Lecrae

It’s almost enough right now, to say that he’s pretty much Golden State Warrior Stephen Curry’s favorite artist, but in ’04, Houston-born gospel rapper Lecrae Devaughn Moore boldly ripped through the music scene with thoughtful, popular Christian-centered hip-hop. By 2013 Gravity (Reach), his sixth studio project, won a Grammy for Best Gospel Album. His 2014 Anomaly debuted at No. 1. And last month — complete with 2 million followers between Instagram and Twitter — he signed with Columbia Records, home to Beyoncé, Adele, One Direction, and more. Lecrae loves black-ish, the city of Tokyo, and Better Call Saul — and recently, he released Unashamed — a book in which he explores key moments in his life, as well as his journey to faith and freedom.

tweets: @lecrae IG: @lecrae

I ate fruit. I know that sounds strange, but I don’t eat fruit. I had an apple for the first time in my life last year. I’ll take a pill, I’ll [drink] juice. I don’t know what it is. Maybe I just grew up eating too much junk food. So now, when somebody puts it in front of me … I just can’t do it. I’d never had an apple and they dared me to do it on tour. I was like, man, Let’s go. So I ate an apple. I had a blueberry. There are still vegetables I’ve never eaten in my life. I’ve never eaten a salad in my life.

Have you continued to eat fruit?

[Just on] the dare. That was it. It was weird. I was like, I don’t know what to do with this. It’s cold, but it’s crunchy — I can’t.

Are you more about Twitter, Snap, Facebook or —

I use them all — for different reasons. It’s Twitter to interact with people, but I probably hang out on Instagram more. When I want to start arguments, I go to Facebook.

What Twitter feed are you currently obsessed with?

I’m more like the hashtag guy. When Black Twitter goes in, that’s always funny to me. And this is no joke — ESPN is probably for real my go-to. I gotta stay caught up.

Most frequently-used emoji?

Probably the thinking one because it’s politically correct. It could mean ‘I think that was ridiculous,’ or ‘I didn’t think about that.’

What’s that one app you love that no one else loves?

I wouldn’t say they don’t care about it, but GroupMe. Before I tweet out dumb stuff, I have to go through this group of individuals who can tell me ‘don’t say that.’ GroupMe is my buffer.

Game (phone, system, other) you play competitively?

My competitive game is called Real Basketball and it’s like shooting, 3-point contests, all kind of random stuff — trying to beat my score and trying to learn how to hit a bank shot. That, and dominoes.

What’s the last show you binge-watched?

Black-ish. I’m starting to binge-watch Better Call Saul, but black-ish — I saved up and I had a trip and just watched a gazillion episodes.

Last podcast you listened to?

This American Life. That’s my go-to podcast. It’s informative, it’s entertaining, it makes you laugh, it might make you cry — I mean, I don’t cry … maybe I cried once.

Current fashion obsession?

Oooh. Adidas shoe game is crazy right now. Adidas shoes are next level. Just hunting down NMD — I’m like I gotta find ’em. Adidas got me.

What will you always be the champ of?

I will always be the champ of pranks. That’s true indeed, because there is no limit to which I will not go. I’ll take it to the furthest extent necessary and possible. I’ll put a snake in your shower if I have to.

What’s one of your best pranks?

One of my best pranks is we were on tour overseas and my man Andy Mineo was with us, and we had a 19-hour flight. I kept putting in the wrong passcode on all his devices, so he was locked out for 24 hours. He was on a flight with nothing. It was amazing (laughs).

What is the last thing you googled?

I saw Hamilton and I was googling information about its origins. It’s next-level.

Last stamp on your passport?

Tokyo. I had a blast. I saw that Pharrell went … he loves Tokyo, so I said ‘Let me go and see what he loves about Tokyo.’ It was amazing.

Who would you want to play you in your biopic?

Aw, man. Who’s gonna play me in my movie, huh? I’m gonna go with Derek Luke. He’s a good actor, I think. I think he deserves to play me (laughs).

What is the most embarrassing music you have to admit you listen to?

Probably like teenybopper, pop music. I mean it’s not really teenybopper anymore. It’s just like … good. I don’t know if it’s embarrassing anymore if you got a One Direction playlist.

Where do you get your serious news? Entertainment news?

Dang, Twitter … that’s where I go. I gotta do better. Twitter and YouTube. And Netflix. I watch documentaries. Does that count?

Last concert you went to? First?

Justin Bieber is the last. My first concert was like … Busta Rhymes, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and Method Man. Maybe Wu-Tang.

What’s the last talk you gave?

I spoke at Yale [recently]. They’ve been dealing with all kinds of race issues and I was able to come in there and try to bring some unity, bring some peace.

What keeps you grounded? What keeps you Undefeated?

Obviously my faith is the foundation and the resilience. And it’s … my mother, who’s resilient and a fighter. My grandmother, who’s resilient and a fighter. They’ve seen adversity and they still made it out of all of it.

Where does your courage come from?

Just realizing I don’t have to be perfect and God’s got me. He’s perfect so I don’t have to be.