A lot has been said about Lecrae and his going number one on the Billboard album chart with his latest album "Anomaly" a lot positive things as well as negative things. The best things I've read about it was THIS and THIS . I have been thinking about it all.



First of all some facts. I am not surprised he went no 1 with his first week sales of 88,587 because on the week he dropped, the only one who could come close was Jehene Aiko (she came 2nd selling 71, 230) but she is new and not yet on that level where she can command over 100,000 first week sales, this is her debut and she is still a niche artist. Also Meek Mill was supposed to drop his new album on the same day but due to him being locked up, Rick Ross and his MMG imprint pulled the release. If he had dropped on the same day I think lecrae would have been no 2 (Meek Mill's last album did 165,000 in it's first week)

Now some folks are saying he sold more than Maroon 5. Well he did that week but that wasn't Maroon 5's opening week for their latest album "V". Their opening week was the one before and they did 164,000 to top the chart just like lecrae did the following week. In their 2nd week when lecrae dropped they sold 80,027 and were number 2. That is very impressive. Other folks were saying lecrae outsold Jeezy and they are correct for the week that lecrae dropped BUT Jeezy's opening week for his latest album "Seen It All" sold 154,539 and the week lecrae dropped he sold 33,074 which made him 6th. In Lecrae's 2nd week he has experienced a 65% drop in sales and sold 31,243 copies to drop the 8th position. This is still very impressive and actually amazing. I mean he doesn't even have regular rotation on mainstream radio. I hope this achievement leads to that because some of the songs on Anomaly can actually be hit singles in my opinion


I just put these numbers up to give some context because in the excitement of such an unprecedented achievement a lot of exaggeration can be thrown about haha. This does not make Lecrae's achievement less impressive by any means. In fact as an indie release (distributed by RED Distribution a division of Sony Entertainment by the way which helps a lot) coming from someone who emerged from the niche christian hip hop scene it is really something. Lecrae in that respect is an anomaly (pun fully intended)

I have seen criticism of lecrae saying how can he be an anomaly when the sounds he uses in his album mimics the rap music sounds of others, well lecrae being an anomaly in this case isn't necessarily about the sound he employs to create his songs, he is not ushering in a whole new sound in rap music. Him being referred to as an anomaly is that his music expresses a worldview that isn't popular in mainstream rap music. It is a faith informed viewpoint from someone who is a real christian that allows his faith colour all his verses and songs. Even though this is the case he is accessing platforms normally shut off to a rapper of his kind because he has commercial sales numbers that cannot be overlooked and skills that can't be denied as an emcee. Some might argue Lecrae isn't the most skillful christian rapper but no one else in recent times has had the consistent commercial numbers like him in the niche scene that he has emerged from. The mainstream music industry respects numbers. The bottom line is sales are the primary thing the mainstream music industry checks for first even before checking out the music. Even if the music is bangin' the first questions they will ask is "can it sell?" "is it marketable?" and "can it make profit?" this is just the truth.



Mali Music can be said to be an artist who is making similar moves that Lecrae is making. His first week sales of his brilliant album "Mali is.." released by RCA Records were only 18,000. One would ask how come he didn't do half as much as lecrae? I can only offer some speculation.

Lecrae didn't immediately make his leap to where he is now, he has consistently and gradually built and worked very hard over time to get here. He has also grown from the niche he came from and expanded his audience over time. Anomaly is his 7th album. Let me repeat that, this is his 7TH ALBUM, let that sink in. He has also released 2 brilliant, widely downloaded and high profile free mixtapes. He has grown with his audience, this is not an overnight thing. His marketing has been great and the risks he has taken have really been inspiring to watch. All these factors along with the grace of God have gotten him to where he is now.

Mali Music in my opinion created one of the best albums of the year (in any genre) but his audience wasn't ready for his sudden leap from the niche he was in to the mainstream outlet and platforms he is on now. Also the mainstream are only getting to know who he is. It was almost like a shock to the system of the niche audience he was emerging from, they just weren't ready, I think if he continues along the path he is on they will get used to his new direction and grow with him. I hope RCA Records recognises this and keeps backing him. He definitely has a market and he definitely can deliver commercially viable music that is credible. Mali Music is an amazing songwriter and performer and I highly recommend his new album "Mali Is..."

