In 1994, with Todd Collins and Joey Elwood, he founded the first Christian hip-hop label Gotee Records.[20][21]
They released their next album, Jesus Freak, in 1995, which went multi-platinum and led to the Jesus Freak World Tour and a tour CD, Welcome to the Freak Show.[22][23][24] Following the release of "Between You and Me" which reached No. 29 on the Hot 100 in 1996,[25] the group released Supernatural, which would be their last album. The album was certified platinum.[26] In 2001, the group released Solo, a collection of their solo attempts. They recorded a cover of 40, originally by U2. This was the last recording before they went on hiatus.
DC Talk went on hiatus in 2001 and its members embarked on solo careers.[27] In 2005, the trio performed together at a show in Redmond, Washington,[15] and again in 2010 when he made a surprise guest appearance at Winter Jam in Nashville.[28] In 2011, he joined Tait on the song "Jesus Freak" in Greensboro, North Carolina.[29] DC Talk has recorded several songs together since their hiatus, including 2002's "Let's Roll", a song about the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, "Atmosphere (Remix)" on his 2004 album Welcome to Diverse City, "The Cross", a track on Kevin Max's 2007 album The Blood, "Love Feels Like", a track on TobyMac's 2015 album This Is Not a Test, and "Space" on TobyMac's album Life After Death.[30][31][32][33][34]
Solo career
Momentum (2001–2003)
On November 6, 2001, he released his first solo album: Momentum.[35] He composed and recorded the song "Extreme Days" for the 2001 Truth Builder Productions film Extreme Days[citation needed], which was featured on the Momentum album.[36] Momentum, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart in the November 24 issue.[37] The song "Extreme Days" was also used in the movie Hangman's Curse, based on a book by Frank Peretti.[38] His song "Get This Party Started" was featured on an episode of the TV show Roswell.[39] His song "Yours" reached the Top 5 on ChristianRock.net.[40] "Yours", "Extreme Days", "Get This Party Started" and "Momentum" were all featured in the Xbox 360 video game Crackdown.[41] "Momentum" earned five Dove Awards and a Grammy nomination.[42] He was nominated for Artist of the Year at the 34th GMA Dove Awards.[43]
Welcome to Diverse City was released in October 2004 and is certified gold.[49] The album debuted and peaked on the Billboard 200 at No.54, selling 21,000 copies that week. His "Winter Wonder Slam Tour" played throughout December 2006.[50] The album's song "The Slam" was featured in the film Never Back Down,[51] advertisements for the films Transporter 2, Aeon Flux, and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, as well as advertisements for the television show Prison Break.[52] The song was also featured in car commercials, men's NCAA clips, NBA Finals (Miami Heat, 2006), World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) programming, NFL Football commercials, and "The Ultimate Highlight" on SportsCenter.[53] Former Ohio Valley Wrestling performer Matt Cappotelli used "The Slam" as his entrance theme.[54][55] "Diverse City" was featured in the Veronica Mars episode The Wrath of Con,[56] as well as Konami's Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 4.[57] "Atmosphere" and "Burn For You" were also used on different commercials.[58] The album gave him another Dove Award for Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year. A remix version of the album, Renovating->Diverse City, was released in 2005.[59]
Portable Sounds (2007–2008)
McKeehan's third studio album, Portable Sounds, was released in 2007 and sold 50,645 copies in its first week,[60] debuting at No. 10 on the Billboard 200, and at No. 1 on the SoundScan Contemporary Christian Overall chart.[61][62] The album also received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album.[63] He won rock/contemporary album of the year for "Portable Sounds" at the 39th annual GMA Dove Awards.[64] The songs "Made to Love" and "I'm For You" both hit No. 1 and were the second and third most played songs on Christian Hit Radio stations in 2007.[65] "Hype Man (truDog '07)" features his son Truett.[66] "Ignition" is being used by ABC/ESPN to promote its coverage of NASCAR, and "Boomin'" has also been used to promote a new crime-drama, The Women's Murder Club, on ABC, as well as others. In September 2007, his song "Feelin' So Fly" appeared in the film The Game Plan, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. "Ignition" received worldwide exposure when it was used as the Arizona Cardinals entrance music during the pre-game of Super Bowl XLIII.[67] He was awarded two Dove Awards for his work on this album, including Artist of the Year. His music video featuring the song "Boomin" was awarded a Dove Award for Short Form Music Video of the Year. Around this time, he wrote his song, "New World" for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and co-wrote and recorded the song "What We Gonna Do?" for the VeggieTales film The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie. "Feelin' So Fly" and "I'm for You" appear in Thrillville: Off the Rails.[68]
Alive and Transported (2008–2009)
