“History does not happen in a straight line…”

Neither does hip hop n… Read Full Bio ↴“History does not happen in a straight line…”

Neither does hip hop nor its prolific breakout rhymist/activist/author/voice of conscience Lecrae.

Never afraid to move the needle, few would argue that his much anticipated Columbia Records debut album (due out this summer) comes at a pivotal moment for the artist, as hip hop’s torrent now moves to him.

Surging or insurgent - depending on your point of view - he’s blessed with a visionary verbal arsenal and an abiding faith that’s piloted a unique career trajectory defying the typical hip hop storyline. ‘The system may not have planned for this,’ wrote Vibe about Lecrae, ‘but it’s definitely coming around.’ “More caught than taught,” is how the artist describes his incredible journey that includes two Grammys, a history-making #1 album with his masterful 2014 offering, Anomaly (topped multiple categories, including the Billboard 200 and is RIAA Gold certified), and a compelling live resume, most recently notching a headlining 2016 ‘Destination’ tour which Lecrae says was about “real unity, not pretend unity.” He continues to thoughtfully engage the culture, reeling off a NY Times Bestseller (last year’s riveting memoir ‘Unashamed’) and a breakthrough spoken word performance at the BET Hip Hop Awards last fall that had the twittersphere heralding his arrival as truth-telling firebrand. BET hailed it as an “epic poem,” of “necessary affirmations.”

Lecrae relishes his purpose-driven career arc as inspired ‘catalyzer’ - going “from artist to architect” on the new album, widening the close-knit comfort zone of Reach Records (the label he co-founded) by partnering with Columbia Records and expanding his creative outreach. “I sought influences and collaborators I never imagined I’d have the opportunity to work with,” he says. The patient growth process was born out of a “gumbo” of more than 50 songs, “some to just get off my chest,” he says - “I don’t know if they were all meant to be heard but I know they were meant to be written.”

One song that has already seen the light of day is the powerfully uplifting “Blessings,” (featuring Ty Dolla $ign) which iHeartRadio chose for their ‘On The Verge’ platform which connects breaking artists with new listeners. Lecrae cites a refreshed perspective throughout the making of the new album after surviving one of the most tumultuous years he’s experienced since his turbulent teens. Among the hardships was the passing of his longtime friend and collaborator DJ Official, some “painful personal” ramifications after the publication of the unvarnished‘Unashamed,’ trusting friendships that went south, andchronic social media sparring from those attacking Lecrae for his candid and heartfelt perspective in response to theheartbreaking social justice issues making headlines in 2016. “Some people felt that maybe I shouldn’t be articulating the pain when it comes to the structural and systemic issues that have created barriers and disparity in regard to race,” he says. “But I came out of it feeling more confident in making this album then at any other time in my life.”

With trusted friend and Grammy winning producer S1 serving as a key production contributor, Lecrae says it was healing for him to weave some of the more nuanced, complex themes of the new album and come out the other side. “It’s about giving hope to people that they can overcome the fear and the insecurity when things do fall apart,” he says. “The before and after of it all. It may get ugly in your life, but there’s a point of rediscovery where the fear can actually drive the faith and restore you. Sometimes you have to acknowledge where you are at before it can get better.”

Such authenticity has been the hallmark of his 7 studio albums and multiple mixtapes, now nearing the 2 million mark in sales, with the acclaimed artist winning a Billboard Music Award, multiple BET, Soul Train, and Dove awards and even an Honorary Doctorate of music to go along with his 2 Grammy wins. Past signature songs like the ultra-relatable “Church Clothes,” and the prophetic, multi-perspective of “Welcome To America” revealed a Lecrae exploring the plight of the disconnected in all of us. Critics have praised the sociological component of his work and his heightened sensitivity toward the disenfranchised.

On the upcoming album, Lecrae hints he’s still mindful of the outsider role that’s enabled him to work the edges of hip hop stardom, but also conscious of the world coming into his space, now. “I don’t fit in to any one category,” he says. “The BET performance showed I can compete on the highest level and excel at it. I’ve already proven I’m part of the hip hop narrative. On this album I’m taking liberties.”

