Written by Josh Robinson. Media by Yecheng Wang.
It’s been a while since the Christian rap culture has heard music from different artists, especially from Lecrae. It’s been one full year since he’s dropped a new album, but the 37-year-old artist has dropped numerous singles throughout the year of 2016. This fall, on Sept. 22, 2017, Lecrae finally dropped what the fans have been waiting for, his eighth studio album: “All Things Work Together“.
In this album, Lecrae had the freedom to say everything he needed, expressing his experience as a Christian in the rap game. Through this album, Lecrae gave his testimony dealing with depression and receiving the blessings that God has given him. He was also inspired by the Michael Brown verdict. Lecrae wanted to voice his opinion on the situation, but nobody cared to listen to what he had to say. “All Things Work Together” features many well known artists such as Ty Dolla $ign, Tori Kelly, Verse Simmonds, and Kierra Sheard. Lecrae also worked with many well-known producers such as Metro Boomin, Mike WiLL Made-It, and Boi 1da.
Lecrae was interviewed by Billboard to discuss the background for “All Things Work Together.” If you didn’t know, the title of the album was quoted from the Bible in Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that Love the Lord, to them who are called according to his purpose.” In the interview, Lecrae stated that it means that God has a bigger purpose for everything that you’ll face in life. So you have to fight through it and trust God through this process.
Lecrae began working on his album in 2015 in Los Angeles, CA and Atlanta, GA. The first two songs on the album he worked on were “Wish You Well” and his number 1 single, “Blessings”. He recorded at least 60-70 songs before choosing his top 14. Lecrae’s two favorite songs that he created for the album are “Always Knew” and “Worth It”. The reason why he liked those two out of the whole album was because he can relate to other people’s struggles since he went through the same thing. In the interview, Lecrae also talked about the evolution from his old album, “Anomaly” to his new one, “All Things Work Together”. In “Anomaly”, he claimed that he was a stand out, he doesn’t follow what society does. He said that he’d rather sit in a meeting talking to the pastor than sit in a hotbox with 2 Chainz and Gucci Mane.
Through the process of making this album, Lecrae learned a lot. In the interview, he said that he learned that even through the worst of times, he will come out better and stronger than ever. Everybody, including him, is still going through everyday struggles. The only thing you can do is keep hope alive. He wants his fans to have faith in God, never give up, and remember that God loves all people everywhere.
