Rehab (Lecrae album)
Encyclopedia
Rehab is the fourth studio album by Christian hip hop
artist Lecrae
. It was released on September 28, 2010
on Reach Records. According to the Reach Records website, the album's "motto" is "The Christian life is an entrance into rehab." Centered on release and freedoms from inhibiting addictions and habits, Rehab is a highly conceptual album. Rehab is nominated for the Grammy Award
for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album at the 53rd Grammy Awards
. The album was named the Best Album of 2010 in the "Best of 2010: Rapzilla
.com's Staff Picks" awards, and Lecrae was also named Artist of the Year. The song "Background" and the album itself were nominated for Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year and Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year, respectively, at the 42nd Annual GMA Dove Awards.
released an album of a similar title. Despite this, Lecrae stuck with the original name, because "it made too much sense to not move forward with it."
called "Amp It Up" which features Tedashii
. Originally thought to be the first single of Rehab, Lecrae revealed on his Twitter
that it is a theme song for a Christian camp called Kanakuk. A video was posted via Rapzilla
on August 19, 2010 of Lecrae rapping a verse from the song "Walking on Water".
According to Lecrae's blog, he will be in Southern Sudan at the time of the album's release so the "distractions of my life are stripped away and I'm left to focus on Jesus and his mission." He states that he won't be looking at the iTunes
charts on which his album will be. On his blog he encourages his fans to not only buy his album, but asks them to donate to causes in Sudan and provides a link for them to do so.
On September 22, 2010 Rapzilla reported that the Rehab packaging comes with an advertisement which directs buyers to purchase another upcoming album, to be released on January 11, 2011, called Rehab: The Overdose. The whole Rehab album was revealed via a listening session on September 26, 2010 on Rapzilla. Lecrae also talks on the video about the concept of the album.
The tracks "High", "Just Like You" and "Children of the Light" have been released as digital download
singles on the iTunes Store
.
's Logan Remy gave Rehab a 4.5/5 rating, calling it "Lecrae's best project to date". He says "The introductory songs all the way to the ending is an incredible ride through the growth of Lecrae," and that "Lecrae is loud and clear in the music." DaSouth.com rated Rehab 4 stars out of 5. Kellus Hill commends the albums strong theme, and its production, saying "production-wise the music is on point, maintains direction, and is of the highest quality." Michael Weaver of Jesus Freak Hideout
rated the album 5/5 stars, expressing high acclaim for it. He says, "Rehab is a fantastic album and is easily Lecrae's best to date, even topping Rebel. Lecrae is able to show that he is the best and most diverse rapper around." The review suggests to people who rarely listen to hip hop
to get this album, even going as far as saying, "This is hip hop perfection." The music website allmusic gave Rehab 4 of out 5 stars. He explains to readers that Rehab "begins with a Christian checking in to rehab and then, through a series of well-written, well-produced songs, tells the story of how he got there."
. Rapzilla
reported that the debut week sales for Rehab were 25,864 units, about 15,000 more than Lecrae's previous album, Rebel. HipHopDX reported this figure at approximately 28,000 units, ahead of Ice Cube
's I Am the West which was released on the same day. As of October 26, 2011, the album has sold 124,000 copies sold in the United States.
, while the song "Background" was nominated for Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song of the Year.
Christian hip hop
Christian hip hop is hip hop music characterized by a Christian worldview, with the general purposes of evangelization , edifying members of the church and/or simply entertaining.-History:Since hip-hop started in the 1970s, various hip-hop artists have...
artist Lecrae
Lecrae
Lecrae Moore is an American Christian Hip Hop artist signed to Reach Records, the record label that he co-founded. Thus far Lecrae has released five solo studio albums, and his latest Rehab: The Overdose was released on January 11, 2011...
. It was released on September 28, 2010
2010 in American music
The following is a list of notable events and releases that have occurred in 2010 in music in the United States.-January:* January 1 – Frontman Chris Cornell announces the reunion of Soundgarden....
on Reach Records. According to the Reach Records website, the album's "motto" is "The Christian life is an entrance into rehab." Centered on release and freedoms from inhibiting addictions and habits, Rehab is a highly conceptual album. Rehab is nominated for the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album at the 53rd Grammy Awards
53rd Grammy Awards
The 53rd annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prior to the telecast on February 11. Nominations were...
