All Things Work Together

Last updated

All Things Work Together
Lecrae-album-cover.jpeg
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 22, 2017 (2017-09-22)
Recorded2015–2017
Genre Christian hip hop
Length54:08
Label
Producer
Lecrae chronology
Church Clothes 3
(2016)
All Things Work Together
(2017)
Let the Trap Say Amen
(2018)
Singles from All Things Work Together
  1. "Can't Stop Me Now (Destination)"
    Released: October 21, 2016
  2. "Blessings"
    Released: January 27, 2017
  3. "I'll Find You"
    Released: June 9, 2017
  4. "Broke"
    Released: October 31, 2017 [1]

All Things Work Together is the eighth studio album by American Christian hip hop artist Lecrae, released on September 22, 2017, through Reach Records and Columbia Records, also making it his first major label release. The album features appearances from Tori Kelly, Ty Dolla Sign, 1K Phew, Kierra Sheard, Taylor Hill, Aha Gazelle, Jawan Harris and Verse Simmonds.

Contents

Background

All Things Work Together follows to Lecrae's 2016 mixtape Church Clothes 3 and 2014 studio album Anomaly .

In December 2016, Lecrae confirmed that a new album was in the works for 2017 in an interview with Rapzilla. He kept details of the features under wraps, saying he's been in the studio with "a lot of people", but did however confirm Tori Kelly was featured. [2]

Upon his signing with Columbia Records, Lecrae worked with producers such as Boi-1da, T-Minus, Pluss, Dem Jointz, REO, Go Grizzly, Ayo the Producer, Swoope and DJ Frank E. [3]

The album title, All Things Work Together is a biblical reference to Romans 8:28. [4]

In an interview with Billboard , Lecrae explained the message of the album and the creative process by saying: "This was a hard project for me. It took a long time. I recorded about 60-70 records, and these 14 are the ones that stuck. It was a lot of emotional stuff, and we we're like, 'We need to find some light in the midst of all these songs,' because they sounded so dark......I hope that they understand there is hope in the chaos. I hope that they get that God loves them and there is nothing they can do about it – it's an unrelenting pursuit of you – and I want people to feel that. I want people to feel that they can make it." [5]

Promotion

On October 21, 2016, Lecrae released the album's lead single "Can't Stop Me Now (Destination)". [6] On January 21, 2017, he released the second single "Blessings" featuring Ty Dolla Sign. In June 2017, Lecrae released "I'll Find You" as the featuring Tori Kelly as the third single and "Hammer Time" featuring 1K Phew as a promotional single. [7] On August 8, 2017, Lecrae announced the title of the album, All Things Work Together. [4]

Concerts and touring

On August 3, 2017, Lecrae was a guest on Nick Cannon's Wild 'n Out , where he also performed "Blessings". [8]

On August 8, 2017, Lecrae announced the All Things Work Together tour along with the album title. The Tour will be starting on October 4 running through December 5, stopping through 24 cities throughout North America. [9]

On September 22, 2017, Lecrae performed "I'll Find You" with Tori Kelly on ABC's Good Morning America . [10]

On December 21, 2017, Lecrae performed "Broke" on BET's The Rundown With Robin Thede .

In January 2018, a second leg of the All Things Work Together tour was announced, running from February to June in the United States, Europe and Africa. [11] [12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
HipHopDX (4.1/5) [13]
Jesus Freak HideoutStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Jesus Freak HideoutStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]

Writing for Jesus Freak Hideout, David Craft awarded the album three out of five stars, lamenting that "the album is not as subversive as it thinks, and much of its construct seems to rely on [that] meretricious assumption," and concludes by noting that "All Things Work Together is a middle-of-the-road album." [14] Also writing for Jesus Freak Hideout, Kevin Hoskins had a more favorable opinion, and in his four star review, stated that "throughout All Things Works Together, the production is hot, Crae spits fire, and most tracks are worthy to be on any Reach release." [15] Aaron McKrell of HipHopDX described the album as "Lecrae at his rawest". He praised the content of the album by saying "......is the culmination of Lecrae’s unapologetic faith combined with his ambition to spread his message through Hip Hop. His naked honesty and knack for conveying relatable emotions make the album one of his best projects to date." [13]

Commercial performance

All Things Work Together debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200 selling 29,227 equivalent copies (20,322 in pure album sales). [16] It also charted at number 1 on the Christian Albums Chart and number 6 on the Rap Albums chart.