Rap music is a dominant genre in America right now so that benefits lecrae. It doesn't make it automatically easier for him in fact it could make it harder but I think in this case it helps in a way. Singers like Mali Music and Michelle Williams (who sold only 8,500 in her first week of her latest album "Journey to freedom" which features her huge hit single "Say Yes" as well as a Lecrae feature on a song with Tye Tribbett) are struggling to sell high numbers coming from the gospel genre/market right now. Even Erica Campbell of Mary Mary was only able to sell 23,000 in the first week of her latest release "Help" (which has a lecrae feature on the title track). Some will say but didn't Lecrae say he is not a Christian rapper but just a christian that raps? that is true but the track record of the releases of his music show he is coming from the gospel/christian music market. I mean he won a Grammy for best gospel album last year! It is a tough one because the music he does is rap music but the content of his music is based on his faith in the gospel of Christ so he can occupy different scenes/markets both gospel/christian music as well as rap due to this fact. Does he have to choose one over the other? If you can occupy both and not lose your artistic integrity what is wrong with that? Lecrae isn't a traditional gospel artist is he? He raps. He doesn't even do the speaking in front a choir thing that Kirk Franklin does and others have copied (no shots hehe). So I can understand why he wouldn't want to just be called a christian rapper or gospel artist. That already limits him to one market and could possibly block him from being given a chance to be a credible rap artist that has access to platforms beyond the gospel/christian music/Christian hip hop platforms and outlets.



I think the main thing people need to think about is how this will affect rappers who are from the same scene Lecrae emerged from. Will this be a door for more rappers to breakthrough? Maybe, maybe not. It definitely does open up a world of possibility though. Finally there is some kind of reference point for both artists and the wider audience to refer to concerning rap music of this kind in a mainstream context beyond the ghettoised niche most are in. Lecrae has made a scene that is for the most part underground and invisible to the mainstream more visible in a positive kind of way even though he might have been misunderstood as one who has shunned his roots due to him publicly learning how to negotiate this new uncharted territory.

I am not fooled into thinking this means "lecraes" will be poppin' into the charts every week because apart from lecrae who else has the sales numbers to be this visible in the mainstream? I however do believe this benefits everyone in terms of inspiration and aspiration. If some can get over their fear, insecurity, envy and jealously this event can actually be a boost of faith for them. I somehow wish Lecrae could communicate to the world that there are many more like him who are just as good if not better. I think with the Church Clothes Vol 1 & 2 mixtapes that he dropped he tried to do that with the featured artists on it but for now this commercial success appears to be a one off and until someone else does it this big in this way, Lecrae remains an anomaly, commercially speaking.

The bottom line for me is I have to guard against only measuring my value in commercial terms which is what the mainstream music industry does. Impact isn't only about the sales you are able to achieve on the other hand I won't let this make me not celebrate the amazing achievement of Lecrae and recognise that it sends a message to the mainstream that the demand for this kind of rap music exists and the music isn't to be sealed off from the rest of the world and trapped in some secular vs sacred prison and ghetto of the christian/gospel music industry. I mean at the end of the day this is rap music innit? What makes it different is the worldview being communicated.

So could this happen in the UK? I say it could happen. We have a smaller market and a different kind of climate here which makes it more difficult but who knows what can happen down the line? I think people should just make honest heartfelt music and not be boxed in by any kind of unnecessary limitation. I think people should be ready for the hard knocks. I think people should think out the box and persevere. Everyone should run in their lane and see where it goes. Anything is possible.

I am going to try to make this a short one and I am probably going to fail but I will try.

Ok this has been a very interesting year for Lecrae. His journey has been very interesting and inspiring to watch.

If you are familiar with Lecrae and his moves in the music biz I don't have to repeat the story, all I will say is a shift has happened with Lecrae and personally I find the shift and growth encouraging, I know there are those who will not agree with that but to each their own. 

So now for the 2nd time Lecrae is up for a Grammy, last time around he was in Best Rock Gospel Album (that was in 2011) and he didn't win it. The rock group Switchfoot took it (I like Switchfoot because I like how the lead singer Jon Foreman thinks, it is Jon who said "we are Christian by faith not by genre" but I digress), now the Grammys have discontinued that award category and now we have Best Contemporary Christian Album and Best Gospel Album.

Lecrae has been nominated in the gospel album award for his latest album "Gravity" which has been his most commercially successful album, as of September 23 it has sold 103,000 copies. For an independent Christian rap artist that is huge. So everything should be lovely and sweet. Well for some it isn't.

I saw a post on Rapzilla announcing lecrae's award nomination and when I got to the comments section I saw some fans expressing their dissatisfaction with him being nominated in this category (go and have a look at it HERE read the comments section) They said they would have preferred he was nominated in the best rap album category. Which has:

Drake: Take Care

Lupe Fiasco: Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, Pt 1

Nas: Life is Good

The Roots: Undun

Rick Ross: God Forgives, I don't

2 Chainz: Based on a T.R.U. Story

Looking at the nominees for that category I can honestly say "Gravity" by Lecrae deserves to be there but unfortunately it isn't the case and until Lecrae is able to fully break out of the Christian/Gospel genre/market box of perception he is stuck in, it is not gonna happen. In this industry he is branded as a Christian/Gospel artist. This is how he came up as an independent Christian rapper from the sub-genre called Christian Hip Hop. He might personally be trying to change this branding and even to an extent be succeeding in shifting perception but the fact he got nominated in the gospel album category and not best rap album category shows that he is still in that box as far as the industry is concerned. Even if he was nominated in the rap album category I don't think he would win, I think that award is between "take care" by Drake and "life is good" by Nas.

