Lecrae, a Christian hip hop artist, songwriter, record producer, and actor, will perform at the next U-Church concert on Saturday, April 9 at 8 p.m. at the Lee Soccer Field. The concert will compliment Lee Day festivities, a weekend intended for prospective Lee students.

“Lee Day is the largest recruitment event of the year and Lecrae is the country’s hottest Christian hip hop artist, so it is a natural fit for us to have Lee Day and Lecrae on campus in the same weekend,” said Phil Cook, vice president for enrollment at Lee. “We are pleased to partner with U-Church to provide this memorable event for our Lee Day guests, current students, and the surrounding community.”

Originally from Houston, Texas, Lecrae is the president and co-founder of the record label, Reach Records, as well as the nonprofit organization, ReachLife Ministries. He has released seven studio albums and three mixtapes as a solo artist.

His most recent album, “Anomaly,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart as well as several other Billboard charts including Digital album, Rap album, Christian album, and Gospel album. He was the first artist in history to occupy the No. 1 spot on both the Gospel albums and Billboard Top 200 list.

“I just have to have integrity and be true to who I am and what I believe in,” said Lecrae. “Music doesn’t need to be categorized. It just needs to be good.”

Lecrae has been noted in publications such as Rolling Stone, XXL magazine, Vibe magazine, The New York Times, The Huffington Post magazine, and “The Atlantic.” He has performed at the BET Experience and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, co-hosted The Dove Awards, and co-headlined for Winter Jam. Lecrae also received a nomination at this year’s BET Hip Hop Awards.

His journey began with mentoring the youth population at a juvenile detention center, which then led to his worldwide success. In addition to recording and performing at various venues, Lecrae mentors professional athletes and offers free chapel services to professional teams.

“From the beginning planning stages, the vision for this event has been to provide an opportunity for Lee Day guests, Lee students, and the community to enjoy a night of high quality, energetic, and uplifting music,” said U-Church director Josh York. “We feel that Lecrae fits and surpasses that description. He is redefining popular culture with faith and honesty represented in his music. We are very excited for him to share that with us as a part of this special Lee Day U-Church event.

U-Church is always a free, non-ticketed event for all who would like to attend.

Doors for the concert will open at 6 p.m. Everyone is welcome to come early and enjoy a tailgate atmosphere which will include a variety of food trucks and outdoor games.

For a chance to win contests and have input on future artists, please follow U-Church on Twitter and Instagram @LeeUChurch.

For more information about U-Church, please contact Joyce Lane at [email protected] or 423-614-8347.

Lee Day is a 34-hour event geared toward prospective students, parents, and youth leaders. For more information or to register visit Lee Day.