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [17]

All Things Work Together [18]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Always Knew"
  • Lecrae Moore
  • Ramon Owen
REO3:34
2."Facts" Dem Jointz 4:01
3."Broke" (featuring Perfekt)
2:59
4."Blessings" (featuring Ty Dolla Sign) Pluss 3:51
5."Whatchu Mean" (featuring Aha Gazelle)
Go Grizzly4:20
6."Hammer Time" (featuring 1K Phew)
Metro Boomin 3:34
7."Come and Get Me"4:12
8."Lucked Up" (featuring Nija)
3:40
9."Wish You the Best" (featuring Verse Simmonds)
  • J. Hill
  • Runo
3:44
10."Can't Stop Me Now (Destination)" (featuring Childish Major)
  • Medina
  • John Toluwani
4:10
11."I'll Find You" (featuring Tori Kelly)
3:37
12."8:28" (featuring Lewis Sky)
3:09
13."Cry for You" (featuring Taylor Hill)
  • Moore
  • Taylor Hill
  • Swoope
4:23
14."Worth It" (featuring Kierra Sheard and Jawan Harris)
  • Swoope
  • Jawan Harris
  • Moore
  • Sims
Swoope4:54
Total length:54:08

Notes

Sample credits

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2017)Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [19] 160
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [20] 69
New Zealand Heatseekers Albums (RMNZ) [21] 3
US Billboard 200 [22] 11
US Christian Albums (Billboard) [23] 1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [24] 8
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard) [25] 6

Related Research Articles

Christian hip hop is a cross-genre of contemporary Christian music and hip hop music. It emerged from urban contemporary music and Christian media in the United States during the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lecrae</span> American rapper (born 1979)

Lecrae Devaughn Moore is an American Christian rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, record executive, and actor. To date, he has released ten studio albums and three mixtapes as a solo artist, and has released three studio albums, a remix album, one EP, and numerous singles as the leader of the hip hop group 116 Clique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">116 (hip hop group)</span> American rap group

The 116, formerly 116 Clique, is an American Southern Christian hip hop collective originally from Dallas, Texas signed to the Atlanta-based Reach Records. The group performs a wide variety of contemporary hip hop styles, from chopped and screwed to trap to Latin hip hop. The 116 Clique is named after the Bible verse Romans 1:16: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile." For them it means acknowledging the power of the Gospel and the divine calling to proclaim it in every area of their life. "We can lay our lives down to serve and glorify God in everything we do."

<i>Rebel</i> (Lecrae album) 2008 studio album by Lecrae

Rebel is the third studio album by Christian rap artist, Lecrae. The album was released by Reach Records on September 30, 2008. The album was nominated in the best Rap/Hip-Hop Album category at the 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards but lost to Group 1 Crew's Ordinary Dreamers.

<i>Rehab</i> (Lecrae album) 2010 studio album by Lecrae

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lecrae discography</span>

The discography of Lecrae, an American Christian hip hop artist, consists of 11 studio albums, two of which were collaborative; four mixtapes; two extended plays, one of which was collaborative; 130 singles, including 75 as a featured performer; 73 music videos, including 37 as a featured performer; and 86 guest and other appearances. Lecrae debuted with Real Talk in 2004 through Reach Records; the album was re-issued the following year by Cross Movement Records. After the Music Stops followed in 2006 and his third solo album, Rebel, was released in 2008 and reached No. 1 on the Gospel chart, the first Christian hip hop album to do so. Rehab, his fourth solo album, was released in 2010 and reached No. 1 on the Gospel, Christian, and Independent charts, and garnered a nomination at the 53rd Grammy Awards. Rehab: The Overdose, was released on January 11, 2011, and peaked at No. 1 on the Christian and Gospel charts. Lecrae began garnering mainstream attention when he performed at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards Cypher and was featured on the Statik Selektah song "Live and Let Live" from his Population Control album.

<i>Gravity</i> (Lecrae album) Album by Lecrae

Gravity is the sixth studio album by American Christian hip hop artist Lecrae, released on September 4, 2012. The album features appearances from Big K.R.I.T., Mathai, Ashthon Jones, Sho Baraka and Mali Music, along with labelmates Trip Lee, Andy Mineo, Derek Minor, who was formerly known as PRo, and Tedashii. Producers on the album include DJ Khalil, Street Symphony along with his production team Heat Academy, and The Watchmen. The first single off the album, "I Know", was released on July 24, 2012, and was followed by "Tell the World" featuring Mali Music on August 15, 2012, and "Mayday" featuring Big K.R.I.T. and Ashthon Jones on August 30, 2012. Reach Records released five music videos for the album: "Lord Have Mercy", featuring Tedashii along with No Malice of Clipse, on August 1, 2012, "Tell the World", featuring Mali Music, on October 19, 2012, "Mayday", featuring Big K.R.I.T. and Ashthon Jones, on December 13, 2012, "Fakin'", featuring Thi'sl, on February 1, 2013, and "Confe$$ions", featuring David Banner, on April 30, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Mineo discography</span>

