Photo by Frederic J. Brown / AFP 
By Okla Jones ·Updated August 29, 2024
For 20 years, Lecrae has delivered dozens of hit records—all in the name of the Christian faith. From records such as “All I Need Is You,” “Sunday Morning,” and Grammy Award-winning “Your Power,” the talented artist achieved unprecedented success during a time when faith-based rap wasn’t accepted in mainstream music. Now, decades deep into his career, Lecrae is reaching further heights in entertainment, as well as in the business world.
As the founder of Reach Records, Lecrae built the company out of necessity. Label heads would either categorize his music as “too edgy or too Christian,” the rapper tells ESSENCE. So, he decided to cut out the middle man entirely and create a way to put out projects and artists the way he wanted to, without restriction. By forging his own >Black Business Month, the Houston-born emcee reflects on the delicate balance he’s maintained between his artistry and entrepreneurial endeavors. Reach Records isn’t just a label; it’s a platform that empowers other artists who share his mission of authenticity and hope. Through the years, he has shown that success isn’t just about chart-topping hits but also about creating opportunities for others to rise. His journey serves as an inspiring testament to the power of perseverance, vision, and faith in the face of adversity.
ESSENCE: I remember when you came into the game–you weren’t the first Christian rapper, but you kind of brought it to the mainstream. It was a time when music was either gospel or secular. What inspired you to blend those two genres, and how did you know that it would work for you?
Lecrae: That’s all I knew. When I came up, what I thought was a Christian album was The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, so I just thought that’s what you did. I thought you just talked about your spiritual >Master P, wanting to be Baby and Slim, so I always had a mindset of, I want to be an integral part of the music business, as well as being an artist. So for me, that was just the natural hustle that was already in me from anything, selling candy to finding money on the corners, doing whatever I had to do. That was always an integral part of who I was. So for me, when we started the label, I instantly was like, “we got to get my homeboy signed because he dope too.” Then, I met this other kid that I’ve been mentoring. We got to sign him. My brain was already looking for talent.
The funny thing was it wasn’t a second thought. The money that came in, we spent $5,000 to make my first CD. All I remember is $20,000 later, it was like we could take this money, the royalties, and whatever. I could personally take that, or I could put that back into doing the artwork and the production for the next artist, and that’s what I did, so it wasn’t even a thought. I’ve been broke, so it ain’t going to hurt to be broke a little bit longer. Let’s put some money into his project. We were just on a mission, and it was building something, so it was so fun. I don’t think the thought process was how to make money. For me, it was how I can change the world, have fun, and keep reinvesting in my artists.
About two years ago, you signed your first Afrobeats artist, right?
I just love signing artists that bridge the gap, that cut the tension between mainstream and the gospel or Christian world, because unfortunately, Christian music, it is still a business, and people don’t want to take a risk on soundscapes and music that they feel like, “Well, we don’t really know about that.” We had signed an EDM artist when EDM was the thing. We were hip hop. We were used to being the renegades, and I was like, “Yo. No one’s touching this Afrobeats music, and it’s going crazy everywhere, and we literally got an artist right here who we can invest in,” so it was a no-brainer. He was dope. Then, we put a song out with him. All of a sudden his first single’s charting on the Afrobeats chart, and I’m like, “That’s exactly what I wanted to happen.” It’s for the world to see what that looks like, and we’re still following that same model, so we got some other new artists that we haven’t announced yet, but in different genres, because a lot of times Christian music is scared to touch it.
I also wanted to talk about your upcoming single, “Lift Me Up.” What was the story behind the song, and what sparked you to put pen and paper to write it?
I’m going to tell you the truth, because I’ve been in the game so long, I’m not trying to make myself look amazing. So the truth is, there’s a reggae artist named Papa San. He was big back in the day, and his son is an artist named Beam, and Beam had been around us for years, and we had been working with Beam on different production, different songs. I featured him on some stuff. Well, he became a very prominent writer—he’s written for Rihanna, Justin Bieber, everybody, and Beam had a hook for “Lift Me Up,” and the song was for Kanye, because Kanye was on his Christianrel=”tag”>Black Business Month christian Hip-Hop lecrae
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