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.”
truth
Lecrae Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And who says, ya know, we all in the same boat
Christians, Muslims, everybody like that (yo)
You're looking for truth
Oh, I got some answers man
So good to me, ah let's get into it
Let's go
They play the prostitute, but they like to say they just intimate
Idols in their heart, they can't seem to lose their grip on it
See them walkin' in the direction, that King Agrippa went
Our world is different like Whitley and Wayne man
They say we look the same but we ain't chasin' the same thing
It all boils down to they think everything's relative
Jesus might as well be a South American president
Very evident, they say that Jesus was heaven sent
They lifestyle reflects they worship themselves instead of Him
They don't acknowledge the Christ, if they did
They wouldn't worship themselves by the way that they live
All these rappers say they got guns that spray off 16
I've got a Luke 9 that can take all 16
That's the Bible the one they quote
But they don't care about the author they think He's a joke
Man, some folks say, "All truth is relative, it just depends on what you believe."
You know, "Hey man, ain't no way to know for sure who God is or what's really true."
But that means you believe your own statement; that there's no way to know what's really true
You're saying that that statement is true
You're killing yourself
If what's true for you is true for you and what's true for me is true for me
What if my truth says yours is a lie?
Is it still true? Come on man!
I promise everybody is asking the same questions
"Who am I? What is my purpose and my direction?"
You probably believe that you exist for no other reason
Than self-satisfaction, hedonism and pleasing things
Life's about you gettin' yours and bein' happy
Even if it means a divorce and switchin' families?
Your job, your house, your car, your spouse
It's all for the glory of you, else you out
You go to school get your degrees and get a job
So you can make a whole lot of Gs 'cause life's hard
You never thought of livin' to please a real God
And that's the reason he made you
See, he gave you breath to breathe, the chest to breathe it
So you can taste and see He's the best, believe it
He made us for His glory and not for your own homie
Our God is Holy, yu should repent and die slowly
See, there's this thing called secular humanism
That says man is the source of all meaning and all purpose
You know what I'm saying? We're just the result of a big cosmic explosion
We don't really have a purpose or meaning, so we just come up with our own purpose
We're the source of our meaning and our purpose
But how can a man, which is the product of chance
A finite being be the source of purpose and meaning? You can't!
We're created with purpose man! Get with The Creator y'all!
Man, everybody got a problem with God
And when you mention the Christ, then they really get to turning the knobs
But some say they roll with Christ
'Cause some rappers made it seem like He was cool with all the sin in their life
No!
But then some say "How can God exist when
All this evil stuff in the world keep persistin'?
Wrong question, ask again
"How come God ain't let you feel the wrath from sin?"
What you thought last night deserved a first class flight
To Hell where God doesn't dwell, you got that right
But He bought back life, on a cross that night
Christ died, you ain't know that it cost that price?
All of God's anger poured on His son
Then together, through all of eternity, now He was shunned
Praise God for the life that was won for us
Ain't got a beef with God because the Son was crushed
Hey look man, some people say that God ain't real
'Cause they don't see how a good God can exist with all this evil in the world
If God is real then He should stop all this evil, cause He's all-powerful right?
What is evil though man? It's anything that's against God. It's anything morally bad or wrong
It's murder, rape, stealing, lying, cheating
But if we want God to stop evil, do we want Him to stop it all or just a little bit of it?
If He stops us from doing evil things, what about lying, or what about our evil thoughts?
I mean, where do you stop, the murder level, the lying level, or the thinking level?
If we want Him to stop evil, we gotta be consistent, we can't just pick and choose
That means you and I would be eliminated right? Because we think evil stuff
If that's true, we should be eliminated!
But thanks be to God that Jesus stepped in to save us from our sin!
Christ died for all evilness! Repent, turn to Jesus man!
Lecrae's song "Truth" explores the concept of truth and the role of religion in society. He starts the song by acknowledging that different people have different beliefs and are all seeking the truth. He then goes on to criticize those who are not true to their beliefs and instead live a life that reflects worshipping themselves rather than acknowledging Christ. Lecrae also addresses the idea of secular humanism and highlights how it cannot provide meaning and purpose to existence as it fails to acknowledge the existence of a god. He further emphasizes that humans are created with a purpose and should turn towards the creator to understand their meaning.
Lecrae suggests that many people have a problem with God and blame him for the evil in the world without recognizing the evil in themselves. He argues that evil is anything that is against God, and if people want God to stop evil, they need to be consistent and eliminate all forms of evil, including their thoughts. He further emphasizes that the only way to be saved from our sins and evilness is through repentance and turning towards accepting Christ.
