Lecrae

What started as a practical approach to mentoring the youth population at a local juvenile detention center has led to a career in music and a worldwide mission. Lecrae has released eight albums and is the co-owner of Reach Records. He's quick to point out that he would like his music to reach people of all genres and not just Christians.

"If someone feeds a homeless man, you don't know why he's doing it, but the homeless person still appreciates the food. People want to feel what you believe and not just hear it. So let's talk about fatherlessness, let's talk about incarceration. Let's celebrate a relationship or a marriage or a child being born. Let's talk about social issues," Lecrae says. "Sure, I have a paradigm that I see the world through, but we all relate to those things and that's where we connect."

In addition to working in the music industry, Lecrae also finds time to accept speaking engagements, write (his book Unashamed was released in 2016) and mentor professional athletes. ESPN reported:

"It turns out that Lecrae, who specializes in Christian hip-hop and recently dropped his sixth studio album, Gravity, is highly sought after by players around the league -- and even team chaplains -- for his prayer sessions. Lecrae either does them at the arena or stadium or the visiting team's hotel, typically starting two hours before the game and lasting 45 minutes. They're usually scheduled when Lecrae is in a certain city performing, or when there's a game featuring a team with whom he has a good relationship."

People are what's important and Lecrae has leveraged that knowledge throughout his career,

"A mentor told me years ago, 'Lecrae you're not in the widget and gidget business, you're in the people business. As long as you take care of people, they'll take care of you.' So, we've always looked at it as if we're not trying to sell CDs, we're trying to take care of people - give them messages of hope and inspiration ... if you make great content and art and hold them up high, it stands the test of time." Lecrea says.

Lecrae lives in Georgia with his wife, Darragh, and their three children.