. The album was named the Best Album of 2010 in the "Best of 2010: Rapzilla
Rapzilla
Rapzilla is a Christian hip hop online magazine, one of the top Christian Hip Hop websites. The website contains many sections such as latest news, album reviews, articles, interviews, mp3's, videos, release dates, columns, and more...
.com's Staff Picks" awards, and Lecrae was also named Artist of the Year. The song "Background" and the album itself were nominated for Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year and Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year, respectively, at the 42nd Annual GMA Dove Awards.
Background
In early 2010, Lecrae had been planning to name his next project "Rehab" although he had doubts about the name, mainly because EminemEminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
released an album of a similar title. Despite this, Lecrae stuck with the original name, because "it made too much sense to not move forward with it."
Release and promotion
On August 3, 2010 Lecrae released a song on RapzillaRapzilla
Rapzilla is a Christian hip hop online magazine, one of the top Christian Hip Hop websites. The website contains many sections such as latest news, album reviews, articles, interviews, mp3's, videos, release dates, columns, and more...
called "Amp It Up" which features Tedashii
Tedashii
Tedashii "Tdot" Anderson, known simply as Tedashii, is a Christian hip hop artist and member of the hip-hop troupe, 116 Clique. Tedashii has released three solo albums, Kingdom People, Identity Crisis, and Blacklight, on Reach Records...
. Originally thought to be the first single of Rehab, Lecrae revealed on his Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
that it is a theme song for a Christian camp called Kanakuk. A video was posted via Rapzilla
Rapzilla
Rapzilla is a Christian hip hop online magazine, one of the top Christian Hip Hop websites. The website contains many sections such as latest news, album reviews, articles, interviews, mp3's, videos, release dates, columns, and more...
on August 19, 2010 of Lecrae rapping a verse from the song "Walking on Water".
According to Lecrae's blog, he will be in Southern Sudan at the time of the album's release so the "distractions of my life are stripped away and I'm left to focus on Jesus and his mission." He states that he won't be looking at the iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
charts on which his album will be. On his blog he encourages his fans to not only buy his album, but asks them to donate to causes in Sudan and provides a link for them to do so.
On September 22, 2010 Rapzilla reported that the Rehab packaging comes with an advertisement which directs buyers to purchase another upcoming album, to be released on January 11, 2011, called Rehab: The Overdose. The whole Rehab album was revealed via a listening session on September 26, 2010 on Rapzilla. Lecrae also talks on the video about the concept of the album.
The tracks "High", "Just Like You" and "Children of the Light" have been released as digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
singles on the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
.
Content
The opening track on the album, "Check In", is simply about Christian "checking in" to "rehab". It introduces the concept of the album. Track number two, "Killa", is about how there are always two "women" luring humans—one is foolishness and one is wisdom (Lecrae references Proverbs 5 and 8). In Killa Lecrae explains how foolishness will "destroy you". The next song, "Divine Intervention", is about the need for someone to intervene in addicts' lives to tell them that their actions affect others detrimentally. "Just Like You", one of the album's singles, is about how we all model our life after someone. In the song, Lecrae conveys his desire to be modeled after Jesus Christ.Critical
Upon its release, Rehab has gotten universally positive reviews. RapzillaRapzilla
Rapzilla is a Christian hip hop online magazine, one of the top Christian Hip Hop websites. The website contains many sections such as latest news, album reviews, articles, interviews, mp3's, videos, release dates, columns, and more...
's Logan Remy gave Rehab a 4.5/5 rating, calling it "Lecrae's best project to date". He says "The introductory songs all the way to the ending is an incredible ride through the growth of Lecrae," and that "Lecrae is loud and clear in the music." DaSouth.com rated Rehab 4 stars out of 5. Kellus Hill commends the albums strong theme, and its production, saying "production-wise the music is on point, maintains direction, and is of the highest quality." Michael Weaver of Jesus Freak Hideout
Jesus Freak Hideout
Jesus Freak Hideout is a Christian music website. The website specializes in reviewing, previewing, and selling Christian albums. The website is known for its album reviews, independent music, artist interviews, concert dates and ministry through devotionals and prayer...
rated the album 5/5 stars, expressing high acclaim for it. He says, "Rehab is a fantastic album and is easily Lecrae's best to date, even topping Rebel. Lecrae is able to show that he is the best and most diverse rapper around." The review suggests to people who rarely listen to hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
to get this album, even going as far as saying, "This is hip hop perfection." The music website allmusic gave Rehab 4 of out 5 stars. He explains to readers that Rehab "begins with a Christian checking in to rehab and then, through a series of well-written, well-produced songs, tells the story of how he got there."
