By Emma King, Staff Writer
Grammy award-winning Christian rapper Lecrae will perform a concert for Baylor students and the Waco community at 7 p.m. Oct. 2. The concert will take place at Waco Hall and will feature fellow Christian rapper Tedashii.
Tickets are available through Baylor Student Activities’ online box office. Tickets for balcony seating will be $25 and floor seating will be $35.
Matt Burchett, Baylor’s director of Student Activities, said they are trying to bring a more assorted population of music artists to campus to cater to different tastes that Baylor students have.
“We believe we’re going to create a portfolio here that really engages a diverse community in unique ways,” Burchett said. “We want to be for everyone.”
He said that Lecrae is very different from Brad Paisley, who visited campus for the Traditions Rally, but that they have been working to improve music variety on campus for the past few years now.
“I think as a Baptist school [Baylor] can sometimes get a stereotype of being kind of rigid, but by bringing someone like Lecrae here, it shows that Baylor still has a fun side and still wants people to explore different options,” said Aurora, Ill., sophomore Abigail Davies.
Burchett said they are hoping to bring in audiences from the community as well. He said Baylor realizes that it has the means to bring in a high caliber performer, where other entities in Waco may not be able to, so they want to share with those outside of Baylor.
Burchett said Lecrae has been very successful and has the opportunity to share the gospel from a large stage.
“We know that if you go to church on Sunday you’ll be exposed to a way to [share who you are as a believer]; if you go to Vertical on Monday nights or if you go to a small group Bible study, but then there’s another way you look at it and say, ‘hey this guy Lecrae, who’s amazing, is sharing the gospel through rap and hip hop,’” Burchett said. “And that may not be every students norm, and so we’re excited to expose them to a really beautiful and unique way to love Jesus and share who he is with others.”
With the release of his seventh studio album, Anomaly, Lecrae took the top spot on the Gospel Albums and the Billboard Top 200 list. This album was Lecrae’s sixth No. 1 album, but it was the first to be featured on a chart that wasn’t religiously affiliated.
In 2013, Lecrae’s Gravity album won the Grammy for best gospel album. In February, Lecrae won the Grammy for best contemporary Christian music performance/song for his track Messengers, from the Anomaly album.
“Anomaly” is the name of Lecrae’s current tour, which will feature stops across the nation, including his Baylor performance.
