Round of Applause (Lecrae song)

Last updated
"Round of Applause"
Round of Applause (Lecrae song).jpg
Single by Lecrae
from the album Church Clothes, Vol. 2
ReleasedMay 14, 2013 (2013-05-14)
Genre
Length3:49
Label Reach Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) K.E. on the Track
Lecrae singles chronology
"Tell the World"
(2012)
"Round of Applause"
(2013)
"I'm Turnt"
(2013)
"Round of Applause (Remix)"
Round of Applause - Remix (Lecrae song).jpg
Remix by Lecrae featuring B.o.B
from the album Church Clothes 2
ReleasedMay 21, 2013 (2013-05-21)
Genre
Length4:54
Label Reach Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) K.E. on the Track

"Round of Applause" is a single by Christian hip hop artist Lecrae, released on May 14, 2013. The lead single from the commercial version of his mixtape Church Clothes 2 , it was followed a week later by an extended, non-commercial version which featured B.o.B. Upon the release of the album's track-listing on November 2, which listed "Round of Applause" without B.o.B's feature, Reach Records producer Alex Medina tweeted that the commercial version of Church Clothes 2 does not contain the feature, while the free version hosted by Don Cannon does contain B.o.B's feature. [1]

Contents

Lyrics and style

Produced by K.E. on the Track, sonically the song features an "anthemic trap beat", a menacing synth line, and "street shaking, attention grabbing drums". [2] [3] Lyrically, the song congratulates college graduates and those who succeed in life despite the odds against them. [3] [4] Lecrae created a website page for the single, on which he expressed he was "Proud of all the graduates out there. Never overlook the unique opportunity you have in education. There are many paths you could have taken, obstacles to deter you, and things to distract you, but you beat the odds." [5]

Reception

The song for the most part met with a positive reception, with Danitha J of The Source calling the collaboration between Lecrae and B.o.B "epic" and praising Lecrae for his positive message. [6] Writing for Jesus Freak Hideout, Kevin Hoskins thought "Lecrae and B.O.B. spit honest words laid over nice beats throughout the entire listen". [7] Christian Music Zine considered the song a highlight from the album, and HipHopDX praising "Round of Applause" for, alongside the tracks "Misconception pt. 2" and "Was it Worth it", offering topical and conceptual depth. [8] [9] On June 4, 2013, Lecrae performed the single live on BET's 106 & Park. [10] On June 21, 2013, Pepsi included the extended version of the song in its list "Three Songs You Need to Hear Right Now", along with Justin Timberlake's "Don't Hold the Wall" and will.i.am's "Bang Bang". [2] [11] "Round of Applause" charted at No. 45 on the Christian Songs chart. [12]

In contrast to this reception, Aubrey McKay of Wade-O Radio leveled criticism at the song, in particular the collaboration with B.o.B. McKay stated that in his opinion Lecrae and B.o.B "didn't mesh well together", and that "B.o.B.'s verse was sub-par". [13]

Related Research Articles

<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">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>Church Clothes</i> 2012 mixtape by Lecrae

Church Clothes is the first mixtape by Christian hip hop artist Lecrae, released for free on May 10, 2012, and hosted by DJ Don Cannon. It featured No Malice of Clipse on the song "Darkest Hour", and included production work by 9th Wonder, Boi-1da, S1 and Street Symphony. Label-mates Tedashii and Andy Mineo, as well as other fellow Christian hip-hop artists such as Dre Murray, Thi'sl, Swoope, Christon Gray, and Braille, also made appearances on the album. The mixtape was downloaded 100,000 times in 48 hours, and met with critical acclaim. It received controversy in Christian media upon its release due to its condemnation of hypocrisy in the Christian Church and Lecrae's collaboration with the mainstream producer Don Cannon. A shorter, remastered EP version was released on iTunes on June 25, 2012. The EP debuted at number 10 on the Billboard Christian Albums and Gospel Albums charts.

<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.

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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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reach Records</span> American label of Christian hip hop

Reach Records is an American independent record label specializing in Christian hip hop. The label was founded in 2004 by Ben Washer and the hip-hop artist Lecrae. In addition to Lecrae, the Reach Records roster contains artists like Tedashii, Trip Lee, Andy Mineo, 1K Phew, WHATUPRG, Anike, Hulvey, Limoblaze, and Jackie Hill Perry. The hip-hop collective 116 operates under the label and consists primarily of the label's solo acts. The artists Sho Baraka, Derek Minor, Aha Gazelle, KB, and Gawvi were formerly signed to the label, and DJ Official was under the label until his death.

"Confessions", styled "Confe$$ions", is a Christian hip hop song by Lecrae from his album Gravity, released on September 4, 2012. Lyrically, the song critiques the pursuit of wealth and expresses the emptiness and lack of peace that comes with materialism.