He released his first live album as a solo artist in 2008. Alive and Transported was a live recording of the Portable Sounds Tour in Houston, Texas. It included covers of popular DC Talk songs "Jesus Freak" and "In the Light". The album included a DVD of the concert and gained him a GMA Dove and a Grammy Award.[69]
Tonight (2010–2011)
His fourth studio release, Tonight, was released on February 9, 2010. The album debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, selling 79,000 units in its first week.[1][70] The album's first single, "City on Our Knees", was released on August 14, 2009. The song reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Christian Songs and No. 1 on both Christian AC and CHR. Christopher Stevens and Dave Wyatt joined McKeehan in producing the album, as with the production of his 2007 release, Portable Sounds. Truett, aka TruDog, Toby's oldest son, was once again featured on a song as in the previous albums.[71] The album is a mix of pop, rock, hip hop, Latin, and funk, similar to his album Portable Sounds. The album charted No. 6 on the Billboard Top 200 and No. 1 on the Billboard Christian albums chart, selling 79,000 units in its first week.[72] In the same year, he released a DVD, TobyMac: Moving Pictures Featuring His Entire Work of Music Videos, on November 10, 2010.[73]
The title track of Tonight is featured in the intro of MLB Network's TV show 30 Clubs 30 Days.[74] In March, he announced the "Hello Tonight" summer 2010 tour with Chris Tomlin.[75] The song "City on Our Knees" earned him a Dove Award for Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year.[76] The song "Showstopper" was used to promote World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) June 2010 Pay Per View, "Fatal 4-Way", and was used at least once in NCAA Basketball. It was also used as an introduction to Thursday Night Football in 2009–2010. His single "Tonight" was also used as a pregame introduction at home games for the Baltimore Orioles during the 2011 MLB season. The song was also promoted for ESPYS' Best U.S Male Olympian. His "Tonight" was listed best Christian album of 2010 on iTunes and his Christmas single titled "Christmas This Year" (featuring Leigh Nash) was awarded the holiday song of the week on iTunes. He was nominated for Artist of the Year at the 2011 Dove Awards.[77] Additionally, the songs "Get Back Up" and "City on Our Knees" were recognized for being two of the Top 25 most performed songs on Christian radio over 2010.[78]
In 2010, McKeehan performed at Revelation Generation.[79] He also toured with Skillet and House of Heroes on the "Awake Tonight Tour". He toured with Third Day, Michael W. Smith, Jason Gray and Max Lucado on the World Vision-sponsored "Make a Difference Tour 2010".[80]Tonight was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards.[81] His first full-length Christmas album, Christmas in Diverse City, was released October 4, 2011. It contains songs from each of the Diverse City members as well as TobyMac. Its other guest artists included: Leigh Nash, Owl City, Jamie Grace, Victor Oquendo, Superherose, Arch Nemesiz, Tim Rosenau, Toddiefunk, and Byron "Mr. Talkbox" Chambers.[82][83] TobyMac released his third remix album, Dubbed and Freq'd: A Remix Project, on March 27, 2012, featuring remixes of songs from his prior two studio albums.[84]
Eye on It (2012–2014)
His fifth full-length studio album, Eye on It, was released August 28, 2012.[85] The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 1, which is a first for a Christian album since 1997,[86] and sold 69,000 copies in its first week.[87] The album fell to No. 8 on the second week with 26,000 sales.[88]
A remix album, Eye'm All Mixed Up, which features remixes from the album Eye on It, was released on November 4, 2014.[96]
This Is Not a Test (2015–2018)
During his "Worship, Stories, and Songs Tour" in 2014, he performed the first single from his new album,[97] titled "Beyond Me", which was released on January 6, 2015.[98][99] The single "Beyond Me" also appeared on Hot Shot Debut at No. 34 solely on the strength of radio airplay.[100] His sixth studio album, This Is Not a Test, (stylized as "***THIS IS NOT A TEST***") was released on August 7, 2015[101] and debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200.[102] The album appeared on Top Christian Albums at No. 1, selling 35,000 copies in its first week.[103] "Backseat Driver" was released as a promotional single from the album on June 9, 2015,[104] which was later followed by "Til The Day I Die" on July 10, 2015,[105] and "Feel It" on July 24, 2015.[106]
On November 3, 2017, he released Light of Christmas, his second compilation of Christmas songs.[107]
The Elements (2018–2021)
In January 2018, he released "I Just Need U", which debuted at No. 1 on the Hot Christian Songs chart, making the song TobyMac's sixth No. 1 single to top the chart.[108][109] In July 2018, he released "Everything" as a single.[110] In September 2018, he both announced, The Elements, and released "Scars" as a single.[111] The album was released on October 12, 2018, and became his fifth album to top the Christian Albums chart on Billboard.[112]
On January 10, 2020, he released a single "21 Years", dedicated to the memory of his son Truett who died on October 23, 2019.
