Grammy Award-winning Christian rapper LeCray Moore is known for his unique blend of faith and hip-hop, representing a generation seeking meaning and connection. However, few people know that he spent much of his childhood in Denver.
During a visit to Denver for a talk aimed at providing words of inspiration to those incarcerated at Sterling Correctional Facility, the Colorado artist spoke while getting a new tattoo at Tengu Tattoo, a studio located in Town Center Mall. I spoke with Matters host Chandra Thomas Whitfield. At Aurora.
As tattoo artist Carlos Stokes’ tattoo needles buzz in the background, Lecrae talks about his life, career, musical evolution, and how hip-hop has given him a voice. I reflected on how I have used this to speak for people who tend to remain silent.
In February, he won two Grammy Awards for his LP Church Clothes 4, winning the prestigious category for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album. In addition, he once again won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance or Song for his collaboration with Tasha Cobbs Leonard on “For Your Power.” These honors are not new to Leclet. He won Grammy Awards in 2013 and 2015 and is a New York Times bestselling author.
He recalled living in Five Points, a historically black neighborhood in Denver, and a time when Denver was known as the “Harlem of the West.”
“It was a community atmosphere. People were thriving despite hardship. My mother used to buy pig’s trotter sandwiches at festivals, and I used to get my hair cut at McGill’s barbershop. ” he recalled.
Chandra Thomas Whitfield/CPR News Carlos Stokes tattoos LeCray Moore’s bicep at Tengu Tattoo Shop in Aurora. April 11, 2024.Lecrae also reflected on his school days, attending Cole Middle School and George Washington High School.
“Shout out to MLK, Cole and George Washington,” he said with a laugh, admitting that he often got into trouble. “But I have fond memories. I started learning to rap there and we had battles in the hallways.”
Lecrae’s Colorado roots shine through in his music and life, embodying a spirit of overcoming challenges, embracing diversity, and defying expectations. From battle rapping in the hallways of Cole Middle School to winning two Grammy Awards in 2024, Lecrae said being an underdog can lead to greatness, even when no one expected it. .
He said Denver holds a special place in his heart. This is where he spent his formative years and experienced a diverse cultural landscape that shaped his identity. Raised by a young single mother and a father who struggled with substance abuse, his childhood was filled with trauma and conflict, as he bounced around the country from his birth in Houston to San Diego to Dallas. Denver. Through it all, he faced abuse and neglect, which resulted in him being seduced into a gangster lifestyle.
Kevin J. Beaty/DenveriteCarlos Stokes draws a tattoo on Lecrae Moore’s bicep at Tengu Tattoo shop in Aurora. April 11, 2024.
Lecrae said the solace she found in music during the turmoil changed her life for the better. Writing became his outlet and a way to process the complexities of his experiences.
Although he wasn’t raised in a religious family, he discovered faith and purpose through music. Lecrae parallels this experience with life’s challenges, emphasizing the transformative power of embracing discomfort.
“I can’t change my circumstances, but I can change them,” he said, which seems to reflect his resilience in the face of adversity.
Beyond the struggles, Lecrae acknowledged Denver’s progressive nature, noting that it shaped his approach to life and music.
“This is a place where people think and are exposed to a lot of things. It’s a sensitive place, so I had to wrestle with ideas and perspectives,” he said. “I’m a professing Christian, but it’s okay to not fit into the box. That’s what I learned here.”
Despite having a hard time returning to Denver due to early painful memories, Lecrae has been making amends these days to reconnect with his roots. He talked about how his performance at Red Rocks Amphitheater made him finally experience an iconic landmark like Red Rocks Amphitheater and appreciate the city’s natural beauty that he missed as a child. .
“I have only recently been able to recover from a lot of trauma. I thank God for the treatment,” Lecrae said. “But being able to come back and see the opportunities and the beauty here is something I didn’t understand when I was younger.”
Handler Thomas Whitfield/CPR News Tattoo artist Carlos Stokes and Christian rapper LeCray Moore in Aurora. Chandra Thomas Whitfield/CPR News Colorado Matters hosts Christian rapper LeCray Moore at Tengu Tattoo in Aurora Town Center Mall. Lecrae grew up in Denver.
Lecrae said her faith in God has been a guiding force throughout her journey. He said faith was synonymous with risk, stressing that it was substance, not size, that mattered. His faith evolved and deepened as he realized the enormity of God’s presence in his life.