Overall, Lecrae's "Truth" is a powerful message that encourages people to embrace their faith and seek answers in God. He highlights how society's focus on self-gratification leads to a loss of meaning and purpose and emphasizes the need to accept Christ to find meaning and salvation.
Line by Line Meaning
This song right here is for everybody out there looking for truth
The purpose of this song is to help those searching for truth.
And who says, ya know, we all in the same boat
The song acknowledges that people of all religions are searching for truth.
Christians, Muslims, everybody like that (yo)
The song emphasizes that this search for truth isn't limited to just Christians and Muslims.
You're looking for truth
Oh, I got some answers man
So good to me, ah let's get into it
Let's go
The song is encouraging people to listen to Lecrae's answers and provide some guidance.
Night and day, I ain't scared to say that we different
Lecrae recognizes that people of different religions are different in their beliefs.
They play the prostitute, but they like to say they just intimate
Some people might pretend to be close and intimate with God, but they are actually worshiping idols.
Idols in their heart, they can't seem to lose their grip on it
People struggle to let go of things they worship, even if they don't realize it.
See them walkin' in the direction, that King Agrippa went
People are walking towards destruction, akin to the path taken by King Agrippa.
Our world is different like Whitley and Wayne man
Our views on the world are different like Whitley and Wayne, two fictional characters from the show A Different World.
They say we look the same but we ain't chasin' the same thing
People may think that all religious individuals are the same, but they are not chasing after the same thing.
It all boils down to they think everything's relative
Some people believe that everything is relative, and there is no objective truth.
Jesus might as well be a South American president
People don't believe in Jesus as the son of God but rather like a political figure in South America.
Very evident, they say that Jesus was heaven sent
They lifestyle reflects they worship themselves instead of Him
People say that Jesus was sent from heaven, but their lives are a reflection of their self-worship instead of His.
They don't acknowledge the Christ, if they did
They wouldn't worship themselves by the way that they live
If people truly acknowledged Christ, they would not worship themselves through their actions.
All these rappers say they got guns that spray off 16
I've got a Luke 9 that can take all 16
That's the Bible the one they quote
Lecrae is comparing the power of firearms to the Bible's ability to change and save lives.
But they don't care about the author they think He's a joke
People don't take the Bible's author, God, seriously and often regard Him as a joke.
Man, some folks say, "All truth is relative, it just depends on what you believe."
You know, "Hey man, ain't no way to know for sure who God is or what's really true."
But that means you believe your own statement; that there's no way to know what's really true
You're saying that that statement is true
You're killing yourself
Those who say that truth is relative and cannot be known are actually contradicting themselves, essentially saying that their statement is true - which is self-contradictory.
If what's true for you is true for you and what's true for me is true for me
What if my truth says yours is a lie?
Is it still true? Come on man!
If everybody has their own truth, but someone's truth says that somebody else's truth is a lie, who is right? It shows how relativism defeats itself.
I promise everybody is asking the same questions
"Who am I? What is my purpose and my direction?"
Everyone universally seems to be asking themselves who they are, what's the purpose of their existence, and what direction they should take in life.
"You probably believe that you exist for no other reason
Than self-satisfaction, hedonism and pleasing things
Life's about you gettin' yours and bein' happy
Even if it means a divorce and switchin' families?
Some people believe that life is all about satisfying themselves, even at the cost of others' happiness and even if it leads to divorce or other destructive behavior.
Your job, your house, your car, your spouse
It's all for the glory of you, else you out
The motive for wanting a job, house, car, and spouse is for one's own glory. If not, then it does not amount to much.
You go to school get your degrees and get a job
So you can make a whole lot of Gs 'cause life's hard
You never thought of livin' to please a real God
And that's the reason he made you
People primarily go to school, obtain degrees, and get jobs for purposes of personal gain, not necessarily to honor or please God. We were created to please God.
See, he gave you breath to breathe, the chest to breathe it
So you can taste and see He's the best, believe it
He made us for His glory and not for your own homie
God designed humans to bring Him glory and not to glorify ourselves. Our mere existence and ability to experience life is a testament to God's greatness.
Our God is Holy, yu should repent and die slowly
God is holy, and people should confess and repent of their sins.
See, there's this thing called secular humanism
That says man is the source of all meaning and all purpose
You know what I'm saying? We're just the result of a big cosmic explosion
We don't really have a purpose or meaning, so we just come up with our own purpose
We're the source of our meaning and our purpose
But how can a man, which is the product of chance
A finite being be the source of purpose and meaning? You can't!