McKeehan released The Lost Demos on May 8, 2020, an EP of recovered demos.[113][114] During the pandemic, he released "Separate Altogether Acoustic" music videos featuring the Diverse City band, his daughter, Marlee McKeehan, and Gotee Records colleague Michael Cochren.[115]
On September 17, 2021, McKeehan released "Promised Land" as a single.[117] On January 7, 2022, he released a new version of "Promised Land" as a collaboration with Sheryl Crow. On June 2, 2022, he released another single titled "The Goodness" as another collaboration with gospel artist Blessing Offor.
On June 10, 2022, he announced on Instagram his album Life After Death which was then released on August 19, 2022.[118] This was followed by McKeehan announcing his Hits Deep Tour for 2023, with supporting acts Crowder, Cochren & Co., Tasha Layton, Jon Reddick, and Terrian.[119]
Gabe Patillo, TobyMac's live member and studio collaborator, died on April 12, 2024, from complications with cancer.[120][121]
Upcoming Album (2024-present)
On June 7, 2024, McKeehan released "Nothin' Sweeter" as a single.
On December 6, 2024, McKeehan released "a lil Church" as a single.
Other work
He has written two books with Michael Tait and Kevin Max: Jesus Freaks: DC Talk and The Voice of the Martyrs– Stories of Those Who Stood for Jesus, the Ultimate Jesus Freaks[122] and Jesus Freaks: Revolutionaries: Stories of Revolutionaries Who Changed Their World: Fearing GOD, Not Man.[123] These books are mainly focused on Christian martyrs. He has also written two more books with Michael Tait, one titled, Under God,[124] containing stories of America's spiritual battles, and another book called Living Under God: Discovering Your Part in God's Plan.[125]
He has written a fifth book called City on Our Knees.[126] The book is about how Christians past and present have set aside differences, come together in unity, and stepped forward in action and prayer.
He is the president of the record label Gotee Records. He created the label with Todd Collins and Joey Elwood in order to produce Out of Eden's Lovin' the Day after efforts to sign the group to an established label proved unsuccessful.[127] "We all collectively said, 'Let's just give this a shot'", Elwood recalls; "Three naïve guys, a willing band, and some really good songs."[127] The label was responsible for establishing artists such as Relient K, House of Heroes, Jamie Grace, Capital Kings, and Abandon Kansas. However, as a recording artist, he is under contract with ForeFront Records.
TobyMac has also helped establish a camp, called Camp Electric, located near Nashville, Tennessee, for young musicians who want to have pop and rock skills.[128]
Personal life
McKeehan and his wife Amanda were married in 1994.[129] Amanda, who comes from Jamaica, is the daughter of Judy and Robert Levy (chairman of the agribusiness firm Jamaica Broilers Group), and the family regularly visits the island.[130] His father died from dementia in 2015 after a degenerative phase, an experience which McKeehan cited as inspiration for some of his newest songwriting as of 2017.[131]
They have had four sons and a daughter: Truett (September 4, 1998 – October 23, 2019), known as TruDog or Tru (stylized as TRU); twins Moses and Marlee, adopted at birth on April 30, 2002; Leo, (b. November 2, 2004);[1] and Judah, (b. March 24, 2006).[1] McKeehan's son Moses suffers from muscular dystrophy.[132]
Truett Foster McKeehan appeared on DC Talk's Solo EP and TobyMac's albums, Momentum, Re:Mix Momentum, Welcome to Diverse City, Renovating Diverse City, Portable Sounds, Tonight, Christmas in Diverse City, Eye on It and Eye'm All Mixed Up as the artist "TruDog" while on This is not a Test he is credited as "TRU". Judah McKeehan has appeared on the albums Tonight and Eye on It with Truett. Truett is featured on the song "Backseat Driver" from This Is Not a Test, as well as on "Alone" from Hollyn's self-titled EP, as "TRU". Truett was an aspiring rapper and waited until he was 21 to start a solo career as Truett Foster. He was found dead at his home in Nashville on October 23, 2019,[133][134] at age 21[135][136] of an accidental drug overdose of fentanyl and amphetamines.[137][138] On January 10, 2020, after a hiatus from touring to be with family, TobyMac released "21 Years" as a tribute to his son.[139]
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."
