Christian rap artist Lecrae spent a day in prison, ministering to inmates in Texas.

The audience at Carol S. Vance Unit prison may not have been the usual crowd at a Lecrae concert, but they were just as enthused to have a chance to meet Lecrae when the rapper decided to spend a day ministering to inmates, according to CBN News.

"These are people that need love and need encouragement," explained Lecrae. "God still loves them, so so do I."

Lecrae's own experiences on the wrong side of the law have contributed to his empathy for those in prison. Having grown up in Houston, Texas, Lecrae saw his young uncles involved in drugs and gang culture, eventually leading to the rapper following in their footsteps.

"I idolized it. I wanted to be the gang member. I wanted every tattoo... I saw my first gun and all these different things. I was like, ‘This must be what it means to be a man.’”

The now-Christian artist's life turned around, however, after a run-in with the law. In the back of a police vehicle under arrest for drug possession, Lecrae says he felt God speak to him through a kind police officer.

The officer had seen a Bible sitting in Lecrae's car, and asked him if he knew what the Bible was really about. Lecrae responded that he needed to.

"‘Today, I’m going to let you go,'" Lecrae remembers the officer saying, "‘cause I want you to get into that Bible and I want you to start living it.’ That really did something to me. I didn’t want to get into any kind of trouble like that again.”

The work of the Holy Spirit soon became evident in the Christian artist's life, and became something that Lecrae has allowed to guide him ever since.

Lecrae spent the day speaking with, ministering to, and performing for inmates in Bend County, Texas.

The rapper says that though inmates can often become a forgotten population to the public, that does not diminish their importance and humanity.

He met with inmates, hearing their stories of coming to Christ, and even joining in on a basketball game on the prison's outdoor court. Amidst a great time trading rap lines with those at the facility, Lecrae also took the opportunity to speak one-on-one with the inmates, and to the group at large, sharing the love of God and some wisdom for life beyond their sentences.

Prison Fellowship assisted in facilitating the artist's visit to the correctional facility. The organization is known for working with individuals involved in the entertainment industry, connecting them with restorative facilities to "bring awareness to the 2.2 million people behind bars in America today."