Lecrae’s “Church Clothes”

by Ebony Utley
Rhetoric Race and Religion Contributor
From: Rap and Religion

I dig LeCrae. Tall, dark, handsome… but I digress. I mean, I like his flow, his southern accent, his swag. He has an uncanny ability to assume the personas of an array of protagonists. His videos take audiences back to the community. He’s honest, clever, and consistent in his message without being preachy or too judgmental. I appreciate him calling out the church on its hypocrisy in “Church Clothes.” Through his raps, LeCrae reminds audiences that religion should be more about relationships than rules.

My only qualm is his sex talk. Even progressive Christians participate in sex shaming. At least the quip about gay sex and the female freak singing in the choir were accompanied by a condemnation of the heterosexual male pastor exploiting female congregants via sex (read the lyrics for yourself). As a person who advocates for healthy representations of sex, I can’t get with the sex is always a sin argument, but as a person who advocates for healthy representations of sex, I also can’t get with the ever-popular let’s pimp some bitches argument either.

In a interview promoting his “Church Clothes” mixtape LeCrae shrugged off the labels. He says (at 1:00), “I’m a Christian but my music is not Christian. My music doesn’t have a faith. I have a faith.” I respect it. Rap music is a medium. How people use it is up to them. That’s why there are so many manifestations of rap and religion.

What’s your verdict?