Atlanta-based Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae, known for music with an unabashed edginess that challenges the church to live up to its potential, has turned out this music video for the single “Spread the Opps” from his mixtape Church Clothes 4.
The video was directed by Ray Neutron via production company Institute (sister company of Girl Culture Films).
Throughout the video, viewers are exposed to a kaleidoscope of arresting vignettes inspired by moments of exploitation from Lecrae’s life and career. The vignettes range from a diner scene paying homage to Goodfellas’ iconic betrayal moment between Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) and Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro), to a poignant recreation of James Baldwin and Nikki Giovanni’s A Conversation (1971). Lecrae also reads a burning newspaper, symbolizing the numerous controversies of American life which he has explored in his artistic career.
Also based in Atlanta, director Neutron shared, “’Spread the Opps’ feels like equal parts imprecatory psalm, personal excavation, and charitable warning— a final act of diplomacy. I found myself interested in his inner turmoil and specific inflection points on his journey of realization, how these experiences reverberate outside of Lecrae the individual, and their broader implications in society.”
