Award-winning hip-hop artist Lecrae did not hold anything back in his new book "Unashamed."
As painful as it was to recall his harrowing sexual abuse experience as a child, Lecrae did so because he wanted to give his fans more depth and understanding to his music.
"I think it was important for me to write the book now because I'm at the peak of people's expectations. Coming off a No. 1 album, a Grammy win, all in the entertainment industry and it's kind of like, that's not the time to tell all your business... And I felt like if the world is watching, let me say something that matters," Lecrae tells XXL Magazine.
Lecrae revealed in his book that he was actually molested by his babysitter when he was only 6 years old. It was difficult to share that experience, "not so much for me to live back through but to have her stuff out there like that, too. You know this is somebody that I still know [until] this day."
The Christian artist says he still hasn't confronted his babysitter about it, but he has thought about doing so countless times already. For the longest time, Lecrae actually thought that the abuse he experienced was not a big deal, but when he got older, he realised the negative impact it had on his life.
"I haven't talked to her because she was such an intricate connection to our family and I think a lot of times, specifically Black communities, we bury stuff. So it's like your situation and your stories always seemed to be lesser or not a big deal," he explains.
However, Lecrae insists he is in a good place right now despite the negative experience. "It doesn't bother me now because I'm free. I feel like I'm past it," he says. "So it's like, what am I going to say to you. I don't really have anything to say except I forgive you."
