Lecrae Talks Signing With Jay-Z

Lecrae, the 33-year-old Christian rapper, recently responded to rumors about signing with Jay-Z, and also offered his thoughts on the rapper.

The rapper born Lecrae Moore clarified rumors of him signing with rap mogul Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter in a recent Ebony.com interview.

"[Laughs] At this point in time, no," Lecrae told Ebony. "Essentially, he was looking for some conscious artists and my name was thrown into a pool of other artists and that's as far as it went."

The Christian rapper let it be known that he would not consider the business move.

"Nah. For multiple reasons, but one majorly, I'm an independent artist, I'm a label owner," Lecrae revealed. "I love my independence. I love being able to create the story."

While many have questioned Jay-Z's religious beliefs, Lecrae said that there were some parallels between he and the popular music mogul.

"And I want to do in many ways what Jay-Z is doing for the mainstream. He's inspiring a lot of people to think they can do something on their own," Lecrae said. "I want to inspire people that they can do it on their own and not compromise their faith and beliefs, as well. So, that's what I stand for."

Jay-Z previously spoke about his religious beliefs in a 2010 interview with New York City radio station Hot 97. The rapper said he didn't know where rumors that he belonged to a secret society came from.

"If people must know my religious beliefs, I believe in one God. I don't believe in religion," Jay-Z told Hot 97 host Angie Martinez previously. "I don't believe in Christians or Muslims. I think all that separates people.I think it's all the same God, and I don't believe in Hell."