When Lecrae Devaughn Moore, known professionally as Lecrae, named his 10th studio albumReconstruction, he knew the title would demand a reaction.
"Reconstruction is the idea that something has been rebuilt and the foundation hasn't changed," the 45-year-old Grammy-winning rapper told The Christian Post. "My foundation has always been Christ, but some things had to be rebuilt. Why? Because some things were torn down."
Although the term "deconstruction" may carry negative connotations in some Evangelical circles, for Lecrae, the tearing down marked the beginning of a healthier faith.
"If your building has asbestos or mold, you've got to tear some of those walls down," he said. "There was some mold in my religious walls, beliefs that were not healthy, a lot of self-righteousness, a lot of church hurt, and I could not let that inform my walk with Jesus. Those things had to be destroyed in order for me to reconstruct."
Released last week, Reconstruction is Lecrae's first full-length album in three years, comprising 19 tracks that feature a striking mix of mainstream heavyweights, including Killer Mike, T.I., and Jon Bellion, alongside faith-based voices such as Jackie Hill Perry, Propaganda and Madison Ryann Ward.
According to Lecrae, the project serves as both a deeply personal reckoning and a cultural statement, positioning the artist once again as one of the most essential voices in hip-hop, regardless of whether he wears the "Christian rapper" label.
The rapper, born in Houston and raised in Texas, is no stranger to faith crises. He has spoken candidly about seasons where he nearly walked away from Christianity altogether, citing what he calls "corporatized religion" and the ways politics co-opted faith for power.
In a previous interview with CP, the "I'll Find You" singer credited late apologist Tim Keller's 2018 book Prodigal Prophet, which centers on the biblical story of Jonah, with saving his life (he now has a whale tattoo on his arm in honor of that experience).
"And as I'm reading Prodigal Prophet, a story of Jonah and a giant fish, I see this massive whale come up out of the ocean, and come back down, and the water had been coming from its spout," he told CP in 2023. "It was almost as if God was just saying, 'I'm here. I'm with you. I see you, and keep pushing forward.' And that was a life-altering moment."
The Atlanta-based singer traced the current wave of deconstruction, especially among those who grew up in the Evangelical culture of the '80s, '90s and 2000s, to a natural progression of faith.
"Everyone comes to this awakening: 'Oh my God, Jesus is real.' That's a great phase of the journey," he said. "But then life hits us. Maybe you lose a friend, go through divorce, or face something you weren't prepared for. Some people just throw the whole faith out. They say, 'Well, this doesn't work.' But I think the answer is doing inner work. We can't throw away the Bible; we may just have to throw away some of the ways we interpreted the Bible."
It is this distinction, between faith itself and the flawed cultural systems that often surround it, that drives Reconstruction. Lecrae said he's not afraid to challenge the traditions that he warns have calcified into legalism.
"In Hebrews, it says, 'Do not forsake the fellowship,'" he said. "We turned that into: 'If you don't show up to this building every Sunday, you're in sin.' That's not what the Bible says. The Bible is saying if you're disconnected from community, from the people of God, you're going down a dark path. A lot of people show up on Sundays in a 2,000-seat gathering and never connect with a single person. That's not helpful. We've got to build relationships. It's got to be more than a Sunday occasion."
The collaborations on Reconstruction illustrate Lecrae's refusal to choose between sacred and secular worlds. Evangelical author Jackie Hill Perry and Christian rapper Propaganda, he said, are "truth bearers" who "stick the flagpole in the ground and say, 'Thus says the Lord.'" By contrast, songs with mainstream rapper T.I. and activist Killer Mike represent honest conversations about grief, parenting and hope.
"When you hear a Killer Mike or a T.I., you're hearing a conversation with me and people outside of our faith world about things we have common ground on," he explained. "Everyone goes through grief and loss. We, as Christians, should have a healthy perspective on how to navigate those things. It's not us against the world. It should be us for them. We should want their healing and transformation."
"I don't see superstars or stardom. I just see humans," Lecrae said. "I've known these guys for 10 years now. We've had tons of conversations in private. Now, some of those conversations end up in songs."
The most personal track on the album may be "Headphones," featuring T.I. and Killer Mike. The song emerged from Lecrae's grief over the death of his cousin, who overdosed on fentanyl after a brief relapse.
"It was the hardest loss I've ever had to deal with," he shared. "He and I were three days apart, more like brothers than cousins. He had just gotten clean, and we were making plans for the future. One relapse cost him his life. It crushed me."
"The first time I played it for anyone, I broke down," he added. "But I wanted it to come from a real place, because grief is universal. Whether you know God or not, you're going to experience loss."
With music, books and a popular podcast under his belt, much of Lecrae's career has been defined by his transparency. However, he said, his openness is shaped by years of hard-earned wisdom.
"I've had a lot of therapy, so I don't talk about things I haven't healed from," he said. "And I don't expose other people's pain; it's their story to tell. There's a difference between being vulnerable and being transparent. Vulnerability leaves you open to be wounded. Transparency says, 'This is what I'm comfortable telling you.'"
That balance shapes songs like "Erase Me," featuring Hollyn, in which Lecrae critiques the ways politics and Christianity have become entangled. "America has told us some lies about our faith," he said. "The political world, regardless of what side of the aisle you're on, does not care about building the Kingdom of God. It has its own agenda. We have to remember the Kingdom is over the empire."
More than anything, Lecrae hopes Reconstruction resonates with people who are wrestling with faith.
"When I was in that place, I couldn't find voices who had been through what I'd been through," he said. "All I heard was, 'Just trust Jesus.' But what does that look like when you feel like He's untrustworthy? I wanted to say to people, 'I'm in the dirt with you. I know a way out. Walk with me, and we'll get through this together.'"
The record also reflects his heart for bringing hope to the "least of these." This summer, he hosted back-to-school drives in Atlanta and Dallas, providing hundreds of backpacks to children, and partnered with the nonprofit Human Impact to serve people experiencing homelessness.
"You can't sit there and say, 'We want to reconstruct communities' if you're not doing it," he said. "This is a very other-centered project. It's not just for me, it's for other people. I want listeners to have tangible ways to get involved in healing, not just consume the music."
With 10 albums behind him and a world tour ahead, stretching from Zimbabwe and Australia to his hometown of Atlanta, Lecrae sees Reconstruction as a defining statement.
"This is like a stamp in the ground that says, 'Hey, I'm a rebel again,'" he said. "I'm a rebel in the way that when I first came out and said, 'I'm unashamed of Jesus.' I'm on that page now where I just don't care."
'I've seen the healing work," Lecrae added. "I've seen the miracle of transformation and reconstruction. And I'm just very unapologetic right now. I'm way more confident. I think doubt only strengthens your faith. So, artistically, there's just so much in there that just needs to come out, and I can't wait. It's like I've got a different layer of wisdom that God has revealed to me that I want to give to people artistically."
Reconstruction is out now.
