2021 Dove Award winners: CeCe Winans, worship artists snag top honors

By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Assistant Editor Friday, October 22, 2021

Hip-hop artist Lecrae won Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year for "Deep End."

The artist shared his heart for championing the next generation of hip-hop artists: “I want to see this next generation of artists begin to thrive; I want to see the genre spread,” he said. “There's so much talent in our space, and there are so many incredible artists that I just want them to know ... it's not about the awards, but I just want them to understand that we appreciate them and they're celebrated. This music and genre is something that is necessary.”

KB won Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year for “His Glory Alone.” Following his win, the artist spoke of the “contagious” nature of Christian hip-hop.

“Still to this day, we are not that much of an industry … we are very much an organic, underground thing. But it's a movement that cannot be stopped. And what would happen, I saw it through my own eyes … God was doing something unique with this music … hip-hop is one of the most profound ways to deliver truth to somebody. It's the most popular genre in the world.

The artist also shared his heart for keeping the name of Jesus in Christian music.

“I have felt like what I lose by keeping Jesus center is worth it in comparison to what I gain when people hear it, and it changes their lives,” he said. “J. Cole is one of my favorite rappers … Kanye, he's the man. But I'm not trying to give the world more of what they already have. I'm trying to give them something that they need. And in a lot of ways, they may not know what it actually is what they want. God is what our hearts have longed for.”