美国国家公共电台 NPR--Lecrae raps about Jesus and Christianity on his new mixtape 'Church Clothes 4'

Lecrae raps about Jesus and Christianity on his new mixtape 'Church Clothes 4'

Transcript²

NPR's A Martinez speaks with Christian¹ rapper Lecrae about his new mixtape, Church Clothes 4, and how he connects with millennials.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Hip-hop artist Lecrae raps about Jesus and Christianity on his new mixtape, "Church Clothes 4." This music compilation³ that's looser and freer than a studio album explores racism⁴, problems in the church, police brutality⁵ and abortion⁶. I spoke⁷ with Lecrae earlier about when he became a Christian.

LECRAE: I was 17. I had a pregnancy⁸ scare. I had gotten in some trouble with the law.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DIRT")

LECRAE: (Rapping) I got arrested, was immature⁹.

Being a rebellious¹⁰, kind of mischievous¹¹ kid, didn't grow up with his father and started asking some questions about purpose, about life. And that led me down a religious journey. And that's where I heard the message of Christ and was - you know, had a spiritual transformation¹².

MART?NEZ: So how did hearing the message of Christ lead you into hip-hop?

LECRAE: That's a funny story. My uncles were big into hip-hop. You know, they were kind of kids in the '80s, and hip-hop was this phenomenon. You know, my mother worked at a halfway¹³ house, and some of the guys who would get out of prison, they were listening to hip-hop. And they would give me mixtapes. So by the time I'm 19 years old, which is when I had my spiritual transformation, I was already, like, a product of the culture of hip-hop. It was just now, like, how to articulate this newfound worldview that I had and these new values with the same kind of skill set and form of expression that I had grown up with?

MART?NEZ: Because I think most people don't automatically associate hip-hop and Christianity.

LECRAE: No (laughter). Yeah, they're legitimately¹⁴ two different worlds. Hip-hop is, you know, this kind of anti-establishment movement that was formed by these rebellious kids. And so oftentimes, Christianity in America looks like establishment. It looks political. It looks, you know, like restrictions¹⁵.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "STILL IN AMERICA")

LECRAE: (Rapping) I'm still in America, where church is a Broadway production for relevance¹⁶. We traded the kingdom to build an empire. So people don't trust us, apparently¹⁷. We worship economy. We'll kill our own babies to keep our autonomy. You mess with our Second Amendment¹⁸, we're probably going to riot, but take out the probably.

And so they don't really mesh¹⁹ well together. And hip-hop speaks to the social issues, whereas Christianity hasn't really done much of that since the civil rights movement.

MART?NEZ: So when your first album, "Real Talk," came out in 2004, who was that audience that really latched²⁰ on to it?

LECRAE: So initially²¹, I mean, it was this very small niche²² of kids within hip-hop who had become Christians²³. Similar to mainstream²⁴ hip-hop, the suburbs got a hold of it. And so you've now got these suburban²⁵ kind of evangelical kids who are, like, we found something that our parents will let us listen to.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TAKE ME UP")

LECRAE: (Rapping) And we pray, and we pray, and we pray, every day, every day, every day, and we pray, and we pray, and we pray, take me up.

MART?NEZ: Was there ever a time when things maybe got slightly uncomfortable, when, say, maybe you started speaking out on things that Christians might not be too keen on listening to, say, racial justice?

LECRAE: I had that innate²⁶ sense that I was here for the needs of the marginalized and disenfranchised. And so to see a Michael Brown get killed, regardless of his background, for me was traumatizing and devastating²⁸. And I thought that, you know, I could just share that with my Christian brothers and sisters, regardless of their ethnicity, via social media, the pain that I was experiencing. And I was met with such, like, criticism and blowback. I was confused.

MART?NEZ: What were people most critical of?

LECRAE: They began to think I was a marxist or some kind of apostate³⁰ who was veering³¹ from the faith and a heretic caring more about ethnicity and race than faith.

