Lecrae Devaughn Moore, born in 1979 in Houston, Texas, is an American rapper and songwriter, co-founder of the label Reach Records. The first Christian hip-hop artist to win a Grammy Award, for the album Gravity in 2013, and to reach number one on the Billboard 200 with Anomaly in 2014, he is one of the major figures of Christian rap.
Lecrae Devaughn Moore was born on October 9, 1979, in Houston, Texas, and grew up in a poor neighborhood on the south side of the city, raised by a single mother. As a teenager, he went through a period marked by drugs and delinquency. At nineteen, a Bible study followed by a concert by the group The Cross Movement in Atlanta, where he heard pastor James White preach, led him to convert to Christianity, a turning point he describes as a new birth.
In 2003, he met Ben Washer at a Bible study in Denton, Texas, and together they founded the label Reach Records in 2004, while also co-founding the hip-hop collective 116. His album Rebel (2008) became the first Christian hip-hop record to reach number one on the Billboard gospel chart, before Gravity (2012) earned him a Grammy Award and Anomaly (2014) debuted directly at number one on the Billboard 200, a first for a Christian album. He now lives in Atlanta.
- Origin
- Houston, Texas, USA (based in Atlanta)
- Style
- Christian hip-hop, rap
- Active since
- 2004
- Good to know
- First hip-hop artist to win the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Album (Gravity, 2013); co-founder of the label Reach Records and the collective 116.
How did Lecrae get started?
Lecrae grew up in poverty in Houston, raised by his mother, and went through a teenage years marked by drugs and run-ins with the law. His conversion to Christianity came at nineteen, after a Bible study followed by a concert by the group The Cross Movement in Atlanta, where pastor James White's preaching moved him deeply.
In 2003, he met Ben Washer at a Bible study in Denton, Texas. Their shared experience sharing Christian rap in juvenile detention centers pushed them to found the label Reach Records in 2004, the same year Lecrae released his first album, Real Talk, and co-founded the collective 116.
What makes Lecrae stand out?
Lecrae refuses to be boxed in as a Christian rapper, summing up his stance with the phrase: my music isn't Christian, I am. This desire to reach a broad audience without giving up his faith allowed him, with Anomaly in 2014, to become the first Christian hip-hop album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200, all while addressing social issues like racial justice in his lyrics.
Where should you start with Lecrae?
The album Gravity (2012), a Grammy Award winner, and his single Blessings, featuring Ty Dolla Sign, give a good sense of his style. I'll Find You, featuring Tori Kelly, ranks among his most widely streamed songs. His main YouTube channel, now mostly devoted to his podcast The Deep End, points to his VEVO channel for all his official music videos.
songs
Blessings
Featuring Ty Dolla Sign, a gold-certified single from the album All Things Work Together (2017).
I'll Find You
Featuring Tori Kelly, a platinum-certified single, whose video was filmed in support of St. Jude hospital.
Set Me Free
Featuring YK Osiris, a single released in 2020.
Discography
- 2025Reconstruction
- 2021No Church In A While· with 1K Phew
- 2020Restoration
- 2018Let The Trap Say Amen· with producer Zaytoven
- 2017All Things Work Together
- 2014Anomaly
- 2012Gravity
Read also
Frequently asked questions
Who is Lecrae?
Lecrae Devaughn Moore is an American rapper and songwriter born in 1979 in Houston, Texas. Co-founder of the label Reach Records in 2004, he is considered one of the major figures of Christian hip-hop in the United States.
What is Lecrae's best known song?
Blessings, featuring Ty Dolla Sign, and I'll Find You, featuring Tori Kelly, rank among his most streamed singles, certified gold and platinum respectively.
Is Lecrae a Christian artist?
Yes, Lecrae converted to Christianity at nineteen and has built his entire career around that faith, while refusing to be reduced to the label of Christian rapper: he prefers to say that his music isn't Christian, but that he is.
Has Lecrae won a Grammy Award?
Yes, in 2013 he won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Album for Gravity, becoming the first Christian hip-hop artist honored in that category.
Where can you listen to Lecrae?
His songs are available on streaming platforms. His official music videos are on his VEVO channel, LecraeVEVO, while his main YouTube channel now mostly hosts his podcast The Deep End.
What is Reach Records?
Reach Records is the Christian hip-hop label Lecrae co-founded in 2004 with Ben Washer. He remains a central figure there today and has released most of his catalog through it, including after a stint with Columbia Records between 2016 and 2020.