This is just the problem with defining a genre primarily by it's lyrical content and not it's musical style. Lecrae has been working hard to break out of this box and be seen as a Hip Hop/Rap artist this year and not just relegated and stuck in the niche of the Christian/Gospel market but it has been a hard fight for him. Perception is everything. Let's look at this a bit closer. 

Lecrae decided to drop defining himself as a "Christian rapper" as well as pushing the idea of "Christian Hip Hop" this year. He is not saying he is not a Christian anymore or even slighting the community of Christian Hip Hop Fans either but just saying that like Mos Def and Lupe Fiasco who are muslims but are regarded as Hip Hop artists and therefore have a place in the wider hip hop community/marketplace, he wants to be similar. One who is authenically a Hip Hop artist but one who is authentically a Christian reflecting a Christian worldview in his songs and lyrics to a wider audience. It is really simple but he has faced a severe backlash from some fans of Christian Hip Hop who think he is "selling out" and "watering down" Of course such comments are silly because listening to his "Church Clothes" mixtape and his album "Gravity" it is clear he isn't doing any of that. If he has changed at all it is for the better as far as I can see.

I think the main reason Lecrae got this backlash is because some christians are so invested in Christian rap/Hip Hop as a genre that they quite possibly define themselves by their attachment to it. Doing that is actually not the best because as a Christian your identity is defined by faith in Christ and not by your involvement in a genre even if it is labelled "Christian" like I say in a line "Don't get it twisted I'm defined by my faith not a genre/it's not a subculture that makes me more than conqueor"

The business of selling music in the niche market of Christian music depends on this labelling of music as "Christian" or "Gospel" so those who own "Christian" labels NEED to call what they sell Christian because it seems that is the fastest and easiest way to tap into the "Christian" market. It doesn't mean everyone who does it this way will be successful but it sure does help labeling things this way when it comes to the marketing side of things to a Christian audience and that cannot be denied. It's just the way it is, even if in some cases it makes things a bit weird. I guess the word Christian isn't always a good adjective (is it ever a good adjective?) and is a better noun.

So now we have Lecrae nominated in the best gospel album category. For most of us in the UK we would have no problem with that at all. Over here if you are a Christian and you are black and you talk about your faith in Christ in your music you are called a gospel artist period no matter what style of music you do. Even if you make the most amazing Hip Hop album or grime album or R&B album, there is no other option it seems unless you abandon calling yourself a gospel artist altogether but that might not even work, if you are "gospel by association" once you emerge from the "gospel scene" as it is called, it seems you are labelled as a gospel artist for life. In the UK we don't even use definitions like Christian Hip Hop or have a CHH community even though there are are Christians that rap. Sometimes it is hard for folks in the UK to understand how Christian Hip Hop/Rap isn't seen as part of the gospel genre by the fans in America.

The fact that some American Christian rap/hip hop fans are not happy with lecrae being nominated in the gospel category just highlights what I always tell UK folks, Christian Rap/Hip Hop isn't regarded as part of the gospel genre by the fans of the music in America but as far as industry definitions go, Gospel music is Christian music by black people and Christian rap/Hip Hop falls under that. It seems Lecrae even with his efforts to be regarded as an authentic hip hop artist will not be able to escape this. No matter how many BET Hip Hop cyphers he's in, no matter how many mainstream rap artists he features on his projects or how many mainstream hip hop co-signs he gets.

Ok I have gone on for too long, I knew it would be long one lol. What is the bottom line of all this? I dunno. I guess awareness of how genre definitions can be limiting is something I wanted to highlight. Sometimes an artist just wants to be free from all this but marketing depends on labeling and some fans seem to depend on this labeling of music genres for their identity which is not a healthy thing if you ask me. So congrats to Lecrae for being nominated for a Grammy maybe one day you might be able to be in the best rap album category and if you are a fan of Christian rap/Hip Hop or Gospel Music try to understand how industry/genre definitions work, it is hard to explain if you are not actually involved in the music industry and are just a fan. Anyway here are the full nominations for "best gospel music album" the category Lecrae is in:

Identity: James Fortune & FIYA

Jesus At The Centre Live: Israel & New Breed

I Win: Marvin Sapp

Worship Soul: Anita Wilson

Gravity: Lecrae

Oh yeah I have to add this before somebody throws it out there, we know that it is not about awards and the accolades of men but God's reward. Yeah I know this BUT I only wrote this blog because of some comments I saw in the comments section of the Rapzilla Post about this. Hehehe

UPDATE: This blog entry was written way before the Grammy awards happened. I would like to say congratulations to Lecrae and Reach Records for his Grammy win. I have to say I was surprised but it was well deserved. This further makes me wonder how the Christian Hip Hop community will take this if some were not happy with his nomination in this category in the first place?