Artist Playlists
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After his group DC Talk pressed pause in 2000, Toby McKeehan went solo to continue the trio's mission of fusing rap, rock, and praise songs into contemporary Christian music. Whether accompanied by the sunny horn arrangement of “One World,” the anthemic grunge rock of “Gone,” or the modern hip-hop flourishes of “Backseat Driver,” the versatile producer and songwriter uses emotional narratives and character-driven cautionary tales to put across his inspirational message. The funky title track to 2004's Diverse City emphasized other themes, like tolerance and racial harmony. - TobyMac goes all out in everything: music, performances, and especially videos. The hip-hop-inspired singer and CCM superstar is a sucker for dazzling productions bursting with artistic scenery and visual treats, like urban dance numbers, streetwise fashion, and even pyrotechnics. Yet it should also be pointed out that TobyMac’s videos are meticulously narrative-driven, fleshing out the vital questions of faith embedded in his infectious hits.
- TobyMac's belief in Christian unity reveals a social awareness. This particularly comes out in the rapper's cameos: His verses address racial strife on Mandisa's gospel anthem “Bleed the Same,” while his words in Capital Kings' searing, electronic pop track “We Belong As One” call for global harmony. Even an original like the Narnia-inspired rocker “New World” blurs religion and politics with its yearning for a better tomorrow.
- In the '80s, budding MC and vocalist tobyMac devoured hip-hop both sacred and secular. He found a model for uniting God's message with big breakbeats in Christian rapper Michael Peace (“Time Bomb Posse In Effect”), while Run-DMC taught him how powerful street-tough hip-hop can be (“You're Blind”). TobyMac also developed a singer/songwriter side that's rooted in the well-crafted ballads of CCM star Michael W. Smith (“Rocketown”).