Erica Campbell Turns Up for Jesus in ‘I Luh God’ Video
You probably won’t recognize gospel singer Erica Campbell, half of the sister act Mary Mary, in some of the scenes of her new hip-hop video “I Luh God,” which premiered on Radio One Wednesday. She’s styled like a female version of 2 Chainz, wearing a sideways baseball cap, oversized glasses, and a fat gold necklace with an Air Jordan medallion.
Plus, she’s traded in her gut-wrenching belting for a more slick and soft-spoken rap to compliment the trap beat. The video from Campbell’s Help 2.0 solo album also features cameos from her sister Tina and LaShawn “Big Shizz” Daniels, who co-wrote and co-produced the song.
Erica has received some criticism for sounding and looking too secular in the video, although she also appears as her normal polished self in other scenes, and her pro-Jesus message questions nonbelievers when she proclaims: “I love God/ You don’t love God/ What’s wrong with you?”
Erica is not fazed by her detractors, and explains that the song and video depict a part of her personality the public does not get to see. “You know I’m from Inglewood,” she explained during an interview with CNikky.com. “And when I’m just hanging with my girls, I may talk like that. And people are not used to that… But I just wanted to have fun and declare my love for God.”
Erica, who also co-stars with Tina in the WEtv reality series Mary Mary, is used to receiving flak for pushing boundaries in gospel music. Mary Mary were criticized for their hip, stylish fashion choices and dance-oriented songs like “Shakles” and “God in Me.”
“I’m not new to this. I’m not new to criticism,” Erica added. “I’m not new to stepping out on faith and doing things that are different that people don’t understand.”
We totally get that she’s just having some fun. The throwback hip-hop look is hilarious and her message is not lost. Plus, wouldn’t it be cool to have people in the clubs professing their love for God?
