Lecrae, Christian rapper angers some fans with his Fourth of July tweet

Jul 5, 2016

Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae has enjoyed widespread success with his gospel music, but a recent tweet might have been a little too “woke” for some of his fans.

—Why the 4th of July belongs to all of us

Lecrae kicked off the Fourth of July holiday by tweeting, “My Family July 4th 1776,” showing a vintage photo of African-Americans picking cotton.

My family on July 4th 1776. pic.twitter.com/R9DzWkqDWc

— Lecrae (@lecrae) July 4, 2016

–Rapper Lecrae talks southern hip-hop and the church

Fans immediately reacted, with some expressing disappointment in him. One fan tweeted, “Why doesn’t he post something that gon’ unite the body of Christ instead? This post won’t help none except alienate.”

https://twitter.com/DariusC81/status/750024438788141056

Another tweeted, “Done supporting you bro. You make everything a race issues lately instead of a gospel issue. You promote guilt instead of love.”

https://twitter.com/Hevi_On_Honkers/status/750025267117076480

With all due respect, I feel this is simply stirring the pot. I agree with the above comment.

— Jamison Williams, DO (@jamisdw) July 4, 2016

Others immediately took to the star’s defense. “So many white folk who have celebrated @lecrae really do want him to pretend he’s not Black,” tweeted journalist Shaun King.

https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/750032163479883776

Many white fans also supported the rapper’s tweet. One wrote, “TY for the reminder that July 4th meant freedom for some, but not all. We must keep fighting until all have equal rights & freedom.”

TY for the reminder that July 4th meant freedom for some, but not all. We must keep fighting until all have equal rights & freedom.

— Melissa (@bakerpartyofsix) July 4, 2016

With six studio albums reaching No. 1 on the charts, Lecrae has a lot of commercial success at stake. But it’s clear that speaking his truth is more important to him than just being loved by the masses. After his Fourth of July tweet went viral, Lecrae tweeted out today:

“Got up this morning still loved, still a child of God, and still woke.”