The genre didn’t really exist until the 1970s, some time after the advent of rock-and-roll. “Uniqueness is a quality that has largely been lacking in Christian music. Rather, to be a Christian and also be an architect, or pharmacist, or potter, is supposed to mean that an individual performs those professions to the best of their ability, and with passion and excellence.” 3. The worst kind of ridicule is for doing a poor job or creating something which lacks excellence. The way he explains it is you don’t call it Christian architecture, or a Christian pharmacy, or Christian pottery, when it is simply done by a Christian person. That’s a distinction he likes to make often. But he’s a rapper - who is a Christian.’ A quiet grin spread across Lecrae’s face. ‘Now, even I used to say he’s a Christian rapper. “‘We got a hybrid artist here,’ Calloway told listeners. Silence your critics and win your fans with excellence, passion and beauty.
But some of Lecrae’s fans have already accused him of selling out, because he appears on stage with other rappers who are non-Christians, or records songs with them.” 2. Lecrae doesn’t want to forsake his beliefs. Lecrae is one of many modern evangelicals who have rejected the path set by the combative “Moral Majority” culture warriors of the 1980s, and instead embraced an assimilation into the mainstream and its formative institutions, hoping to shape it from within. “Lecrae’s attempt to infiltrate popular culture while retaining a clearly Christian message is a difficult task, but he embodies a larger trend inside Western Christianity. 1. Your actions may be labeled “selling-out” by people who don’t agree or understand. Within the Huffington Post profile, I found 8 insights for all of us as we face the fear of ridicule. Lecrae has found massive success topping the Billboard and iTunes charts – not on the Christian sections, but amidst every other artist. While not a rap fan myself, I listened to Lecrae’s talk at the 2013 Catalyst Conference and found him to be incredible. He has also become a staple of the Christian music festival circuit, headlining concerts in front of thousands of fans.” 1 on the Billboard Gospel chart, and his 2012 record “Gravity” won a Grammy for best Gospel album. His 2008 album “Rebel” became the first rap album to hit No. “Over the last several years, Lecrae has become a successful rap artist with a rare message that is explicitly Christian. I read an article on Huffington Post in 2014 – a powerful profile of the successful rapper. You know it’s the right decision and you know you may pay a price but you do it anyway. You probably know what it feels like to make a decision in the face of possible ridicule. Rebel also maintained a 6-week run on the iTunes Store's Top 10 most sold albums chart.In Community, Courage, Creativity, Encouragement, Fear, Focus, Influence, Negativity, Overcoming Fear Interview
Rebel also achieved a lower peak position of #61 on the Billboard Comprehensive Albums chart.Īccording to the Nielsen SoundScan, a project specializing in the statistics of album sales, Rebel was the highest-selling Christian rap album in the weeks following its release. The album secured the #10 spot on the Top Independent Albums chart and held the #15 spots equally on the Top Digital Albums and Top Internet Albums charts. Rebel debuted at #2 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums and Top Christian & Gospel Albums charts, respectively. The album remained at the #1 spot on the Top Gospel Albums chart for a second week before being replaced by Marvin Sapp's Thirsty, becoming the first Christian rap album to accomplish this feat. Rebel also debuted at #1 on the Top Gospel Albums chart, outperforming his previous album, After the Music Stops, which only managed to peak at #5 throughout its 100 week run on the chart. The album debuted at #60 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and is the first Lecrae album to do so. Rebel has been a commercial success, having sold over 15,000 copies shortly after its release (9,800 copies in its first week and 5,600 copies in its second week of release, excluding digital downloads) and debuting on eight Billboard music charts.
Rapzilla called the album "a verbal onslaught against the world's view on life in modern day culture."
Lecrae has stated that the title of the album is both a noun and a verb. Rebel is titled after Lecrae's encouragement to rebel against modern pop culture, also pointing out that Jesus Christ himself was a rebel. The album was nominated in the best Rap/Hip-Hop Album category at the 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards but lost to Group 1 Crew's Ordinary Dreamers. The album was released by Reach Records on September 30, 2008. Rebel is the third studio album by Christian rap artist, Lecrae.