do not support and so if Trump says well I am this, well as a Christian I have got to go this way. But if that means we do support killing unarmed people or not taking care of the poor and not loving our neighbours, how is that okay. So it's not about right or wrong, it is about neither party or neither tribe has the right answers or solution. But like I said, espe- cially in America, believers say, yeah, this is the route I must take because it means I re- ally believe so I must put this man in office cause this is my spiritual duty. You are currently on the 'All Things Work Together' tour, what have been the high- lights so far? The highlights are just you know, again seeing the people come out, all walks of life, the irreligious, the religious, the whatever place in life you are they are there. They are there to have fun, some people are there to judge other peoples, some people are their cause they need freedom, but it is just that they are there and that's just been amazing and its cultures, seeing different cultures. You have won a Grammy, had a New York Times bestseller, appeared in a film, what's next for Lecrae? I need to get more involved in film and television. I want to produce some film and television, I have been working with some people, writing some scripts and so just become more of an executive behind the scenes. Any last words? Keep hope alive, you know I tell everybody this, there is hope in the middle of chaos, All Things Work Together, it is an album, but it is a fact, it is a reality so no matter how dark it gets it is never worth giving up hope, never. 2018 / ISSUE 107 37 HIP HOP & RNB " THERE IS HOPE IN THE MIDDLE OF CHAOS, ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER, IT IS AN ALBUM, BUT IT IS A FACT " Mixing faith with hip hop and a dose of necessary realism similar to the greats of the rap scene, Lecrae is steadily carving out a space for himself and rappers like him. With his 8th studio album All Things Work Together debuting at no.3 on the Billboard Album Charts, it is obvious that Lecrae's particular breed of rap is not going anywhere anytime soon. We caught up with the rapper to talk touring, America's faith journey, Trump and what else he has in store for 2018. follow @lecrae Patience Takyuka | Guestlist