Who was that mystery man in the 2011 BET Cypher? Wait. Did he just mention Jesus? If you’re a Hip-Hop head, get ready to know Lecrae, the Atlanta rapper who spit some golden bars during the Cypher this year. He’s the latest buzz from the South, but listen carefully, and you’ll hear that he’s not your average MC. Lecrae is a proud, professed Christian, but in all fairness, he just wants to be considered a great rapper with a positive message to go along with his skills. Lecrae’s name is all over the place right now, thanks in part to a feature on an upcoming album that has just about every other good name in the business on it, too. The name he wants you to remember, however, is Jesus. There is absolutely no shame in Lecrae’s game when it comes to the “Big Man Upstairs” and his sacrificing son, so AllHipHop.com was eager to learn more about the relative newcomer and possibly get “blessed” at the same time: AllHipHop.com: OK, you’ve been buzzing like crazy lately, sir! I wanted to make sure we got a chance to talk to you. For those who don’t know you, what has changed in your life recently that now has your name spilling all over the place? Lecrae: I think, obviously, a lot of heavy, consistent performing. Social media probably plays a large role into that, and then being able to do the feature with Statik Selektah, being in the studio with him on his Population Control album. And then, obviously, the buzz around the BET Hip Hop Awards, so it’s kinda like everything hit at the same time. AllHipHop.com: I was at the BET Hip Hop Awards a week and a half ago and I saw you in the Cypher, and quite frankly, I think you held your own above and beyond a lot of the guys and ladies in the Cypher this year. What’s a good Christian boy like you doing in the BET Cypher? Lecrae: [laughter] Well, I’m authentically Hip-Hop, and I’m authentically Christian. I grew up in Hip-Hop, so it’s not a foreign culture to me; I’m not just visiting. I’m just somebody who’s within Hip-Hop and believes in Jesus. I’m a real person, so I’m gonna be a hundred in everything that I’m about. Some people are about their gang, and they’re 100 percent behind that. I’m about my faith. I’m 100 percent all-in. AllHipHop.com: So, you’re “Team Jesus.” Are you purposely trying to merge the two parts of yourself – the rapper and the Christian man? Do they just happen to exist at the same time? Lecrae: I think it’s just natural. It’s funny because Bun B from UGK, he called me, and he said the first thing he picked up on and said was, “You’re not trying to be a rapper; you’re not trying to be Christian. It sounds like you’re just kind of both of them. It’s just who you are.” It’s like I don’t think Lupe is trying to be eclectic or intellectual. I think he’s just an intellectual rapper like that. It’s just who he is. For me, it’s like, just me. AllHipHop.com: Well, I mentioned that I was in the audience at the BET Hip Hop Awards, and when you spit your bars in the Cypher, I did the Jay-Z stanky face! Like I turned to my partners like, “Ugggh, whoa!” I thought, if this guy ever really takes off, there might be some cats out here who get ‘saved’ and didn’t realize they were about to! How much of your content is spiritual versus everyday life stuff? Lecrae: I try to do a good blend. I mean, everybody goes through similar things. I think we just look for different answers for our issues. I think everyone wrestles with all kinds of struggles and hardships, and for me, I truly believe that God is the one person who can really satisfy us and get us through those things. So, that’s why I’m always telling the same stories; I just have a different solution every time. I’m real sensitive to people. I really love people, and I want to let people know that I’m not here to condemn them or tear them down. I want to help them, and pull them up, and point them in the right direction. AllHipHop.com: Well, personally, I think you’re really good. I haven’t heard a ton of your material, but what I have heard and what I saw you do in the Cypher, I think you’re on to something. A lot of people, including myself, might say there hasn’t been a truly “Hip-Hop” Christian rapper until now, until you. Who influenced you? Are there other Christian rappers that you can name that kind of paved the way for you? Lecrae: Obviously, just being brought up in Hip-Hop and being an 80s kid, and watching TV in the 90s was an influence on my life. You know, just being a kid, coming home from school and watching Yo! MTV Raps and Rap City on BET, you’re just influenced. But, for me, it wasn’t until I was in Atlanta and I ran into this group of dudes called Cross Movement. They were from Philly, and they was just some rugged Philly dudes with Tims and baggy jeans on and stuff like that. They were rapping for Jesus, and it was like wow, this is crazy. I had never seen anything like that, and that’s what kind of put me on initially. I think they definitely paved some ways for me, too. AllHipHop.com: OK, well, I’m definitely going to check for them. A few weeks ago, I was at Statik Selektah’s house interviewing him in the studio, and you were one of the names that he bragged about. He was so excited to have you on Population Control, which is a big pat on the back to you, considering the caliber of artists that he brought together on the album. […]