Jesus Freak is the fourth studio album by the American Christian rap and rock trio DC Talk, released on November 21, 1995, on ForeFront Records. The style was a marked departure from the group's previous releases, incorporating a heavier rock sound and elements of grunge that was popular at the time.
Kevin Max Smith is an American singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known for being a member of the Christian pop group dc Talk. As a solo artist following the band going on hiatus, he has recorded 12 full-length studio albums, including a Christmas album. From 2012 until 2014, he was the lead singer of the band Audio Adrenaline.
Momentum is the debut studio album from American recording artist TobyMac. It was released on November 6, 2001, through ForeFront Records.
Michael DeWayne Tait is an American contemporary Christian music artist. Michael Tait met Toby McKeehan in 1984 when he was in high school. Both Toby and Michael met Kevin Max while attending Liberty University in the late 1980s, and together they formed four-time Grammy winning band DC Talk, with whom Michael Tait has released five acclaimed studio albums. Tait is the current lead singer of Newsboys, and one third of Christian rock group DC Talk. Tait also has had success in his solo career, founding a band called Tait in 1997. He toured as a solo act until 2007. He became lead singer of the Christian pop rock band Newsboys in 2009. Aside from singing, Tait is also a self-taught guitar player. Tait also has a sister Lynda Randle, who is a Southern Gospel singer.
Welcome to Diverse City is the second full-length studio album released by Christian singer TobyMac. The songs on this album deal with racial tolerance in society and a desire to know God better. Several other Christian artists appear on this CD, including Bootsy Collins, Coffee from GRITS, DJ Maj, Papa San, Paul Wright, Superchick, and T-Bone . TobyMac also reunites dc Talk on vocals in a remix of his song "Atmosphere", the last track of the album. The album has sold over 600,000 copies in the United States.
Gotee Records is a record label of Christian hip-hop, based in Franklin, Tennessee in the United States.
Renovating Diverse City is the second remix album released by Christian recording artist tobyMac. All the tracks are remixes of songs from tobyMac's previous CD, Welcome to Diverse City, with the exception of two original songs. Some remixes include new or revised pieces of the original song. Several other Christian artists make appearances on this CD, including DJ Maj, Paul Wright, Tricia Brock of Superchick, and Toby's son Truett as "truDog". The Catchafire remix was once in the Top 5 songs on Christian-HipHop.net and, since it became as popular as it did, is often mistaken for the original mix of Catchafire.
"Jesus Freak" is a song by the American contemporary Christian music group DC Talk. Released on August 1, 1995, it was the lead radio single from the group's fourth album. The song was written and produced by Toby McKeehan and Mark Heimermann. Lyrically, the song is about standing up for the belief in Jesus Christ in the midst of persecution. Musically, the song has been described as alternative rock and grunge. It received airplay on both contemporary Christian music and alternative rock stations, formats that rarely interact. "Jesus Freak" earned DC Talk three GMA Dove Awards.
Portable Sounds (stylized as (portable sounds)) is the third full-length studio album from Christian hip hop artist tobyMac. Released on February 20, 2007, the album serves as a follow-up to his 2004 album, Welcome to Diverse City. The album debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200. The album includes the singles "Lose My Soul", "Made to Love", "Boomin'", "I'm for You", and "One World (featuring Siti Monroe)". Portable Sounds took a slightly different direction than tobyMac's previous hip hop efforts, having more of a pop sound. When it was released on iTunes, users were able to download a behind-the-scenes making of the album video, a digital booklet, and an acoustic version of "Made to Love". "Ignition" was selected as the theme song to the WWE pay-per-view Elimination Chamber 2011.