MART?NEZ: So, Lecrae, I used to be very, very involved in the Christian church for a long time into my early 20s. And one of the things I remember about it the most is that when you finally give your life to Jesus Christ, you kind of - everything about you melts away, and you're no longer who you were before. Now you're a follower³² of Christ. So it doesn't matter if you're, like me, brown or if you're you, Black. That goes away. And now you become a different kind of being. Was that something that you heard or is that something that you kind of came up against?

LECRAE: Yeah. I think that was implied - right? - because people would say things like, we don't see color. You know, we're all covered by the blood of Jesus. And so it was kind of this idea that we're all unified³³, which is very utopian, but it's not reality. You know, the reality is people do see my color. They do see - they do have biases³⁴ once they see us. I can't explain the 400 years of chattel³⁵ slavery in America. Maybe God did that so that we could know Jesus. And, you know, you just start kind of washing away any kinds of thoughts that would have some cultural or ethnic²⁹ implications. But it did begin to create a lot of internal strife³⁶ for me.

MART?NEZ: Now, OK, so this brings us to "Church Clothes 4." It's the fourth volume in a series of mixtapes that started in the summer of 2012. The first song of "Church Clothes 4" opens up...

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CC4")

LECRAE: (Rapping) RIP Breonna Taylor. RIP to George Floyd. I ain't trying to hate on my own kind, but Warnock ain't my only choice and Herschel either. I love believers. But some of these folks don't rep the kingdom.

MART?NEZ: You mention Breonna Taylor. You mention George Floyd. When Christians hear that, do they embrace the message that you're trying to put out? Or is this one thing that makes them kind of, like, cringe a little bit in their seat?

LECRAE: Oh, they definitely cringe. You know, if you're from the more conservative evangelical ilk, you're cringing³⁷ at that because there's a whole kind of campaign against bringing up any type of ethnic trauma²⁷. It's wokeness. It's CRT. I'm not lionizing them. I'm humanizing them and making sure that we can see them.

MART?NEZ: So "Church Clothes 4" is the fourth in a series of mixtapes that you've put out over the years. Is this some kind of end of the road or end of the race?

LECRAE: I think, obviously, like you said, it's a series. It doesn't mean I won't make music anymore. It just means this particular series has come to an end. It's kind of like, hey, let me kind of close out this series speaking to some of the things that need to be addressed within the church and to the outside world.

MART?NEZ: And when you say, Lord, help me kill all my demons³⁸...

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SPREAD THE OPPS")

LECRAE: (Rapping) Lord, help me kill all my demons. I look in the mirror. I seen them. I had a BM. I forced her to get an abortion. I pray when I die, I can meet him.

MART?NEZ: ...Are you talking about demons in the past, present and the ones you might face in the future? Because I think, no matter what, whether you're a believer or not, you're going to have demons.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SPREAD THE OPPS")

LECRAE: (Rapping) They won't catch me lackin'.

Yeah, you absolutely nailed it. This is an admittance of my imperfection. And I'm not a Christian because I'm the model citizen. I'm a Christian because I know the depth of my kind of depravity and the thoughts and the things that go on with me. And I do need consistent help. I do need a savior. So, yeah, it's saying I realize I'm going to be dealing³⁹ with trouble. I'm going to deal with issues for the rest of my life.

MART?NEZ: That's rapper Lecrae. His new mixtape is called "Church Clothes 4." Lecrae, thanks a lot.

LECRAE: Thank you. I appreciate it.

MART?NEZ: This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm A Martínez.

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 compilation   

n.编译，编辑

参考例句：

• One of the first steps taken was the compilation of a report.首先采取的步骤之一是写一份报告。
• The compilation of such diagrams,is of lasting value for astronomy.绘制这样的图对天文学有永恒的价值。

4 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

5 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

6 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

9 immature   

adj.未成熟的，发育未全的，未充分发展的

参考例句：

• Tony seemed very shallow and immature.托尼看起来好像很肤浅，不夠成熟。
• The birds were in immature plumage.这些鸟儿羽翅未全。

10 rebellious   

adj.造反的，反抗的，难控制的

参考例句：

• They will be in danger if they are rebellious.如果他们造反，他们就要发生危险。
• Her reply was mild enough,but her thoughts were rebellious.她的回答虽然很温和，但她的心里十分反感。

