Christian rapper Lecrae is one of the few to cross the great divide between 'Christian' and 'secular' music – and part of an even smaller group to do so without a guitar in sight.
In September his seventh album, Anomaly, was the first ever to appear at the top of the Billboard 200 chart and the gospel charts simultaneously.
And from this unique position, he has developed some strong views on where Christian culture has gone astray.
"We've limited Christianity to salvation and sanctification," he said in an interview with the Atlantic. "Christianity is the truth about everything. If you say you have a Christian worldview, that means you see the world through that lens – not just how people get saved and what to stay away from."
Lecrae is especially critical of the way that the Christian music industry has at times limited artists' creativity as an expression of their faith, and instead become a routine reproduction of biblical messages.
"The exploitation of believers just to turn a profit – so you care less about making a quality product – so you care less about making a quality product, you just want to keep telling the same stories and repackaging them over and over just to exploit people – I have a problem with that," he said.
He said his job was less a vocation to redeem the rap industry, known for its preoccupation with sex, drugs and violence, and more an opportunity to use his gifts.
"Everyone's job, everyone's vocation, is an extension of their faith and how they see the world. Every job is an act of service," he said.
And it is because of this calling – to do our jobs well in order to serve God – that he believes there needs to be more emphasis on creating good music.
"In the same way that Jesus was a carpenter, I don't know if he put his message into all the things he built with his hands – I think he wanted to make good quality craftsmanship," he said.
Rather than just looking to biblical stories for source material, Lecrae feels Christians should be using their creative gifts to pose questions and challenge social norms.
"Many times, that's how people see Christian art, or Christians making art: They see the art as having an agenda," Lecrae said. "Christians have really used and almost in some senses prostituted art in order to give answers instead of telling great stories and raising great questions."