"Between You and Me" is a song by the American contemporary Christian music group DC Talk. Released in 1996, it was the second radio and commercial single released from the group's fourth album, Jesus Freak. After the unexpected success of the grunge rock single "Jesus Freak", "Between You and Me" helped to bring DC Talk to a new level of success and solidify them as mainstream artists. The song later earned DC Talk a GMA Dove Award and is the only DC Talk single to have charted on the Billboard Hot 100. The single was also a Christian radio success and peaked at No. 1 on both the Christian adult contemporary and Christian Contemporary Hit Radio CCM Magazine charts.
This is the discography of TobyMac. He was originally a member of dc Talk from 1988 to 2001. Since 2001 he has released eight studio albums, two Christmas albums, five remix albums, three live albums, and three extended plays as a solo artist.
Alive and Transported is a live album by Christian hip hop artist tobyMac. It was released on May 27, 2008 and debuted at No. 112 on the Billboard 200, and also placed at No. 4 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart. It is currently sold as a CD/DVD combo. The live show recorded for the album was also played on Monday, June 9, 2008, in movie theaters. The film was filmed at the Richard E. Berry Educational Support Center in Cypress, Texas.
The discography of DC Talk, a Christian music band formed in the late 1980s in Lynchburg, Virginia, consists of five studio albums, three extended plays, and twenty-three singles. The group consists of Toby McKeehan, Kevin Max, and Michael Tait. They began as a hip hop group, but in the mid-90s they reinvented themselves as a pop/rock group. In both instances, they found critical and commercial success in both the Christian music industry as well as the general market.
Tonight is the fourth full-length solo album by Christian hip hop artist TobyMac. It is the follow-up album to his 2007 release Portable Sounds, and was released on February 5, 2010. The Deluxe Version of the album contains a DVD with interviews with Toby about the songs on the record, the making of this record and an inside look at the Diverse City Band. The album debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, selling 79,000 units in its first week. As of early November 2010, the album has sold over 315,000 copies.
Eye on It is the sixth studio album by TobyMac, released on August 28, 2012. A deluxe version of the album was also released. The album experiments more with electronic music, primarily dubstep. "Me Without You" was released as the first single from the album on June 12, 2012. The album won Best Contemporary Christian Music Album at the 2013 Grammy Awards.
This Is Not a Test is the seventh studio album by American recording artist TobyMac. The album was released on August 7, 2015. It debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. In February 2016, it won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album. The standard edition was released with 11 tracks, including "Feel It", "Beyond Me", and "Move ". The deluxe edition was released with 15 tracks, including "Lift You Up" featuring Ryan Stevenson, "Fall", and "Beyond Me" and "Like A Match" remixes by Soul Glow Activatur and David Garcia respectively. McKeehan says he is leaning towards soul music in this album, but it will still have his signature mixture of pop, rock, hip hop, EDM, and funk.
Byron Manard Chambers, who goes by the stage name Mr. TalkBox, is an American Christian hip hop and Christian R&B musician who plays urban contemporary gospel, contemporary R&B, and funk.
The Elements is the eighth studio album by American recording artist TobyMac released on October 12, 2018, on ForeFront Records. It is his fifth album to top the Billboard Christian Albums chart. The album's lead single, "I Just Need U.", peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Christian Songs chart.
Life After Death is the ninth studio album by American Christian singer TobyMac, released on August 19, 2022, on ForeFront Records. It is his sixth album to top the Billboard Christian Albums chart. The album's third single, "Help Is On the Way ", peaked at No. 3 on the Hot Christian Songs chart.
↑ Talk, D. C. (May 2005). Jesus Freaks: Revolutionaries: Stories of Revolutionaries Who Changed Their World: Fearing God, Not Man (Jesus Freaks): dc Talk: Books. ISBN0764200844.
↑ TobyMac; Tait, Michael. Under God: Toby Mac, Michael Tait, Toby Mac: Books. ASINB0009U7YQO.
1 2 Geil, Mark (April 14, 2008). About GoteeArchived September 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Originally posted on Christianitytoday.com. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
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