The discography of American Christian hip hop artist Andy Mineo, formerly known as C-Lite, consists of three studio albums, three mixtapes, one compilation album, twenty-one singles, including seven as a featured performer, fourteen music videos, including six as a featured artist, and fifteen guest appearances on various albums. Originally from Syracuse, Mineo initially achieved success as a producer in Upstate New York, and was a member of the hip hop group Fat Camp, signed to Syracuse University's Marshall Street Records. After moving to New York City where he re-dedicated his life to Christ, he closed down his production studio and restarted his career. He released his first mixtape Sin is Wack Vol. 1 in 2009. After providing sung vocals for the song "Background" by Lecrae from the album Rehab, he experienced a surge in popularity and became highly sought after for collaborations. His 2011 single "In My City" featuring Efrain from Doubledge also garnered attention, as did his appearance on the song "Reverse" by Tedashii from Blacklight. He signed to Reach Records in 2011 and dropped his stage name "C-Lite" in favor of his legal name. Under this name he released another mixtape, Formerly Known, in 2011. In May 2012 he debuted a four episode web series entitled Saturday Morning Car-Tunez in which he remixed classic hip hop songs. The four songs were subsequently released for free as a compilation album. His debut full-length studio album, Heroes for Sale, was released April 2013.

Derek Laurence Johnson Jr., better known by his stage name Derek Minor and former stage name PRo, is an American Christian rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur, actor, and screenwriter. He co-founded the hip-hop record label Reflection Music Group (RMG) with Doc Watson, and signed to Reach Records in a joint venture between the two labels in 2011. In 2012, Johnson announced that he had changed his stage name from Pro to Derek Minor. In 2014, he announced that as his two-album contract with Reach was complete, he would no longer be publishing releases through that label.

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<i>Anomaly</i> (Lecrae album) 2014 studio album by Lecrae

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Ireoluwa-Anike Dees, born Mutiat Yewande Isola, and professionally known as Anike, is a Nigerian American rapper, actress and former journalist and A&R administrator from Austin, Texas, United States. She signed to the Christian hip hop label Reach Records in 2019, where she had worked as an A&R administrator. Prior to that, as an independent artist, from 2013 through 2018 she released multiple singles and made numerous featured appearances on various songs, as well as worked as a music journalist. She is the first woman signed to Reach. Her debut extended play (EP), Exit, was released on April 24, 2020, followed by a mini-EP The Decision on December 4, 2020.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">116 discography</span>

The discography of 116, formerly known as 116 Clique, a Christian hip hop collective originating from Dallas, Texas, consists of six studio albums, one of which was a remix album, one remixed extended play (EP), twenty singles, seven music videos, and one video album. The collective formed in 2005 under the auspices of Reach Records, and released its first album, The Compilation Album, that year on December 27. The following year, a remixed version of the album by DJ Primo was released on July 6. A third album, 13 Letters, followed on June 19, 2007, which charted at No. 10 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart and No. 29 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart, as well as the remix EP Amped on August 28. Man Up was released on September 27, 2011. A Christmas album, The Gift: A Christmas Compilation, was released on November 23, 2018, and charted at No. 27 on the Christian Albums chart. The Gift: Live Sessions, a live video album recorded at the 1971 studios in Atlanta, was released on November 28, 2019. The sixth album from the collective, Sin Vergüenza, a collaboration between Reach and No Apologies Music and a combination of continental United States hip hop and Latin American urbano, was released on October 23, 2020. All twelve tracks from the recording were released as singles.

Christopher Michael Hulvey, known professionally by his surname Hulvey, is an American Christian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. His debut studio album Christopher debuted and peaked at No.2 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart.

Jacob Cardec, artistically known as Cardec Drums, is a Puerto Rican drummer, music producer and songwriter, specializing in Christian urban music who has worked with artists from Reach Records, Reflection Music Group and Funkytown Music. He has received various awards for his work with KB, Lecrae, Redimi2, Almighty and Andy Mineo.

<i>Church Clothes 4</i> 2022 mixtape by Lecrae

Church Clothes 4 is a 2022 mixtape from Christian hip hop artist Lecrae, released on November 4 through his own label Reach Records. It constitutes the final installment of his Church Clothes mixtape series begun in 2012. It includes featured appearances from Andy Mineo, PJ Morton, A.I. the Anomaly, Jon Keith, nobigdyl., WHATUPRG, and Jordan L’Oreal. Two singles were released from the mixtape — "Spread the Opps", on August 5, 2022, and "Fear Not", on October 26, 2022. A deluxe edition of the album, Church Clothes 4: Dry Clean Only, was released February 24, 2023.

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  12. Lecrae world tour dates
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