Invisible
Lecrae Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Lord it's amazin all of the places that you put us, so amazin, the stages u put us on God we don't want any of that glory Father God make us invisible Father we wanna decrease that u might increase John 3:30 ain't that right Diamone? make us invisible it's been hard though Father God through all of it i promise

I wouldn't trade it for nothin the long nights long flights for nothin
I mean I'm sittin in the airport writin cousin
No I never woulda thought in all my wildest dreams
I'da seen all of the things I seen
I mean I seen Katrina she came through hungry
Took anotha city where desire is from ye

Cuz only 2 yrs back we came 2 share that
Glorious gospel seen em holdin they tears back
Now we got New Orleans in our backyard God is good
Cuz a few whoadies got saved since dey been in my hood
And we got 2 show em love wit our time & money
But for me, yea it was more time than money
But if time is money then I must be broke
Cuz i love 2 get it in wit people after the show
We talkin this places and covenants why for the love of it
Me me yeah I'm lovin it we should be lovin it

Feel the power when ya reach the unreachable (the unreachable Lord)
But there's more here than just the physical (just the physical God)
The best when ya complete with the impossible
Make me invisible, you're visible

Lord erase me if I ever turned and lived for myself
Cuz your glory's infinitely greater than my personal health
And Lord I know I'm not worthless you give me my worth
But I know I'm not perfect to lolly the earth
And can't nobody do it like the way u do
Usin me and my whole crew to reach the world for you
And it's true they watchin everything that we do
Yeah its true that we're an illustration of you
I look at verse 26 in Genesis chapter 1
It says I'm lookin like my daddy the more i follow the son
And the more i follow the son all my days look brighter
Cuz he placed a hope within me got me feelin all excited
Got me feelin like a writer like B on the train (whatup BJ)
Standin up and tellin everybody Christ is King (Jesus)
If ya see me on the TV or the world wide web
Know that I be givin Christ da cred
I know why some people see me but I don't trip
I pray the Lord will keep me focused on a missional tip
And use this music as a tool to get Christ inside of your dome
I can't just say it on the mic I gotta do it at home

Feel the power when ya reach the unreachable (the unreachable Lord)
But there's more here than just the physical (just the physical God)
The best when ya complete with the impossible
Make me invisible, you're visible

Your boy ain't a rap star, I'm nothin like Jay-Z or Game
I got a funny soundin name and I don't wanna be famous
I don't make a lotta change, my heart has been changed
I just wanna know Jesus mayn, to make it plain
It's like I got a message penetratin my soul
It's the wisdom the Father gives regeneratin my soul
I'm sold on being soled that the glory is his
I'm trippin that he would even make me 1 of his kids
Get credit for so much but the credit ain't ours
My God how can I tell em this in sixteen bars
Prepare a phrase tear a page share a stage
But no I could never fully communicate your glory alone
And at home i pray we'd all be some regular dudes
Find a ministry we can share in while speakin these truths
I'm greatful that you know me if you send me i'll go
Lord I'm dyin to serve and I'm livin to know you

Feel the power when ya reach the unreachable (the unreachable Lord)
But there's more here than just the physical (just the physical God)
The best when ya complete with the impossible
Make me invisible, you're visible

You're visible...

Overall Meaning

The song Invisible by Lecrae featuring Diamone talks about the desire to give up all the glory and recognition that may come with doing God's work. The creators of the song are believers in Christ, and they acknowledge that God has placed them in remarkable places and on significant stages to do his work. Still, they don't want any part of the glory that comes with it. They pray that God makes them invisible, and they decrease so that God may increase.

The song also talks about the challenges that come with doing God's work. It speaks of the long nights and flights that Lecrae has experienced but wouldn't trade for anything. Furthermore, the song emphasizes the need to complete the impossible by relying on God's power. In doing so, the creators pray that God makes them invisible and more prominent than their works.

The song is a beautiful reminder of the need to stay focused on God's work without any interest in the recognition that may come with it. It also serves as a reminder that we are not worthless, and our value is in God's love and grace.

Line by Line Meaning

Lord it's amazin all of the places that you put us, so amazin, the stages u put us on God we don't want any of that glory Father God make us invisible Father we wanna decrease that u might increase John 3:30 ain't that right Diamone? make us invisible it's been hard though Father God through all of it i promise
We acknowledge that You have placed us in amazing places and on stages, but we don't want any glory for ourselves. We ask that You make us invisible, so that You may increase. We want to decrease, as stated in John 3:30. Diamone, do you agree? We know it's been difficult, Father God, but we promise to continue to ask to be made invisible.

I wouldn't trade it for nothin the long nights long flights for nothin
I wouldn't trade this experience for anything, even with the long nights and flights.

I mean I'm sittin in the airport writin cousin
I'm currently sitting in the airport, writing this verse.

No I never woulda thought in all my wildest dreams I'da seen all of the things I seen
I could not have imagined seeing all the things I have seen in my wildest dreams.

