''Church Clothes 2'', officially ''Church Clothes, Vol. 2'', is the second

mixtape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

Christian hip hop Christian hip hop (originally gospel rap, also known as Christian rap, gospel hip hop or holy hip hop) is a subgenre of contemporary Christian music and hip hop music. It emerged from urban contemporary music and Christian media in the United S ...

artist

Lecrae Lecrae Devaughn Moore (born October 9, 1979), mononymously known as Lecrae, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record and film producer, record executive, actor, and entrepreneur. He is the president, co-owner and co-founder of the ind ...

, released on November 7, 2013 by

Reach Records 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, ...

. Hosted by

Don Cannon Donald Cannon (born August 2, 1979) is an American DJ, record producer, songwriter, and record executive. Cannon is a co-founder of the Atlantic Records imprint, Generation Now. He was also a member of the prominent Atlanta mixtape collective, ...

, it follows Lecrae's previous mixtape, ''

Church Clothes ''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, B ...

'', and

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

-winning full-length album ''

Gravity In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...

'', 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 Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (born November 15, 1988), known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons was signed to Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainment imprint in 2006. Two years late ...

, 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.

Background

''Church Clothes 2'' is the second of Lecrae's mixtape and a sequel to the tape he released the previous year, ''

'', which also saw Don Cannon as the host. The tape was downloaded 100,000 times off Datpiff.com in only 48 hours, and was hailed as possibly "the most important Christian hip hop album in history." However, the mixtape also generated controversy in Christian circles due to Lecrae's collaboration with the "secular" producer Don Cannon, concerns of him "selling-out" to a mainstream audience, and perceptions that Lecrae took a harsh view of the church in the mixtape's single, "Church Clothes". Following the success of ''Church Clothes'', on September 4, 2012, Lecrae released his sixth studio album, ''

'', which debuted at No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' 200 with 72,000 units sold. This album also was hailed as the most important in Christian hip-hop album in history, and garnered a

in the

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

at the

2013 Grammy Awards The 55th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 10, 2013, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. E ...

, the first time a Christian hip hop artist ever won a Grammy.

Promotion and marketing

On May 14, 2013, Lecrae released the mixtape's lead single, " Round of Applause", an anthem congratulating college graduates. The next week, a second version of the single was released, this time with a feature from

B.o.B. Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (born November 15, 1988), known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons was signed to Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainment imprint in 2006. Two years later, ...

This version captured media attention, and on June 21, 2013,

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi was ...

included it in its list "Three Songs You Need to Hear Right Now", along with

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

's "

Don't Hold the Wall "Don't Hold the Wall" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake for his third studio album, ''The 20/20 Experience'' (2013). It was written and produced by Timberlake, Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley and Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, ...

" and

will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas. ...

's "

Bang Bang Bang Bang or Bang Bang Bang or similar may refer to: Food * Bang bang chicken, a Chinese dish *Bang bang shrimp, a Chinese dish People * Abdul Razzaq (cricketer) (born 1979), nicknamed Bang Bang Razzaq * Bang Bang (Dubliner) (1906–1981), ...

". A second single for the album, "I'm Turnt", was released on October 18, 2013. 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 the album does not contain the feature, while the free version with Don Cannon does contain B.o.B.'s feature. Lecrae says he released the album for free because he wanted to allow people hear good music without sapping their wallets.

Reception

Commercial

''Church Clothes 2'' debuted at No. 21 spot on the ''Billboard'' 200, No. 1 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Christian Albums and Gospel Albums charts, and No. 3 on the

Rap Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated Jan ...

chart. On Datpiff.com, the album has over 146,000 downloads as of November 26, 2013.

Critical

''Church Clothes 2'' was very well received by critics, who praised the mixtape for its lyricism, versatility, and production quality. Jake Rohn of

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...

rated the album four out of five stars, stating that "Though songs like "Misconception Pt. 2" and "The Fever" served as little more than bland filler, ''Church Clothes 2'' is a solid effort in when-keeping-it-real-goes-holy. Lecrae is lyrically dope and versatile with the tracks, and he can go toe-to-toe with any emcee, classified "Christian rap" or not." Anthony Peronto of Christian Music Zine gave the album a perfect score, stating that it with its versatility and quality it "feels more like a full length album rather than the straightforward mixtape sound that "Vol. 1 offered and is better off for it."

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Andy Kellman rated the mixtape three-point-five out of five stars, noting that ''Church Clothes 2'' "is packed with collaborations from the Christian and secular hip-hop worlds, while Lecrae, a leader in his genre, delivers typically authoritative rhymes regarding a wide spectrum of issues." Kevin Hoskins of Jesus Freak Hideout rated the album four out of five stars and summarized that "Overall, I tend to think that DJ Cannon drops his own name way too much and not every single track is great, but it's otherwise quality rap, it's free, and Lecrae is speaking what's on his heart." At ''

CCM Magazine ''CCM Magazine'' is a twice-monthly online magazine focusing on contemporary Christian music, published by Salem Publishing, a division of Salem Communications. History ''CCM'' was first published in July 1978, as a printed magazine. It has bee ...

'', Andy Argyrakis rated the album four out of five stars and called the album a "home run", noting how it contained "cutting edge production, acrobatic rhymes, and socially relevant lyrics" which offered "plenty of substance throughout these Top 40-friendly sounds. Christopher Johnson of Jesus Wired rated the album a four-and-a-half out of five, saying that Lecrae continues "to explore multiple styles of delivery for his thought provoking messages."

Track listing

* Does not feature host

Chart history

References

{{Lecrae Lecrae albums Albums produced by Boi-1da Albums produced by David Banner Albums produced by Don Cannon 2013 mixtape albums Sequel albums Reach Records albums Albums produced by Street Symphony Albums produced by Beam