T.I. defends Lecrae after megachurch pastor calls slavery a “white blessing”

Rich Fury/Getty ImagesT.I. has shared his sentiments regarding the recent controversial interview in which an Atlanta pastor — during a sit-down with musician Lecrae and Chick-fil-a CEO Dan Cathy — described slavery as a “white blessing”

A viral clip that made its way around social media earlier this week captured megachurch pastor Louie Giglio sharing his thoughts on white privilege, before describing slavery as a “white blessing.”

Lecrae faced backlash for not calling out Giglio for his offensive comments during the conversation, though he insists he was not “O.K.” with them. He also claimed to have expressed his disapproval with the pastor’s remarks in a separate conversation.

“First of all, I want you to know I wasn’t O.K. with it. Even as I sat there, I was very uncomfortable,” Lecrae shared in a video response. He also revealed he has difficulty navigating conversations around white supremacy or racial injustice. 

Lecrae continued, “I didn’t have any ulterior motives, other than to help and articulate some of what’s going on in our world and our culture.”

But during an Instagram Live session on Tuesday. T.I. commended Lecrae for “exercising extreme caution” during the incident. After mocking Giglio’s video apology for his comments, T.I. then accused the pastor of “speaking awful ideas with confidence.”