FLAME and Lacrae

There was a time when I had lost hope in “Christian Rap and Hip Hop”…Thanks Flame and Lacrae (and others) for rescuing this genre!

Who is FLAME?  From his website:

FLAME is a Christian Hip-Hop recording artist with Clear Sight Music. He has released four albums including: self-titled FLAME, Rewind, Our World Fallen, and Our World Redeemed. His fourth album, Our World Redeemed, was nominated for a Grammy Award. FLAME has also been nominated for Dove and Stellar awards throughout his music career.

FLAME, aka Marcus Gray, graduated with his Bachelor’s degree from Boyce College, a school of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has a passion for biblical counseling and applied theology. He enjoys giving counsel to hurting people and providing them with hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ. FLAME is currently working on his Master’s degree in Biblical Counseling at Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY. He is married to his best friend Crystal Gray and attends Immanuel Baptist Church (ibclouisville.org).

To be born and raised in the inner city of St. Louis, immersed in a dominant hip hop culture, and heavily influenced by the ills of our society, the chances are considered bleak for one to become a successful byproduct of their grimy community. The childhood stories of many young men begin as such and rarely progress towards a sold out lifestyle for Christ. For FLAME, he was headed in the wrong direction until a near fatal car accident and the passing of his grandmother would serve as a rude awakening that took root in shaping his future. His grandmother was the strongest and most influential Christian example in his life. Immediately after her death and the tragic incident, FLAME received Christ at the age of 16.

During his personal time, FLAME initially wrote raps as devotionals to the Lord. After converting his devotionals to songs, Cross Movement Records took an interest in supporting FLAME’s passion to share the strong messages of the Gospel through rap music. In 2004, FLAME released his debut album with Cross Movement Records. Since then, FLAME released 3 more albums and launched his own record label, Clear Sight Music.

Now a leader in reforming the culture that he too was engulfed in, the foundation of FLAME’s ministry is to reach those same streets with his soapbox messages to lead his listeners to Christ. As his platform continues to garner the support of many others on the way, FLAME now reigns amongst the forefront runners in the Christian Rap industry known to challenge and encourage its audience with an unwavering clear presentation of the Gospel.

Who is Lacrae?  From his website:

An unlikely story stands behind the man known to many as Lecrae. From the south side of Houston, to a leader in the movement of urban reform, a rocky road provides a window into the grace he experienced through out his life–with every situation molding him into the artist and leader that he is today.

Born and raised by his mother, in a poor community, Lecrae Moore moved around a lot, giving him the versatile background and cultural awareness he carries with him. San Diego, Denver, and Dallas have once been home to him and the street life he idolized and pursued. Along the way, like many in the inner city, he took to rapping as a way of communicating his thoughts. It wasn’t until after high school that his hobby became a passion, and Jesus Christ redeemed his Hip-Hop background.

At 19-years-old, at the encouragement of a Christian leader, he had attended a conference and heard James White delivering the message. In that moment, sitting in a chair, his world was flipped upside down as the Holy Spirit convicted him of his sin and need for a Savior. Almost instantly, his renewed heart spilled over as he printed his testimony and passed it out across the University of North Texas campus. The next five years included many struggles and victories before he teamed up to found Reach Records, releasing his first album at the age of 25.

Calling Dallas home, Lecrae had remained content using his gifts of speaking and rapping while volunteering at a juvenile detention center, but the Lord had different plans, and he soon began working on his debut album. Pouring out a genuine discussion of life issues and a passionate, unashamed pursuit of Jesus Christ, Lecrae released Real Talk.  Listeners responded by quickly noting him as an emcee that meets people where they are by delivering transparent, relatable, and impactful messages.

As Lecrae continued to make his mark in the music industry, he realized the stage wasn’t enough. He wanted to see a deeper impact in urban culture. There needed to be a culturally relevant and biblically solid resource center to help train the next generation, so he co-founded ReachLife Ministries in 2005. The non-profit organization exists to partner with other organizations in equipping local leaders with culturally relevant tools and media projects designed to strengthen communities with the word of God. ReachLife is another vital piece in the larger vision of seeing a reformation in urban culture.

Since then, Lecrae has released the groundbreaking album After the Music Stops and the first Christian Rap album to ever sit in the No. 1 position on Billboard’s Top Gospel Charts–Rebel. Led by the
 classic single‚ “Jesus Musik,” After the Music Stops slowly spread to the mainstream market with other hits such as “Praying For You” and “Send Me.” Aimed at building an audience of disciples, the album sat on Soundscan’s Christian Hip Hop/R&B chart for two years after releasing in 2006. While Rebel, released in 2008, also garnered much success–claiming the No. 3 position on the iTunes Rap chart.

A graduate of University of North Texas, Lecrae now resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife and children.  He and his wife are small group leaders at Blueprint Church, and his passion for impacting urban culture persists. With three successful albums to his name, touring worldwide along with the 116 Clique, and inspiring a generation of young believers across the globe, Lecrae is humbled by his position in leading others towards Christ. His hope is that Reach’s impact will spread far beyond simply the music and into the lives of individuals across the world, ultimately exalting Jesus Christ.