I mean I seen Katrina she came through hungry Took anotha city where desire is from ye
I witnessed Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and affected other cities with great need.

Cuz only 2 yrs back we came 2 share that Glorious gospel seen em holdin they tears back Now we got New Orleans in our backyard God is good Cuz a few whoadies got saved since dey been in my hood
Two years ago, we came to share the glorious gospel and saw people holding back tears. Now, we have New Orleans in our backyard, and we're grateful to God because a few people have accepted Christ since they've been in our neighborhood.

And we got 2 show em love wit our time & money But for me, yea it was more time than money But if time is money then I must be broke Cuz i love 2 get it in wit people after the show
We have been showing them love with our time and money, although for me, it was mainly my time. If time is money, then I must be broke because I love spending time with people after the show.

We talkin this places and covenants why for the love of it Me me yeah I'm lovin it we should be lovin it
We're talking about these places and covenants because we love it. I, personally, love it, and we all should be loving it.

Feel the power when ya reach the unreachable (the unreachable Lord) But there's more here than just the physical (just the physical God) The best when ya complete with the impossible Make me invisible, you're visible
When we reach the unreachable, we feel great power. However, there's more to this than just the physical reality. The greatest accomplishments occur when we complete the impossible. We ask that You make us invisible, so that You may be visible.

Lord erase me if I ever turned and lived for myself Cuz your glory's infinitely greater than my personal health And Lord I know I'm not worthless you give me my worth But I know I'm not perfect to lolly the earth
Lord, if I ever start living for myself, please erase me. Your glory is infinitely greater than my personal health. I know that I'm not worthless because You give me my worth, but I also know that I'm not perfect and cannot please everyone.

And can't nobody do it like the way u do Usin me and my whole crew to reach the world for you And it's true they watchin everything that we do Yeah its true that we're an illustration of you
No one can do it quite like You do, using me and my team to reach the world for You. It is true that people are watching everything we do, and we represent You.

I look at verse 26 in Genesis chapter 1 It says I'm lookin like my daddy the more i follow the son And the more i follow the son all my days look brighter Cuz he placed a hope within me got me feelin all excited
When I look at Genesis 1:26, it says that I resemble my Father more as I follow His Son. The more I follow Jesus, the brighter my days become because He instilled hope within me, making me feel excited.

Got me feelin like a writer like B on the train (whatup BJ) Standin up and tellin everybody Christ is King (Jesus) If ya see me on the TV or the world wide web Know that I be givin Christ da cred
I feel like a writer, like another artist named B on the train. I'm standing up and telling everyone that Christ is King, and if you see me on TV or the internet, know that I give Christ the credit.

I know why some people see me but I don't trip I pray the Lord will keep me focused on a missional tip And use this music as a tool to get Christ inside of your dome I can't just say it on the mic I gotta do it at home
I know some people see me, but I don't let it get to my head. I pray that the Lord will keep me focused on my mission, and use my music as a tool to make Christ present in your mind. I can't just say it on the mic; I have to live it at home as well.

Your boy ain't a rap star, I'm nothin like Jay-Z or Game I got a funny soundin name and I don't wanna be famous I don't make a lotta change, my heart has been changed I just wanna know Jesus mayn, to make it plain
I'm not a rap star, unlike Jay-Z or Game. I have a unique name, and I don't desire fame. I don't make a lot of money, but my heart has been transformed by Jesus. I just want to know Jesus and make that evident to everyone.

It's like I got a message penetratin my soul It's the wisdom the Father gives regeneratin my soul I'm sold on being soled that the glory is his I'm trippin that he would even make me 1 of his kids
It's like I have a message that penetrates my soul. It's the wisdom that the Father gives, regenerated my soul. I am convinced that His glory is what's important, and I am in awe that He has even chosen me to be one of His children.

Get credit for so much but the credit ain't ours My God how can I tell em this in sixteen bars Prepare a phrase tear a page share a stage But no I could never fully communicate your glory alone
We may receive credit for many things, but the credit belongs to God. My God, how can I explain this in just sixteen bars? I'll prepare a phrase, tear out a page, and share a stage, but I could never fully communicate His glory alone.

And at home i pray we'd all be some regular dudes Find a ministry we can share in while speakin these truths I'm greatful that you know me if you send me i'll go Lord I'm dyin to serve and I'm livin to know you
I pray that, at home, we would all be regular people and find a ministry we can participate in while speaking these truths. I'm grateful that You know me, and if You send me, I'll go. Lord, I'm willing to serve and live to know You.

You're visible...
You are visible...

Contributed by Andrew B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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