“The bigger God becomes, the more I recognize the essence of my faith,” he said, emphasizing the strong influence of personal experience in shaping his beliefs.
Lecrae’s music reflects his journey, a mixture of pain, hope, and redemption. His lyrics resonate with those facing adversity and remind them that recovery is possible. He advocates dismantling social norms and rebuilding them on a foundation of truth and authenticity.
His success hasn’t shielded him from pain. If anything, it made him more aware of it. Lecrae’s journey is one of triumph over trauma and a testament to the power of resilience and self-discovery. Although he was not raised in a religious household, he cites Lauryn Hill’s album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” as his first introduction to gospel music. He says Hill’s authenticity inspired him and ignited a search for his own purpose, values, and faith.
“When you’re traumatized, you don’t know how to process it. My friend was murdered, my father was an addict. Music was my escape,” he said.
Courtesy: National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Lecrae, a Christian rapper who grew up in Denver, won a Grammy Award at the 2024 ceremony. He won Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song and Best Contemporary Christian Music for “Your Power” with Tasha Cobbs Leonard. “Church Clothes 4” music album. Presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Lecrae, a Christian rapper who grew up in Denver, took the stage with his daughter to accept the Grammy Award at the 2024 ceremony. He won Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for “Your Power” with Tasha Cobbs Leonard and Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for “Church Clothes 4.”
As a Grammy Award-winning artist, Lecrae has received critical acclaim for his work. He won Best Gospel Album in 2013 for “Gravity,” and two years later won Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance for his song “Messengers.” But his recent Grammy win had a different impact on him.
“I wasn’t trying to beat them, it just happened,” Lecrae explained, adding that impostor syndrome once crept in. “I’m not[gospel artist]Kirk Franklin. I was rapping about God, but I think this is gospel. It caught me off guard.”
He spoke about a moment of realization after speaking with rapper Nipsey Hussle before Hussle’s untimely death.
“I was so busy fitting in that I didn’t realize that I was already being accepted,” Lecrae said. The change allowed him to focus more on the present and enjoy success without seeking validation.
One of LeCrae’s most notable collaborations was his 2018 hit “Coming in Hot,” which he produced with Andy Mineo. Originally a song to promote a tour, it gained popularity through word of mouth and was eventually certified platinum. The song was a huge hit on social media, with notable users such as Will Smith, Kim Kardashian, and LeBron James posting it on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
“That song will never go away,” Lecrae joked. “It ended up being the biggest song of our career. Pizza Hut commercial, Goldfish commercial, wild.”
Courtesy National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences LeCray, a Christian rapper who grew up in Denver, poses with his two 2024 Grammy Awards. He won the award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for “Your Power” with Tasha Cobbs Leonard, which won the award for Best Contemporary Music. “Church Clothes 4” Christian music album.
Despite his success in mainstream music, Lecrae said he is proud of his Christian roots. He continues to defy genre labels and collaborate across musical styles. Specifically, he collaborated with Ty Dolla $ign on “Blessings,” John Legend on the track, and Chaka Khan on the remix.
He spoke openly about the pressures of masculinity, especially black masculinity, and the need to break free from society’s expectations.
“We are more complex. We just don’t have the freedom to be complex,” Lecrae explained, his words echoing a sense of urgency for change.
When Stokes completed the tattoo, Lecrae admired the meticulous work. It vividly depicted the Denver skyline with its mountains and the 5280 elevation sign he remembered from his youth.
Kevin J. Beaty/DenveriteCarlos Stokes draws a tattoo on Lecrae Moore’s bicep at Tengu Tattoo shop in Aurora. April 11, 2024 Provided by: Carlos Stokes Grammy Award-winning Christian rapper Lecrae reveals his completed tattoo from Aurora’s Proboscis Tattoo artist Carlos Stokes.
“This is definitely my best tattoo,” Lecrae said, marveling at the design. “Funnily enough, this is what I was most hesitant to get because I have such an interesting relationship with Denver.”
In many ways, the tattoo symbolizes Lecrae’s journey from riding an RTD around Denver’s 16th Street Mall as a teenager to becoming a sought-after musician today. . The detailed skyline, trees, and Denver city limit signs on his biceps are now eternal reminders of his Colorado roots and continued growth.
“That’s all I wanted to do,” he said, his passion evident in every word. “To give people a sense of expression, like a connection. Just like humans, someone understands me, someone else understands where I am, what I’m working on. .”
