Rapper Lecrae talks southern hip-hop and the church

theGRIO VIDEO - Christian rapper Lecrae was the first ever rapper to win a Grammy for Best Gospel Album earlier this year for 'Gravity', and he believes the recognition has been a long time coming...

Rapper Lecrae is making history.

He was the first ever rapper to win a Grammy for Best Gospel Album earlier this year for Gravity, and he believes the recognition has been a long time coming.

“It’s nice to see how gospel and music in general has evolved to the point where I have the ability to make honest music,” Lecrae said. “It was an honor to be recognized by the Grammy foundation.”

Lecrae has eschewed the stereotype of Christian rap being too “preachy.” He’s an legitimate emcee who’s collaborated with the likes of Big K.R.I.T., Bun B, and David Banner. They all hail from states within the Southern Bible Belt. So it’s not surprising that they found common ground.

TheGrio | Holy hip-hop gets a good rap among youth (VIDEO)

“We all have a ‘big mamas’ in the church,” Lecrae, a native of Houston Texas, stated about working with more secular artists. “We were raised in it so it’s in our DNA.”

Check out what else Lecrae had to say about religion and hip-hop in our Grio interview.

You can check out Kyle’s musical coverage on theGrio music page, and follow Kyle on Twitter at@HarveyWins.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE