Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae did not shy away from discussing the dark parts of his life in his new book Unashamed.
According to ChristianToday.com, Lecrae shared in the book how he was molested by a babysitter when he was six years old.
"I think it was important for me to write the book now because I'm at the peak of people's expectations. Coming off a No. 1 album, a Grammy win, all in the entertainment industry and it's kind of like, that's not the time to tell all your business... And I felt like if the world is watching, let me say something that matters," Lecrae told XXL Magazine.
The hip-hop artist said that it was difficult to share this part of his life because the woman who molested him still has connections to his family. “[T]o have her stuff out there like that, too. You know this is somebody that I still know [until] this day.”
Lecrae says he has never confronted the babysitter about molesting him, but has thought about doing so many times. When he was younger, he tried to bury the hurt he carried from it, but now he says he has found healing.
"I haven't talked to her because she was such an intricate connection to our family and I think a lot of times, specifically Black communities, we bury stuff. So it's like your situation and your stories always seemed to be lesser or not a big deal," he explains.
"It doesn't bother me now because I'm free. I feel like I'm past it," he continues. "So it's like, what am I going to say to you. I don't really have anything to say except I forgive you."
Publication date: May 24, 2016