Lecrae’s Steps Out On Faith And Hezekiah Walker Gets A Key
Lecrae’s Stepped Out On Faith And Hezekiah Was Honored With A Key
Lecrae and his team at Reach Records in Atlanta recently celebrated the company’s 20th anniversary. During a weekly meeting, Lecrae shared a Bible lesson with his staff, emphasizing the importance of seeking guidance with the help of friends. He shared a story from the book of Daniel, in which the eponym asks God for guidance on interpreting a dream. But not without the help of his friends.
Lecrae contended that the story is a paradigmatic example for being interdependent in your work.
“This is a collective thing,” Lecrae told staff at the meeting. “This is not a solo sport. Faith isn’t a solo sport. It’s a community-involved piece of work.”The team works together on Lecrae’s music, with audio engineer Connor Back and head of A&R Ace Harris playing key roles. Lecrae’s upcoming album release announcement includes content that reflects on his past experiences. The Reach Records team continues to collaborate and create music in their Atlanta studio.For two decades, teamwork and building community have pushed Reach Records to the top. The Atlanta-based label, specializing in Christian hip-hop, was founded by Lecrae and Ben Washer in May 2004 — with only the former as the main artist, plus a few staffers. Since then, the label has grown to include 10 artists, 17 full-time staff and several Grammy awards.
After building longevity as an indie label, Reach Records is doubling down on artist development, expanding into more markets and boosting fan engagement.
“We really have a mission,” Lecrae said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “A lot of times, people’s mission is money. For us, it’s been (about) changing the way people see the world. When you care about the person on the other end of that song, they tend to care back, and I think that’s what creates the longevity.”
Lecrae would often perform raps and became popular among the campers. Washer said he initially joked about starting a label, then got serious about it. Naturally, Lecrae, a Houston native, joined.
“We didn’t know what we were doing, and none of us had prior music industry experience, so we really just launched out there with a dream and figured it out as we went,” said Washer, who previously worked in real estate.
Grammy Winning Hezekiah Walker Honored with Key to New York City
Gospel legend Hezekiah Walker was recently honored with a key to the city of New York, becoming the only Gospel artist to receive this recognition. Virginia Union University also built the Hezekiah Walker Center for Gospel Music and inducted him into their Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
*“He said he wanted to give me a key to the city,” said two-time Grammy winning Gospel legend Hezekiah Walker when I asked how he learned that he was going to be honored with a key to the city of New York. “I was actually at home when I got a call from the Mayor’s Office. I thought it was about a show, they put on shows around the city, so I thought he wanted me to do a show.”
When blessings rain on you, sometimes it pours.
“I think this has only happened to Elvis Presley and Barbra Streisand,” he said excitedly. “All these major people. I am like, ‘are you serious?’ He (Mayor Eric Adams) said, Yes!’ and I became the only Gospel artist to get a key to New York City.”
As we talked about his many accolades Bishop Hezekiah Walker said sincerely, “When it comes to your honor coming from your home folks… (it means more).”
That is not the only recent honor God rained down on Hezekiah for his contribution not only to the Word of God, but the genre of Gospel m
Additionally, Walker completed construction on a 10-story affordable housing complex in Brooklyn, fulfilling a command from God to benefit the community. With a successful music career and commitment to community development, Hezekiah Walker continues to make a positive impact in various areas of his life.
