Lecrae Talks Giglio's "White Blessing" Comment: "You Should Just Be Listening"

BY Erika Marie 2.8K Views
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Lecrae, Louie Giglio, White Privilege, White Blessing
Lecrae reflected once again on the controversial moment where Pastor Louie Giglio called slavery a "White blessing."

If he could change how he responded to megachurch pastor Louie Giglio, Lecrae said he would. The Christian rapper recently faced backlash after a video showing Lecrae, Giglio, and Chic-Fil-A CEO Dan Cathy speaking about the recent socio-political climate went viral. Giglio stated that he no longer wanted to use the term "White privilege" and instead believed people should say "White blessing" because of how much of a "blessing" slavery was to the foundation and building of the United States.

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Of course, the backlash was heavy, and soon, Giglio was issuing an apology. People questioned why Lecrae just sat there, nodding, without speaking up. In a recent interview with The Morning Hustle, Lecrae admitted if he had the chance to do things differently, he would. 

“Black Twitter came at the kid, I ain’t never got drug like that before that was crazy,” Lecrae said with a smile. “This is how it all went down... I’m in they house, in they space. I’m not in a good headspace, I’ll be honest with you, because I was just on the streets the night before after Rayshard [Brooks] had got murdered. They burnt the Wendy’s down, I was out there. I’m screaming at police. I’m not in a good headspace. So, I’m just trying to be cool as I’m sitting in there and not spaz.” Lecrae added that he knew of the pastor and didn't think there would be an issue during the conversation.

“Lowkey, he was trying to articulate that White people benefitted from slavery. And they hate saying White privilege, but they are privileged," he added. "So, lowkey, the slavery part I didn't really hear, 'cause I wasn't in a—you know when you there but you're not there?... But the 'White blessing' part I hear, and I was hella uncomfortable."

“I was trying to be diplomatic and gracious, I tried to course-correct it, but I was probably too diplomatic, you know, for Black folks out there." He added, “It was all ignorance. It was like, yo, you really don’t—you shouldn’t have had this conversation–first of all you should just be listening. You should be listening and not talking, 'cause you don’t really know what you’re talking about," Lecrae said of Giglio. "That was the worst part about was just like, I couldn’t fix half of the stuff and I’m in it. It's a half a million people watching and I’m just like, 'Oh my gosh.' You know what I’m saying? In my brain I’m just thinking, 'We talking to all these White people who don’t understand, so let me just try to like course-correct it and help y’all understand what this is, and if you listen to the whole thing.' I kept saying, ‘I do not speak for all Black people.'”

“The problem is, I centered myself around talking to half a million white people instead of thinking about the Black folks who are voiceless and needed me to represent them in that moment." Check out Lecrae discussing his controversial moment below.


About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.

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