11 mischievous   

adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的

参考例句：

• He is a mischievous but lovable boy.他是一个淘气但可爱的小孩。
• A mischievous cur must be tied short.恶狗必须拴得短。

12 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

13 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

14 legitimately   

ad.合法地；正当地，合理地

参考例句：

• The radio is legitimately owned by the company. 该电台为这家公司所合法拥有。
• She looked for nothing save what might come legitimately and without the appearance of special favour. 她要的并不是男人们的额外恩赐，而是合法正当地得到的工作。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

15 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

16 relevance   

n.中肯，适当，关联，相关性

参考例句：

• Politicians' private lives have no relevance to their public roles.政治家的私生活与他们的公众角色不相关。
• Her ideas have lost all relevance to the modern world.她的想法与现代社会完全脱节。

17 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

18 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

19 mesh   

n.网孔，网丝，陷阱；vt.以网捕捉，啮合，匹配；vi.适合； [计算机]网络

参考例句：

• Their characters just don't mesh.他们的性格就是合不来。
• This is the net having half inch mesh.这是有半英寸网眼的网。

20 latched   

v.理解( latch的过去式和过去分词 )；纠缠；用碰锁锁上（门等）；附着（在某物上）

参考例句：

• The government have latched onto environmental issues to win votes. 政府已开始大谈环境问题以争取选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He latched onto us and we couldn't get rid of him. 他缠着我们，甩也甩不掉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

22 niche   

n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等)

参考例句：

• Madeleine placed it carefully in the rocky niche. 玛德琳小心翼翼地把它放在岩石壁龛里。
• The really talented among women would always make their own niche.妇女中真正有才能的人总是各得其所。

23 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

24 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

25 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

26 innate   

adj.天生的，固有的，天赋的

参考例句：

• You obviously have an innate talent for music.你显然有天生的音乐才能。
• Correct ideas are not innate in the mind.人的正确思想不是自己头脑中固有的。

27 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

28 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

29 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

30 apostate   

n.背叛者，变节者

参考例句：

• He is an apostate from Christianity.他是一个基督教的背信者。
• The most furious anarchist become the most barefaced apostate.最激烈的无政府主义者，居然成了最露骨的变节者。

31 veering   

n.改变的；犹豫的；顺时针方向转向；特指使船尾转向上风来改变航向v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的现在分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转

参考例句：

• Anyone veering too close to the convoys risks being shot. 任何人改变方向，过于接近车队就有遭枪击的风险。 来自互联网
• The little boat kept veering from its course in such a turbulent river. 小船在这湍急的河中总是改变方向。 来自互联网

32 follower   

n.跟随者；随员；门徒；信徒

参考例句：

• He is a faithful follower of his home football team.他是他家乡足球队的忠实拥护者。
• Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。

33 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

34 biases   

偏见( bias的名词复数 )； 偏爱； 特殊能力； 斜纹

参考例句：

• Stereotypes represent designer or researcher biases and assumptions, rather than factual data. 它代表设计师或者研究者的偏见和假设，而不是实际的数据。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• The net effect of biases on international comparisons is easily summarized. 偏差对国际比较的基本影响容易概括。

35 chattel   

n.动产；奴隶

参考例句：

• They were slaves,to be bought and sold as chattels.他们是奴隶，将被作为财产买卖。
• A house is not a chattel.房子不是动产。

36 strife   

n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争

参考例句：

• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
• Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。

37 cringing   

adj.谄媚，奉承

参考例句：

• He had a cringing manner but a very harsh voice.他有卑屈谄媚的神情，但是声音却十分粗沙。
• She stepped towards him with a movement that was horribly cringing.她冲他走了一步，做出一个低三下四，令人作呕的动作。

38 demons   

n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念

参考例句：

• demons torturing the sinners in Hell 地狱里折磨罪人的魔鬼
• He is plagued by demons which go back to his traumatic childhood. 他为心魔所困扰，那可追溯至他饱受创伤的童年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

39 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。