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Why Some Say Rap Artist Lecrae Should Not Have Accepted BET's Gospel Award

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Rap artist Lecrae is coming under fire after he received the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award at the BET Awards on June 25.

Why? Because Lecrae won't label himself as an explicitly "Christian" artist.

Some believe the award should be given to artists who do label themselves that way. They say Lecrae shouldn't have accepted it because of his stance. 

"It's ok not to be a true gospel artist but if NOT don't accept the AWARD give it to those who are," wrote Bishop Hezekiah Walker on his Instagram, according to the Christian Post. 

Walker, a gospel singer himself, is the head of Love Fellowship Tabernacle in Brooklyn, New York.

Another pastor and gospel singer, Deitrick Haddon, shared Walker's message on his Instagram as well.

"We can't use the vehicle of gospel to take us to our destination then act like the vehicle didn't get you there because it isn't cool or popular," wrote Haddon's wife, Dominique Haddon.

Lecrae Devaughn Moore is from Houston, Texas.

He has won three Grammys, a GMA Dove Award, and awards from Billboard, Soul Train and BET.

Although he is often outspoken about his faith, Lecrae has made it clear he doesn't want to have the label of "Christian rapper" placed on him. 

"I am a Christian. I am a rapper. But Christian is my faith not my genre," he tweeted 2013. He was responding to a fan who asked whether he considered himself a "Christian rapper."

The 37-year-old has shown he is unafraid to talk about real problems and issues people face in his music. 

"I think as a Christian, people expect you to be desensitized, and that's just not reality. We're not a bunch of sanitized people; we're people with issues and struggles, people with addictions" he told Relevant Magazine in an interview.

"You can't talk about those types of issues because they're extremely taboo."

His Twitter bio reads "I use my gifts for the good of the culture." 

"I believe some people make music for the church, and some people make music from the church to the world," he said on the WADE-O radio show earlier this year. "For me, I don't want to exclusively for the church."

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