Lecrae Moore - Unashamed

Knowing Lecraes unique story and gifts, this book has been a long time coming and is essential to not only those interested in his music and hip-hop, but also those wanting to better understand the intersection between faith and culture and what it looks like to be in the world but not of it.

Matt Chandler , lead pastor of The Village Church,
president of the Acts 29, author of The Mingling of Souls

Honest. Rare. Freeing. Lecrae is one of the most talented people I know. His story will leave you inspired and challenged. Unashamed reminds us just how powerful the gospel is. Jesus turns our scars into our stories. This is a story you will want to read!

Louie Giglio , Passion City Church / Passion Conferences, author of The Comeback

Its a rare privilege to see a prophetic story unfold before your very eyes. When it does, you pay attention. Lecraes Unashamed gives us the raw account of a rare leader, stirred by the heart of God to shape culture by creating it.

Gabe Lyons , Q, author of Good Faith

Lecraes story is as real as it gets. The rawness, pain, and brutal honesty make it a tremendously gripping read. But the sheer beauty of his journey to redemption makes it something youll want to share with others, and I certainly hope you will. This book will change lives.

Eric Metaxas , New York Times best-selling author
of Bonhoeffer and Miracles

Lecrae has never fit in any boxes, and in this book he once again breaks the mold to create an identity all his ownthe hip-hop artist as worldview thinker. The book starts by relating the emotionally turbulent, completely absorbing story of his life, and ends by presenting his innovative thoughts on a Christian worldview approach to hip-hop. Lecrae continues to be a delightfully unpredictable anomaly.

Nancy Pearcey , author of Total Truth
and Finding Truth

If you love beautiful music, powerful stories, or the Lord Jesus Christ, you will not be able to put this book down. Lecrae doesnt hold back in Unashamed ; there is no Christian-ese or posturing in this memoir. Instead, he takes the reader through his grace-filled journey from abandonment to community, from brokenness to wholeness, from a life lost in the world to one found in the arms of God. This must-read book is for hip-hop heads and believers, artists and seekers, and anyone who wants to know more about one of the most compelling artists of our time. I expect that millions of people will read this book, discover more about Lecrae, and be inspired to walk with Jesus themselves, unashamed.

Joshua DuBois , spiritual advisor to
President Obama, author of The Presidents
Devotional , founder of Values Partnerships

This is an artistic coming-of-age story with all the brokenness and beauty of our American reality and our Christian hope. Its not just the story of how a boy became a man, or how a lost soul found faith, but how an artist found his voice. Theres so much here for those who care about the intersection of deep faith with great art. Lecrae is showing the rest of us how it is done.

Andy Crouch , executive editor, Christianity Today , author of Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling

From extreme humble beginnings to what many would describe as a dream platform, Lecrae puts his journey in perspective. He recognizes all too well the identity crisis and this generations need to be unashamed of the gospel. I recommend this book for whomever is interested in seeing how God is authoring the journey of a fatherless generation in need of the navigator.

Eric Mason , lead pastor, Epiphany Fellowship,
author of Unleashed

Copyright 2016 by Lecrae Moore

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

978-1-4336-8912-3

Published by B&H Publishing Group

Nashville, Tennessee

Dewey Decimal Classification: B

Subject Heading: MOORE, LECRAE \ RAP MUSICIANSBIOGRAPHY \ CHRISTIAN LIFE

Published in association with Yates & Yates, www.yates2.com.

Photography by Mary Caroline Mann

Cover Design by Alex Medina

Scriptures are taken from the English Standard Version ( esv ), copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version ( nkjv ). Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible ( nasb ), copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

1 2 3 4 5 6 21 20 19 18 17 16

For Big Momma

I am the man I am today because of the seeds you sowed in my life.

Red Carpet Treatment

I tried my best to fit in
Looking for a suit to fit in
Standing outside of your prison
Trying to find ways I could get in
Now I realize that Im free
And I realize that Im me
And I found out that Im not alone
Cause theres plenty people like me
Thats right theres plenty people like me
All love me, despite me
And all unashamed and all unafraid to speak out for what we might see
... All outsiders like me.

Lecrae | Outsiders | Anomaly

The paparazzis cameras were flashing, but their lenses were all pointed at someone else.

I was at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, attending the 2015 Grammy Awards ceremony. Id been nominated for Best Rap Performance and was competing against the likes of Eminem, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar. I had already won two Grammys, but this was different.

Many people dont know that not all Grammy Awards are created equal. An unspoken hierarchy exists in many circles, and some categories are more respected than others. Within the music world, if you tell someone you won a Grammy, the first follow-up question is Which category? Though Im grateful for my wins for Best Gospel Album and Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance, as you might guess, some consider those closer to the bottom of the list than the top. But this nomination for Best Rap Performance had a different kind of significance. It told the world that an alternative voice with an alternative message was being considered among the biggest artists of our time. It said that the industry had finally recognized a new way of making hip-hop.

Thats why I was so mad at myself when I arrived late to the red carpet after promising Id get there early. It was a rookie mistake. The biggest stars show up just before show time, so all the younger and lesser-known artists know to arrive early to avoid competing with Katy Perry for interviews. Even a few minutes can make a difference between landing a blurb in Rolling Stone and hearing crickets.

When I stepped out of the car, I thought to myself, You are at the Grammys, man . I tried to just be in the moment and not look at the stands where fans were sitting and pointing and criticizing every fold and shade of fabric. There I was, taking a coveted walk and rubbing shoulders with John Legend, Kanye West, Chris Brown, and Meghan Trainor. It was difficult to believe that after all of the writing and rapping and refining and recording and touring and promoting and praying, I stood there.

But as it turned out, walking the red carpet at the 2015 Grammys was a more complicated affair than I had imagined. People kept passing on interviews, and some were painfully attempting to not even make eye contact with me.

Hey, that reporter looks like they are trying to get my attention, I thought. Wait... no... they are waving at Questlove.

When I reached the end of the carpetyou know, the place where artists stand in front of the Grammys backdrop and a crowd of photographers takes their picturea security guard lowered his hand and asked me to wait. He waved Iggy Azalea around me. She smiled, and the cameras went crazy. When she finished, I started to proceed but the security guard stopped me again. He waved Rick Ross through.