Commercial
The album debuted at #17 on the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. Rapzilla
Rapzilla
Rapzilla is a Christian hip hop online magazine, one of the top Christian Hip Hop websites. The website contains many sections such as latest news, album reviews, articles, interviews, mp3's, videos, release dates, columns, and more...
reported that the debut week sales for Rehab were 25,864 units, about 15,000 more than Lecrae's previous album, Rebel. HipHopDX reported this figure at approximately 28,000 units, ahead of Ice Cube
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
's I Am the West which was released on the same day. As of October 26, 2011, the album has sold 124,000 copies sold in the United States.
Awards
The album was nominated for a Dove Award for Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year at the 42nd GMA Dove Awards42nd GMA Dove Awards
The 42nd Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on April 20, 2011 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. The show will be broadcast on gmc on April 24, 2011. It will be hosted by Sherri Shepherd from The Newlywed Game....
, while the song "Background" was nominated for Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song of the Year.
Track listing
Source:Personnel
Credits for Rehab adapted from Allmusic.- Steven Abramsamadu – Composer
- Tedashii AndersonTedashiiTedashii "Tdot" Anderson, known simply as Tedashii, is a Christian hip hop artist and member of the hip-hop troupe, 116 Clique. Tedashii has released three solo albums, Kingdom People, Identity Crisis, and Blacklight, on Reach Records...
– Composer - Williams Barefield – Composer
- Benjamin "Benjah" Leroy Thom – Guitar, Keyboards, Producer, Vocals, Composer, Engineer
- Justin BollerJustin BollerJustin Boller, also known as Sky Michaels, , is a Grammy Nominated American record producer, singer and Dove Award winning songwriter.-Music career:...
– Composer - Kevin Burgess – Composer
- Jeff Carruth – Drums
- Cheesebeats – Mixing, Producer, Vocal Arrangement
- Chris Lee Cobbins – Composer, Engineer, Vocals
- David Davidson – Strings
- Justin Dillavou – Composer
- Jonpaul Douglass – Inside Photo
- Torrance "Street Symphony" EsmondStreet Symphony (producer)Torrance Esmond, better known by his stage name Street Symphony, is an American record producer and songwriter, who has been active since 2006.-Biography:...
– Composer, Producer - Tina Fears – Composer, Vocals
- Jared Foster – Composer
- Abraham Gaskin – Composer
- Marcus "FLAMEFLAMEFlame is a Christian hip hop recording artist with Clear Sight Music. He has released five albums including: Flame, Rewind, Our World: Fallen, Our World: Redeemed, and Captured. Our World: Redeemed was nominated for a Grammy Award...
" Gray – Composer, Engineer - Warren Harris – Composer
- Haley Hunt – Vocals
- Derek "PRo" Johnson – Composer, Engineer
- Kajmir Royale – Producer
- Amisho Lewis – Composer
- Carlton Lynn – Engineer, Mixing
- Alex Medina – Composer, Producer
- Andy Mineo – Composer, Engineer
- Marlon Montgomery – Composer
- Lecrae Moore – Composer
- Jacob "Biz" Morris – Composer, Engineer
- John "Jp" Parker – Engineer
- Pastor AD3 – Engineer
- Courtney Peebles – Composer, Engineer
- Joseph Prielozny – Composer, Engineer, Guitar (Acoustic), Producer
- George Ramirez – Composer
- Shane Ries – Engineer
- Sonny Sandoval – Composer
- Natalie Sims – Composer, Vocals
- So Sakryfycial – Engineer
- Supa Mario – Engineer
- Jai Williams – Composer
- Zach Wolfe – Cover Photo
Charts
| Chart | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 17 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Gospel Albums | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Christian Albums | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Independent Albums | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Digital Albums | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Rap Albums | 5 |