We're created with purpose man! Get with The Creator y'all!
Secular humanism posits that humans are the origin of their own purpose and meaning. However, if humans are merely the product of chance, they cannot be the origin of their own meaning and purpose. Humans were created with a specific purpose by The Creator.
Man, everybody got a problem with God
And when you mention the Christ, then they really get to turning the knobs
But some say they roll with Christ
'Cause some rappers made it seem like He was cool with all the sin in their life
No!
Most people find themselves having an issue with God, and the non-believers express their displeasure by discrediting Christ's love for them. However, some cite that certain rappers make the notion of following Christ seem like it allows for inclinations to sin.
But then some say "How can God exist when
All this evil stuff in the world keep persistin'?"
Wrong question, ask again
"How come God ain't let you feel the wrath from sin?"
People question God's existence when they see the evil that permeates the world. A better question would be why God hasn't punished sin and wrongdoings.
What you thought last night deserved a first class flight
To Hell where God doesn't dwell, you got that right
Lecrae calls attention to the sins that people sometimes commit, which would warrant a fast trip to Hell.
But He bought back life, on a cross that night
Christ died, you ain't know that it cost that price?
Lecrae informs listeners of the cost that Christ had to pay, dying on the cross for our sins.
All of God's anger poured on His son
Then together, through all of eternity, now He was shunned
Praise God for the life that was won for us
Ain't got a beef with God because the Son was crushed
Christ took all of the wrath of God meant for us on the cross. He was forsaken by God and died to redeem his sons and daughters, freeing us from eternal death.
Hey look man, some people say that God ain't real
'Cause they don't see how a good God can exist with all this evil in the world
If God is real then He should stop all this evil, cause He's all-powerful right?
What is evil though man? It's anything that's against God. It's anything morally bad or wrong
It's murder, rape, stealing, lying, cheating
People struggle to believe God exists because they see evil things occurring in the world. However, God can't just stop evil, as it is anything against his will or morally wrong. Any actions that fall under these categories such as murder, stealing, lying or cheating are all considered evil.
But if we want God to stop evil, do we want Him to stop it all or just a little bit of it?
If He stops us from doing evil things, what about lying, or what about our evil thoughts?
I mean, where do you stop, the murder level, the lying level, or the thinking level?
If we want Him to stop evil, we gotta be consistent, we can't just pick and choose
That means you and I would be eliminated right? Because we think evil stuff
If that's true, we should be eliminated!
The song points out how difficult it would be for God to stop all evil, including thoughts and lies. We must be consistent with what we want God to do and cannot just pick and choose. If we want God to stop evil, then it must go all the way to the level of our thoughts. The implication is that if we were caught in this scenario, we would only have ourselves to blame as we think evil thoughts every day and punting on somebody else like God isn't the answer.
But thanks be to God that Jesus stepped in to save us from our sin!
Christ died for all evilness! Repent, turn to Jesus man!
Jesus stepped in and died to save people from sin which is the root of all evilness - when we love something more than God. Therefore, we should repent and turn towards Jesus rather than our sins.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Lecrae Devaughn Moore, Harry Pendleton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Anon62796
@Hit da Bricks TV And my rhymes intent is to point straight at the cross
Without using clever lines and hits
I know you'd probably be impressed if I cleverly used my melody
To share Christ without using His name heavily
But I'd rather be saying His name so much you could never get me confused
Or discredit me
'Cause I don't wanna do this, I used to be a Judas
It's only Christ in me that got me tryin' to make it through this
I'm givin up time, givin' up rhyme
'Cause it ain't about me getting mine dog I'm nothing
“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “ LORD, who has believed our report?” So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Romans 10:14-17 NKJV
I’m fickle for preferring his older music? I think it depends on how you look at it. My loyalty was never to lecrae or anyone in RR or 116. I supported them bc they uplifted Christ. They don’t do that anymore. They just make milk toast secular music that doesn’t have a chance at convicting anyone and leading them to Christ outside of discovering his older music that actually preached Christ and Him crucified. I literally used lecrae’s own lyrics above to support my argument and they make a better case against his current music than anything I can type here.
@Eli.M.
