Rebel (Lecrae album)

Rebel is the third studio album by Christian rap artist, Lecrae. The album was released by Reach Records on September 30, 2008. The album was nominated in the best Rap/Hip-Hop Album category at the 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards but lost to Group 1 Crew's Ordinary Dreamers.

Background

Rebel is titled after Lecrae's encouragement to rebel against modern pop culture, also pointing out that Jesus Christ himself was a rebel. Lecrae has stated that the title of the album is both a noun and a verb. Rapzilla called the album "a verbal onslaught against the world's view on life in modern day culture."

Content

Lecrae tackles some important issues in Rebel. In the album's intro and title track, Lecrae says that Christians must rebel against the ways of the world. In "Don't Waste Your Life" featuring Dwayne Tryumf, the rapper talks about how worldy pursuits lead to only disappointment in life, and living to serve Jesus leads to happiness. In the song "Identity" featuring J.R. and Da' T.R.U.T.H., Lecrae deals with self-esteem and image issues in the global community, telling listeners that their worth comes from their relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and not in material possessions. "Indwelling Sin" speaks on the battle between his flesh and his spirit in the form of a conversation with his sin. In "Fall Back" featuring Trip Lee, he speaks on guarding against the ideals of the world as portrayed in the media. In "Got Paper" he again attacks the perception that money is the ultimate goal in life and asserts that a relationship with Christ is greater than all of the riches of the world. In "The Bride", Lecrae exhorts listeners to love the church as Christ loves the church.

Lecrae

Lecrae Devaughn Moore (born October 9, 1979), mononymously known as Lecrae, is an American Christian hip hop artist, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is the president, co-owner and co-founder of the independent record label Reach Records, and the co-founder and president of the non-profit organization ReachLife Ministries. To date, he has released seven studio albums and two mixtapes as a solo artist, and has released three studio albums, a remix album, and one EP as the leader of the hip hop group 116 Clique. He produced much of his earlier material along with other early Reach Records releases. Moore, in reference to his label as a Christian rapper, has stated that his music is just hip hop, though it reflects his Christian faith.