Lecrae: Tiny Desk Concert

Bobby Carter | April 9, 2026
Tiny Desk has featured some of the best music across various genres throughout our 18-year history; however, Lecrae is the first Christian rapper to perform at NPR headquarters. I felt guilty when I mentioned this to the Houston-born emcee, only because it's taken so long. If we're putting a spotlight on faith-based hip-hop, we had to start with Lecrae.

Hip-hop originated in the streets; its growth has been slow and steady, with faith often appearing as a caveat in the music. It felt acceptable to mention God without getting too preachy, but if you went past that line, an obsession over authenticity stigmatized Christian rappers. And then Lecrae cracked the code: His devotion is unapologetic and consistent through the lyrics, but everything else, from the production to delivery, feels real and earned.

For his set, Lecrae aptly kicked things off with "Coming in Hot," and breezed through seven more tracks from his catalog, including 2024's "Die for the Party," a song inspired by Kendrick Lamar's "Watch the Party Die," in which Lamar reflects, "Sometimes I wonder what Lecrae would do."

SET LIST
"Coming in Hot"
"Spread the Opps"
"I'm Turnt"
"H20"
"Die for the Party"
"Bless You"
"Tell the World"
"I'll Find You"

MUSICIANS
Lecrae: vocals
Lawrence Swoope: keys
Reshard Baham: keys
Joshua Dunham: bass
Nate Robinson: drums
DJ Mykael V: DJ
Joe Williams: trumpet
Madicin: background vocals
Liz Vaughn: background vocals

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bobby Carter
Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
Audio Director: Josh Newell
Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Kara Frame
Audio Mix: Josephine Nyounai
Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna
Production Assistants: Dhanika Pineda, Dora Levite
Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez
Tiny Desk Team: Ashley Pointer, Felix Contreras
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#nprmusic #tinydesk #lecrae

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