"Truth"
[Spoken:]
Bring it drums (Yah)
This song right here
Is for everybody out there looking for truth
Who says, you know
We all in the same boat
Yeah, Christians and Muslims, everybody like that, huh
Yow, you lookin' for truth
Oh, I've got some answers man
So good to be
Ah, let's get into it
Let's go
Night and day, I ain't scared to say that we different
They play the prostitute, but they like to say they just intimate
Idols in their heart, they can't seem to lose their grip on it
See them walkin' in the direction, that King Agrippa went
Our world is different like Whitley and Wayne man
They say we look the same but we ain't chasin' the same thing
It all boils down to they think everything's relative
Jesus might as well be a South American president
Very evident, they say that Jesus was heaven sent
They lifestyle reflects they worship themselves instead of Him
They don't acknowledge the Christ, if they did
They wouldn't worship themselves by the way that they live
All these rappers say they got guns that spray off 16
I've got a Luke 9 that can take all 16
That's the Bible the one they quote
But they don't care about the author they think He's a joke.
[Spoken:]
Man, some folks say, "All truth is relative, it just depends on what you believe."
You know, "Hey man, ain't no way to know for sure who God is or what's really true."
But that means you believe your own statement; that there's no way to know what's really true
You're saying that that statement is true
You're killing yourself. If what's true for you is true for you and what's true for me is true for me, what if my truth says yours is a lie?
Is it still true? Come on man!
I promise everybody is asking the same questions
"Who am I? What is my purpose and my direction?"
You probably believe that you exist for no other reason
Than self-satisfaction, hedonism and pleasing things
Life's about you gettin' yours and bein' happy
Even if it means a divorce and switchin' families?
Your job, your house, your car, your spouse
It's all for the glory of you, else you out
You go to school get your degrees and get a job
So you can make a whole lot of Gs cause life's hard
You never thought of livin to please a real God
And that's the reason he made you
See, he gave you breath to breathe, the chest to breathe it
So you can taste and see He's the best, believe it
He made us for His glory and not for your own homie
Our God is Holy. You should repent and die slowly
[Spoken:]
See, there's this thing called secular humanism that says man is the source of all meaning and all purpose
You know what I'm saying? We're just the result of a big cosmic explosion
We don't really have a purpose or meaning, so we just come up with our own purpose
We're the source of our meaning and our purpose
But how can a man, which is the product of chance, a finite being be the source of purpose and meaning? You can't!
We're created with purpose man! Get with The Creator y'all!
Man, everybody got a problem with God
And when you mention the Christ, then they really get to turning the knobs
But some say they roll with Christ, cause some rappers made it seem like He was cool with all the sin in their life
No!
But then some say "How can God exist when
All this evil stuff in the world keep persistin'?
Wrong question, ask again
"How come God ain't let you feel the wrath from sin?"
What you thought last night deserved a first class flight
To Hell where God doesn't dwell. You got that right
But He bought back life, on a cross that night
Christ died, you ain't know that it cost that price?
All of God's anger poured on His son
Then together, through all of eternity. Now He was shunned
Praise God for the life that was won for us
Ain't got a beef with God because the Son was crushed
[Spoken:]
Hey look man, some people say that God ain't real cause they don't see how a good God can exist with all this evil in the world
If God is real then He should stop all this evil, cause He's all-powerful right?
What is evil though man? It's anything that's against God. It's anything morally bad or wrong
It's murder, rape, stealing, lying, cheating
But if we want God to stop evil, do we want Him to stop it all or just a little bit of it?
If He stops us from doing evil things, what about lying, or what about our evil thoughts?
I mean, where do you stop, the murder level, the lying level, or the thinking level?
If we want Him to stop evil, we gotta be consistent, we can't just pick and choose
That means you and I would be eliminated right? Because we think evil stuff
If that's true, we should be eliminated!
But thanks be to God that Jesus stepped in to save us from our sin!
Christ died for all evilness! Repent, turn to Jesus man!
@simon4321
This awesome.
He's so preaching when he's rapping :D
@lameilleurecopineaumonde9660
Man, this is one of the dopest tracks ever made by Crae. He has a different energy, a vibe that exudes every word and the beat, being on point etches wisdom in your mind. Though I mind some of his latest work, there is no such thing as preaching the Word because the calling is to get people to hear so they get saved.
@Paul-zm4cc
This is one of the greatest raps of all time, Truth.
@davidsummersett2670
This whole album is banging. There’s only a few rap albums one can listen to all the way through like the low end theory by tribe or paid n full by Rakim. This album is dope and righteous-in dwelling sin gets me every time!
@ericp.7550
Definitely a dope album my Brother!
@limojr
"Breathin' To Death" is somethin else man
@ticktockcardiology524
I love this album
@Anon62796
I miss this lecrae
@Jacob.S.
Me too. I still love lecrae and his songs are still good today in my opinion, but he’s just different and this is definitely my favorite lecrae. His old albums literally blow me away.
@JosefwitdaCoatOn
You guys are the problem... not him... fickle