Canon | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Aaron McCain |
| Born | March 1, 1989 Chicago, Illinois |
| Genres | Christian hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels | Reflection |
Aaron McCain (born March 1, 1989), better known by his stage name Canon, is an American Christian rapper from Chicago, Illinois. Canon is best known for his appearance on Lecrae's Rehab: The Overdose and his collaboration with Derek Minor then from Reach Records. [1] Canon also was mentored by Lecrae who then took Canon on the road with him to be his full-time hype-man. [2] After touring with Lecrae, Canon signed with Reflection Music Group and recorded his first EP entitled Loose Canon which was released in 2012. [1] In 2014, Canon experience his first taste of success by reaching the Billboard 200 charts with the release of "Loose Canon, Volume 2." [3] After a near-death accident, Canon was out for a long time, until 2016 when he released several singles and the third volume of his Loose Canon series.[ not verified in body ]
Aaron McCain was born in Chicago, Illinois on March 1, 1989, [4] but was raised in Atlanta, Georgia. [5] At the age of 13, McCain found himself in the middle of a terrible automobile accident. Being able to walk away from the accident unharmed let McCain realize how sensitive life really was. From this, he began to seek God and by the time he was in high school, he began rapping for him. [6] After high school, McCain attended Bible College at Memphis where he met Derek Minor and Lecrae, who helped guide him into starting his music career. [1]
After being mentored by Lecrae and Derek Minor, McCain began working on his first music project. His 2009 mixtape, The Great Investment, was McCain's first professional release. [7] The reviews from the album made Canon an instant hit with fans across the globe. After the success of the mixtape, Canon appeared on Lecrae's Rehab: The Overdose album and other project from Reach Records. [6] In 2011 Canon signed a music contract with record label Reflection Music Group, to which Minor was signed. McCain later released the EP, Loose Canon in 2012 and followed that renowned release with his first studio album Mad Haven in 2013. [1] In 2014, McCain saw his first chart success with his album Loose Canon Vol. 2 which reached 101 on the Billboard 200. [3]
Canon suffered a broken jaw, shattered ankle and a concussion from a fall down a ravine on December 20, 2014. [8] Canon and his manager, Brandon Mason, had attempted to help someone who had crashed their car. As gasoline spread, the man inside tried to start the ignition; afraid it would blow up, Canon jumped over the guardrail, not seeing the ravine as it was dark. Some sources say he fell down a 20-foot (6.1 m) drop, whereas others (including Canon himself) say 40-foot (12 m). He has since recovered and has performed and released a few songs. [9] [10]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [11] | US Chr [12] | US Gos [13] | US Ind [14] | US Rap [15] | ||
| Mad Haven |
| 101 | — | 3 | — | — |
| Loose Canon, Vol 3 |
| — | — | — | — | — |
| Whole Team Winning |
| — | — | — | — | — |
| Title | EP details | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [11] | US Chr [12] | US Gos [13] | US Ind [14] | US Rap [15] | ||
| Loose Canon (EP): Volume 1 |
| — | 14 | 4 | 47 | 18 |
| Loose Canon V2 |
| — | 6 | 2 | 17 | 9 |
Lecrae Devaughn Moore is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record and film producer, record executive, actor, and entrepreneur.
Torrance Esmond, better known by his stage name Street Symphony, is an American record producer and music executive from Memphis, Tennessee.
Rehab is the fourth studio album by Christian hip hop artist Lecrae. It was released on September 28, 2010 on Reach Records. According to the Reach Records website, the album's "motto" is "The Christian life is an entrance into rehab." Centered on release and freedoms from inhibiting addictions and habits, Rehab is a highly conceptual album. Rehab is nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album at the 53rd Grammy Awards. The album was named the Best Album of 2010 in the "Best of 2010: Rapzilla.com's Staff Picks" awards, and Lecrae was also named Artist of the Year. The song "Background" and the album itself were nominated for Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year and Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year, respectively, at the 42nd Annual GMA Dove Awards.
The discography of Lecrae, an American Christian hip hop artist, consists of 11 studio albums, two of which were collaborative; four mixtapes; two extended plays, one of which was collaborative; 110 singles, including 61 as a featured performer; 66 music videos, including 31 as a featured performer; and 86 guest and other appearances. Lecrae debuted with Real Talk in 2004 through Reach Records; the album was re-issued the following year by Cross Movement Records. After the Music Stops followed in 2006 and his third solo album, Rebel, was released in 2008 and reached No. 1 on the Gospel chart, the first Christian hip hop album to do so. Rehab, his fourth solo album, was released in 2010 and reached No. 1 on the Gospel, Christian, and Independent charts, and garnered a nomination at the 53rd Grammy Awards. Rehab: The Overdose, was released on January 11, 2011, and peaked at No. 1 on the Christian and Gospel charts. Lecrae began garnering mainstream attention when he performed at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards Cypher, and was featured on the Statik Selektah song "Live and Let Live" from his Population Control album.
Rehab: The Overdose is the fifth studio album by Christian hip hop artist Lecrae. It was released on January 11, 2011 on Reach Records. The album is intended to be a direct follow up to Rehab, as Rehab is conceptually about the defeat of addiction while Rehab: The Overdose is about finding "grace, love, peace and hope" in Jesus. Some fans even consider it to be a part of Rehab.
Church Clothes is the first mixtape by Christian hip hop artist Lecrae, released for free on May 10, 2012, and hosted by DJ Don Cannon. It featured No Malice of Clipse on the song "Darkest Hour", and included production work by 9th Wonder, Boi-1da, S1 and Street Symphony. Label-mates Tedashii and Andy Mineo, as well as other fellow Christian hip-hop artists such as Dre Murray, Thi'sl, Swoope, Christon Gray, and Braille, also made appearances on the album. The mixtape was downloaded 100,000 times in 48 hours, and met with critical acclaim. It received controversy in Christian media upon its release due to its condemnation of hypocrisy in the Christian Church and Lecrae's collaboration with the mainstream producer Don Cannon. A shorter, remastered EP version was released on iTunes on June 25, 2012. The EP debuted at number 10 on the Billboard Christian Albums and Gospel Albums charts.
Kevin Elijah Burgess, better known by his stage name KB, is an American Christian hip hop artist and music executive from St. Petersburg, Florida. He is the leader of the hip-hop group HGA. He signed a solo artist contract to Reach Records in 2010. The label has released the Who Is KB? mixtape in 2011, Weight & Glory, on July 17, 2012, the 100 EP on March 4, 2014, Tomorrow We Live on April 21, 2015, and Today We Rebel on October 20, 2017. He is also a member of the label's collective 116 Clique. He left Reach in 2020 and signed with Essential Sound, releasing his fourth studio album, His Glory Alone.
Gravity is the sixth studio album by American Christian hip hop artist Lecrae, released on September 4, 2012. The album features appearances from Big K.R.I.T., Mathai, Ashthon Jones, Sho Baraka and Mali Music, along with labelmates Trip Lee, Andy Mineo, Derek Minor, who was formerly known as PRo, and Tedashii. Producers on the album include DJ Khalil, Street Symphony's Heat Academy, and The Watchmen. The first single off the album, "I Know", was released on July 24, 2012, and was followed by "Tell the World" featuring Mali Music on August 15, 2012, and "Mayday" featuring Big K.R.I.T. and Ashthon Jones on August 30, 2012. Reach Records released five music videos for the album: "Lord Have Mercy", featuring Tedashii along with No Malice of Clipse, on August 1, 2012, "Tell the World", featuring Mali Music, on October 19, 2012, "Mayday", featuring Big K.R.I.T. and Ashthon Jones, on December 13, 2012, "Fakin'", featuring Thi'sl, on February 1, 2013, and "Confe$$ions", featuring David Banner, on April 30, 2013.
Andrew Aaron Mineo, is an American Christian hip hop artist, producer, music executive, and video director based in New York City. He is signed to Reach Records and his creative initiative Miner League. In addition to his solo work, he is a member of Reach Records' hip hop collective 116 Clique.
The discography of American Christian hip hop artist Andy Mineo, formerly known as C-Lite, consists of three studio albums, three mixtapes, one compilation album, twenty-one singles, including seven as a featured performer, fourteen music videos, including six as a featured artist, and fifteen guest appearances on various albums. Originally from Syracuse, Mineo initially achieved success as a producer in Upstate New York, and was a member of the hip hop group Fat Camp, signed to Syracuse University's Marshall Street Records. After moving to New York City where he re-dedicated his life to Christ, he closed down his production studio and restarted his career. He released his first mixtape Sin is Wack Vol. 1 in 2009. After providing sung vocals for the song "Background" by Lecrae from the album Rehab, he experienced a surge in popularity and became highly sought after for collaborations. His 2011 single "In My City" featuring Efrain from Doubledge also garnered attention, as did his appearance on the song "Reverse" by Tedashii from Blacklight. He signed to Reach Records in 2011 and dropped his stage name "C-Lite" in favor of his legal name. Under this name he released another mixtape, Formerly Known, in 2011. In May 2012 he debuted a four episode web series entitled Saturday Morning Car-Tunez in which he remixed classic hip hop songs. The four songs were subsequently released for free as a compilation album. His debut full-length studio album, Heroes for Sale, was released April 2013.
Tyshane Thompson, professionally known as Beam, is a Jamaican-American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is the son of dancehall and gospel reggae singer Papa San. He was one-half of the production duo 808&Elite. Beam released his debut studio album, Alien, on 4 February 2022. It includes collaborations with Justin Bieber, Jorja Smith, and his father, among others.
Derek Johnson, Jr., better known by his stage name Derek Minor and former stage name PRo, is an American Christian hip hop artist, singer, record producer, entrepreneur, actor, and screenwriter. He co-founded the hip-hop record label Reflection Music Group (RMG) with Doc Watson, and signed to Reach Records in a joint venture between the two labels in 2011. In 2012, Johnson announced that he had changed his stage name from Pro to Derek Minor. In 2014, he announced that as his two-album contract with Reach was complete, he would no longer be publishing releases through that label.
The discography of Christian hip-hop artist Derek Minor, formerly known as PRo, consists of five studio albums and seven mixtapes as a solo artist, one studio album each with the groups R.M.G. and 116 Clique, twenty-three singles, including eight as a featured artist and three with R.M.G. and one with 116 Clique, and eleven music videos, including two as a featured artist and one each with R.M.G. and 116 Clique.
Reach Records is an American independent record label specializing in Christian hip hop. The label was founded in 2004 by Ben Washer and the hip-hop artist Lecrae. In addition to Lecrae, the Reach Records roster contains artists like Tedashii, Trip Lee, Andy Mineo, 1K Phew, WHATUPRG, Wande, Hulvey, and Limoblaze. The hip-hop collective 116 operates under the label and consists primarily of the label's solo acts. The artists Sho Baraka, Derek Minor, Aha Gazelle, KB and Gawvi were formerly signed to the label, and DJ Official was under the label until his death.
Church Clothes 2, officially Church Clothes, Vol. 2, is the second mixtape by Christian hip hop artist Lecrae, released on November 7, 2013 by Reach Records. Hosted by Don Cannon, it follows Lecrae's previous mixtape, Church Clothes, and Grammy Award-winning full-length album Gravity, both of which came out in 2012. Two versions of the album were released, a free version with host Don Cannon, and a commercial version off iTunes without the DJ. The first single off the album, "Round of Applause", was released on May 14, 2013. On May 21, a remixed version of the song, featuring rapper B.o.B, was released. A second single off the album, "I'm Turnt", dropped on October 18, 2013. The mixtape was downloaded over 100,000 times on DatPiff.com in the first two weeks and debuted at No. 21 on the Billboard 200 chart, No. 1 on the Top Christian and Gospel charts, and No. 3 on the Top Rap chart.
Charles Dunlap is better known by his stagename Dunlap Exclusive. He is a Grammy, Stellar and 3x Dove award winning music producer from Nashville, Tennessee who has worked with artists such as 2 Chainz, Lloyd, Jim Jones, Trina, Rick Ross and Lecrae.
Natalie Lauren Sims, also known by her stage name Natalie Lauren and former stage name Suzy Rock, is a musician, songwriter, graphic designer and visual artist, writer, and music executive from Tulsa, Oklahoma. As a solo artist she performs within the Christian hip hop and R&B genres, having released a studio album, eight singles, three extended plays, and a mixtape as well as being featured on numerous songs by other artists. She also is a member of High Society Collective – along with Sho Baraka, Swoope, and J.R. – which released a studio album, Circa MMXI: The Collective, in 2012. She released her first studio album, Handle with Care, in 2020 through Rostrum Records. Five singles were released for the album: "Meditate" in 2019, and "Something Something", "Just Breathe", "Back to Love", and "Bra Off" in 2020.
The discography of Natalie Lauren, formerly known as Suzy Rock, an American Christian hip hop and R&B artist, consists of a studio album; seventeen singles, including seven as a featured performer; three extended plays; a mixtape; four music videos; and twenty-one other guest appearances, including frequent collaborations with Lecrae, KB, Swoope, and Sho Baraka.
The discography of 116, formerly known as 116 Clique, a Christian hip hop collective originating from Dallas, Texas, consists of six studio albums, one of which was a remix album, one remixed extended play (EP), twenty singles, seven music videos, and one video album. The collective formed in 2005 under the auspices of Reach Records, and released its first album, The Compilation Album, that year on December 27. The following year, a remixed version of the album by DJ Primo was released on July 6. A third album, 13 Letters, followed on June 19, 2007, which charted at No. 10 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart and No. 29 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart, as well as the remix EP Amped on August 28. Man Up was released on September 27, 2011. A Christmas album, The Gift: A Christmas Compilation, was released on November 23, 2018, and charted at No. 27 on the Christian Albums chart. The Gift: Live Sessions, a live video album recorded at the 1971 studios in Atlanta, was released on November 28, 2019. The sixth album from the collective, Sin Vergüenza, a collaboration between Reach and No Apologies Music and a combination of continental United States hip hop and Latin American urbano, was released on October 23, 2020. All twelve tracks from the recording were released as singles.
