DC Talk is a Christian rap and rock trio. The group was formed at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1987 by Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, and Kevin Max Smith. They released five major studio albums together: DC Talk (1989), Nu Thang (1990), Free at Last (1992), Jesus Freak (1995), and Supernatural (1998). In 2002, the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music called DC Talk "the most popular overtly Christian act of all time."
The Pharcyde is an American alternative hip hop group, formed in 1989, from South Central Los Angeles. The original four members of the group are Imani, Slimkid3, Bootie Brown, and Fatlip. DJ Mark Luv was the group's first disc jockey (DJ), followed by producer J-Swift and then J Dilla. The group is perhaps best known for the hit singles "Drop", "Passin' Me By" and "Runnin'", as well as their first album, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde (1992). The group continues to tour and record, both collaboratively and in solo projects—the most recent being Hardson's collaborative EP with DJ Nu-Mark released in 2014 on Delicious Vinyl.
The Diplomats is an American hip hop collective formed in 1997 by childhood friends Cam'ron and Jim Jones in Harlem, New York. The group was originally composed of Cam'ron, Jim Jones and Freekey Zekey, all of whom grew up together in Harlem. In 1999, fellow Harlem-based rapper Juelz Santana joined the group.
Mars Ill is an emcee/DJ hip-hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia. The duo consists of Gregory Owens (Manchild) and Nathan Corrona. They are also part of the hip-hop collective and supergroup Deepspace5.
Gotee Records is a record label founded by Christian hip hop performer Toby McKeehan, Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood. The label began as a production company. At the time of the label's founding, McKeehan was a member of dc Talk.
Grits is a Christian hip hop group from Nashville, Tennessee. Their name is an acronym, which stands for "Grammatical Revolution In the Spirit". GRITS is made up of Stacey "Coffee" Jones and Teron "Bonafide" Carter, both of whom were DC Talk dancers.
4th Avenue Jones was an American alternative hip hop band based in Los Angeles, California. The band was conceived by Ahmad Ali Lewis, popularly known as Ahmad. The band's name comes from the popular idiom "Keeping up with the Joneses" and the street in South Central Los Angeles where they began their rehearsals.
John Kenneth Dust, better known by the stage name Pigeon John, is an American rapper based in Los Angeles, California. He is a former member of L.A. Symphony.
The Hit Squad is a hip hop collective of East coast hip hop artists. Originally formed in the 1990s by Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith of the rap group EPMD, the group included rap artists such as K-Solo, Redman, Das EFX, and Knucklehedz. When EPMD broke up for the first time in 1993, the collective separated with Sermon forming Def Squad and Smith retaining the Hit Squad name.
Redemption is the seventh studio album released by American Southern rap duo GRITS for the contemporary Christian music market. It was co-produced by GRITS.
Brainwash Projects is a hip hop group formed by LA Symphony members Pigeon John and bTwice. The duo released their first album The Rise and Fall of on Jackson Rubio.
The Ringleader: Mixtape Volume III is a 2003 Christian hip hop album mixed by DJ Maj. It was his first commercial success. While it is his third mixtape for Gotee Records, his first two received little media attention. This DJ mix has an overall hip hop feel, but some tracks, specifically "Under Pressure", "A Friend", and "Showpiece", are more precisely rhythm and blues. While the album combines the talents of many different artists, the theme that God is in control is a maintained through all the tracks. The Ringleader marked the debut solo for Jason Eskridge, who had previously been a guest singer with GRITS in Grammatical Revolution. Other artists represented include tobyMac, Kirk Franklin, Out of Eden, LA Symphony, 4th Avenue Jones, Camp Quest, GRITS, Verbs, Bobby Bishop, Shonlock, and Pigeon John.
Jason Christopher Medeiros better known as Mr. J. Medeiros, is an American rapper, record producer, and songwriter. As well as releasing music under the name, Mr. J. Medeiros, he is responsible for forming the Hip Hop group The Procussions, is one half of the Hip Hop/Electronic duo AllttA, and the lead singer of Punk-Rap group thebandknives. He is of Portuguese and Scottish descent. Mr. J. has written music with such artists as 20Syl and French hip hop group Hocus Pocus (group), George "Spanky" McCurdy, Thomas Pridgen, Aaron Spears, Noel Zancanella, Randy Jackson, Marty James, Monte Nueble, Møme, Talib Kweli, Symbolyc One (S1), Illmind, Benny Cassette, and Caravan Palace, among others.
Bryan "Braille" Winchester is an American hip hop recording artist. He has been writing and recording hip-hop music since he was 13 years old. For a short time, Bryan and his family relocated to the Marlton section of Evesham Township, New Jersey where he attended Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees Township. Fully focused on music, Bryan Winchester adopted the stage name Braille Brizzy and headed back to experience the Portland music scene. The MC originally named himself "Reflection" and released one very narrowly distributed demo under the name, but later changed it to Braille.
Brian James Reith, better known as B. Reith, is a Christian hip hop/pop singer and rapper. He began his musical career with the release of his first album, "Urgent Message", in 2003. In 2008, Reith signed to Gotee Records and released his EP The Forecast. Later that year, he toured with TobyMac on the Winter Wonder Slam tour. In September 2009, Reith released his second album, Now Is Not Forever, which charted at No. 2 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 32 on the Heatseekers chart. The album spawned the singles "Antidote", which peaked at No. 50 on the Christian Songs chart, and "The Comeback Kid".
Flynn Adam Atkins is an American producer, singer and rapper originating from Los Angeles, California. He is currently independent and has released an EP: Bang the Drums. Flynn Adam has also been featured numerous times on RadioU and TVU for his music video, "Such a Time", and is an active member of the hip hop music duo Rootbeer. He was also a member of famed Christian hip-hop group LA Symphony which is currently on hiatus.
Lovin' the Day is the debut album of the Dove Award-winning American urban gospel group Out of Eden, released in 1994. It features sisters Lisa, Andrea, and Danielle Kimmey. It was the launch album of Gotee Records, and was the catalyst for the creation of the record label; founders of the label Toby McKeehan, Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood had wanted to produce the album, but after not being able to find a Record label to sign the act to, they formed Gotee Records and began distributing the band's material on their own. The album peaked at #10 on the Top Contemporary Christian music chart. It includes a cover of the Bill Withers hit Lovely Day.
Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott, better known by his stage name Joey Badass, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A native of Brooklyn, New York City, he is a founding member of the hip-hop collective Pro Era, with whom he has released three mixtapes, as well as his numerous solo projects.
Victor Manuel Oquendo, who goes by the stage name Liquid, is an American Christian hip hop musician and Christian R&B recording artist. His only album, Tales from the Badlands, was released by Gotee Records, in 2005.
Sarpong Siriboe Boateng, who goes by the stage name Joey the Jerk and formerly Joey Lawrence and Joey's Dream, is an American Christian hip hop musician. He has released two studio albums, Average Joe in 2003, and, Catch Me if You Can in 2015. He began his career as a founding member of the acclaimed Christian hip hop collective LA Symphony.