<i>King Kulture: Stop the Traffic</i> 2013 compilation album by Various Artists

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<i>Church Clothes 2</i> 2013 mixtape by Lecrae

Church Clothes 2, officially Church Clothes, Vol. 2, is the second mixtape by Christian hip hop artist Lecrae, released on November 7, 2013 by Reach Records. Hosted by Don Cannon, it follows Lecrae's previous mixtape, Church Clothes, and Grammy Award-winning full-length album Gravity, both of which came out in 2012. Two versions of the album were released, a free version with host Don Cannon, and a commercial version off iTunes without the DJ. The first single off the album, "Round of Applause", was released on May 14, 2013. On May 21, a remixed version of the song, featuring rapper B.o.B, was released. A second single off the album, "I'm Turnt", dropped on October 18, 2013. The mixtape was downloaded over 100,000 times on DatPiff.com in the first two weeks and debuted at No. 21 on the Billboard 200 chart, No. 1 on the Top Christian and Gospel charts, and No. 3 on the Top Rap chart.

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<i>Instruments of Mercy</i> 2013 studio album by Beautiful Eulogy

Instruments of Mercy is the second studio album by Portland, Oregon-based experimental hip hop trio Beautiful Eulogy, released through Humble Beast Records on October 29, 2013, in both free and commercial format. Like its predecessor, the album features a highly eclectic folk-hip hop fusion melded with numerous other styles such as electronic, indie, hymn tunes, and contemporary worship music. Courtland Urbano, the main producer of the trio, eschewed the use of digitally-generated effects and instrumentation in composing the music for Instruments of Mercy, instead relying solely on analog and natural sounds. A single from the album, "Vital Lens", was released as a digital download on September 10, 2013. The album fared well commercially, charting at No. 6 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart, and was lauded by critics for its diverse and creative sound and deeply theological lyrics. PQ Monthly called the group "one [of] the most innovative hip-hop acts in Portland."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalie Sims</span> American recording artist and songwriter

Natalie Lauren Sims, also known by her stage name Natalie Lauren and former stage name Suzy Rock, is a musician, songwriter, graphic designer, visual artist, writer, and music executive from Tulsa, Oklahoma. As a solo artist she performs within the Christian hip hop and R&B genres, having released a studio album, eight singles, three extended plays, a mixtape, and a live extended play as well as being featured on numerous songs by other artists. She also is a member of High Society Collective – along with Sho Baraka, Swoope, and J.R. – which released a studio album, Circa MMXI: The Collective, in 2012. She released her first studio album, Handle with Care, in 2020 through Rostrum Records. Five singles were released for the album: "Meditate" in 2019, and "Something Something", "Just Breathe", "Back to Love", and "Bra Off" in 2020. A live EP of the same title was released in 2024.

References

  1. Medina, Alex (November 2, 2013). "mrmedina: Church Clothes 2 iTunes version: ..." Twitter . Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  2. 1 2 HipHopDX (June 21, 2013). "Three Songs You Need to Hear Right Now". Pepsi.com. PepsiCo. p. 2. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  3. 1 2 James, Jesse (May 14, 2013). "Lecrae – Round Of Applause | New Music". StupidDope. Complex Media. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  4. "Lecrae - Round of Applause ft. B.o.B." Rapzilla . Philip Rood and Chad Horton. May 21, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  5. DJ Wade-O (May 14, 2013). "New Music: Lecrae – "Round of Applause" [AUDIO]". Wade-O Radio Show. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  6. J, Danitha (May 21, 2013). "B.o.B Joins Lecrae on "Round Of Applause (Remix)"". The Source . L. Londell McMillan . Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  7. Hoskins, Kevin (November 25, 2013). "Lecrae, "Church Clothes, Vol. 2" Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. John DiBiase. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  8. Peronto, Anthony (November 11, 2013). "Lecrae – Church Clothes Vol. 2 (Review)". Christian Music Zine. Tyler Hess. Archived from the original on November 11, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. Burgess, Omar (November 14, 2013). "Lecrae - Church Clothes 2 (Mixtape Review)". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  10. "Lecrae's 106 and Park Interview 6/4/13". Rapzilla . Philip Rood and Chad Horton. June 4, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2013. "Lecrae's Performance on BET's 106 & Park". Rapzilla . Philip Rood and Chad Horton. June 5, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  11. Attia, Amir (June 21, 2013). "Justin Timberlake, Lecrae Crack Pepsi's "Songs You Need To Hear Right Now" List". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  12. "Lecrae - Chart history - Christian Songs". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media . Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  13. McKay, Aubrey (November 14, 2013). "Album Review: Lecrae – Church Clothes 2". Wade-O Radio. Retrieved November 28, 2013.