In these turbulent times that we are currently living in, Lecrae’s “Church Clothes 4” serves as a great stabilizer.
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TOP 5
5. Take Me Up (Ft. WHATUPRG)
My soul damn-there left my body when I heard the Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony sample from “Crossroads” at the beginning of this song. I had to use a big-ass cane to bring it back down.
I got chills listening to “Take Me Up.” Between the uplifting, piano-heavy beat, WHATUPRG’s Thugger/24hrs-like vocals, and the touching performance that the choir in the background delivers, you will feel heavenly after listening to this song. When you add Lecrae’s vulnerable lyrics about losing family members and beating addiction to the equation, you might mess around and pass out from holyholic poisoning.
Me: Dear pastor, I’m ready to confess all my sins! You got about 18 and a half hours to spare? Don’t worry, we’ll take a lunch break at noon.
4. Misconceptions 4 (nobigdyl., Jon Keith & A.I. The Anomaly)
I’m trying to go to church with the four people in this song. They seem like trill church-goers.
I’m not going to lie, “Misconceptions 4” is the first Christian rap posse cut that I’ve ever heard. It’s also the first GOOD rap posse cut that I’ve heard this year. The explosive track is jampacked with raps that attack those who try to put Christian rappers in boxes, those who think that the church doesn’t love gay folks, and those who oppress the black community. What I think makes the song fascinating is that it features so much confrontational energy (I truly feel it’s time that the good Christians of the world get mad at all the hate that comes their way). I also feel like the song features styles of rapping that the Kendrick Lamars, Nonames, and JIDs of the world could be proud of.
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3. Dirt
The beat attached to “Dirt” will make you want to do that one dance in which you act like you’re taking an unexpected turn in your car (I think the kids call it “The Whip”).
If “Spread The Opps” is the hardest track on this album, “Dirt” is a close second. In the song, Lecrae raps about getting it out of the mud and squeezing opps (I’m sure he means giving them a hug so hard that they start to lose consciousness). If you are a hip-hop fan, you have to adore how the Houston rapper slides over the Migos-Esque beat like a dude that knows he and God are connected like Bluetooth.
RIP to Takeoff.
2. Good Lord
I didn’t know that Lecrae was capable of creating a track like “Good Lord.”
If you love Silk Sonic, I think you need to listen to “Good Lord.” The song is funkier than my gym shorts and spicier than Ice. As for lyrically, I love how both Lecrae and Andy Mineo rap and sing about the loyalty that they have toward the women around them. All in all, “Good Lord” is anti-jumpoffs and pro-try-before-you-break-up-with-someone.
Yo, is James Brown on this song?
1. Spread The Opps
“Spread The Opps” might be the hardest track I’ve heard this year (Walahi).
So who exactly is Lecrae’s opps, you ask? Judas, negative individuals, Karens, and antichrists. In “Spread My Opps,” Lecrae handles each group with hard-hitting bars that will literally make you think that he totes hammers. Nope, he just totes bibles and faith.
The menacing beat attached to “Spread My Opps” is just as fire as the kids singing “spread the opps out” on the hook and the tumultuous flows that Lecrae relies on. All in all, this is a certified banger!
SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN
1. CC4 (4/5)
2. Spread The Opps (5/5)
3. Dirt (4/5)
4. Still In America (3.5/5)
5. Misconceptions 4 (Ft. nobigdyl., Jon Keith & A.I. The Anomaly) (4/5)
6. Good Lord (4.5/5)
7. I-45 Freestyle (3.5/5)
8. Take Me Up (ft. WHATUPRG) (4/5)
9. Protect My Peace (Ft. Jordan L’Oreal) (3/5)
10. Fear Not (3.5/5)
11. We Did It (4/5)
12. Journey (4/5)
13. Deconstruction (4/5)
RGM RATING
(B-)
Do you know what this album feels like? Lecrae’s version of “If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late.” Thankfully, it’s never too late to find GOD (Do you like what I did there?)!
No one will ever say it, but freak it, I will: Lecrae is fantastic at picking beats. You can’t tell me that there aren’t some trunk-rattling/bass booming/hard-ass trap beats on this project. Lecrae also toys with some cultural s**t on “Still America,” a Kendrick-like beat on “Misconceptions 4,” a funky beat on “Good Lord,” and a beat on “Fear Not” that I would love Gunna to hop on from jail. What makes Lecrae really good is that he knows how to adjust to every beat he’s handed like a first-team all-NBA player knows how to adjust to any defense that is thrown at them. Yes, I think that LeCrae is a 1st-team all-hip-hop level talent.
As expected, the content that you will hear on this album is fantastic! Throughout Church Clothes 4, Lecrae does an outstanding job of showing the world how confident he is, how blessed he is, how thankful he is that he is no longer in a dark place, and, lowkey, how rich he is (I heard that line about eating seafood in Turks & Caicos, ‘Crae). One thing I love that he doesn’t do is try to preach our heads off. Lecrae sprinkles his beliefs here and there, but for the most part, he comes across as genuine and understanding of the flaws of Christians.
The main thing I would change about this album is this: I wish Lecrae tabled the lyrics about knowing people. He is a legend, so I don’t need to know that he’s friends with folks in the music industry. They aren’t ever gonna shout him out, so no need to shout them out. I know it’s probably against Lecrae’s religion to stiff-arm folks, but I would’ve liked it if he did that more.
Church Clothes 4 is nothing like your actual church clothes. The album is actually grungy, explosive, exciting, and very fun to listen to. It’s more like your church clothes after church is done and you’re walking around the house in it with coffee stains, half of the buttons on your shirt off, and your shoes scuffed up.
Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.
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