Lecrae Tells 1 Million Fans He's Not the Man People Think He Is
Lecrae says he refuses to conform to who people think he should be as a rapper who's also a Christian.
The 36-year-old born Lecrae Devaughn Moore took to Twitter on Sunday to tell over 1 million followers: "I'm not who people assume I am. I don't fit neatly into people's boxes or conform to people's labels."
Even though Lecrae is a Christian, he has never subscribed to the stereotypes that come along with his faith.
"For a lot of people, groups, Christians included, issues are homogenized. And so to be a Christian I'm either this staunch conservative Republican or I'm this tree hugging liberal," Lecrae told CNN earlier this year. "You're stereotyped. It's almost assumed that people know what your issues are going to be."
One issue that Lecrae has publicly fought against for years is racial injustice, which he admits to receiving flack for.
"It's unfortunate that myself, as a black man, cannot care about the issues that impact the black community without being seeing as a race-baiter or without being seen as someone who doesn't care about any other ethnic groups," the Unashamed author told CNN.
However, he also refuses to only been seen as a black man who's defending black people.
"I don't see this as a black-white issue. In India, the Filipinos are being treated like they are less than human. I'm not focused on race, exactly," he said during an interview with The Washington Post. "If blacks in America are treated equally, I'll move on to the next group."
For the rapper and head of the Reach Records record label, his Christianity doesn't define his personality or the causes that he champions.
"A Christian is noun. A Christian is a person. I function, I live life as a Christian and me living life as a Christian doesn't mean I'm a sanitized person," Lecrae said in the interview with CNN. "It means that I readily admit I'm a jacked up person and I need a Savior."
Despite his influence, Lecrae is not interested in using his faith to force people to see things his way.
"My views as a Christian means there's a moral plumb line that I'm fighting to adhere to. ... It's not saying this is the way the country's going to run and things are going to be," Lecrae added. "Honestly, what Jesus was about, was laying His life down for the marginalized who didn't have it all together."