DC Talk

If you were young and Christian in the ’90s, then DC Talk was your jam. Between the release of their self-titled debut in 1989 and 1998’s Supernatural, the Virginia-based trio gave popular Christian music a radically modern makeover, injecting it with the latest sounds in hip-hop and alt-rock. After initially gaining recognition as one of the first Christian rap groups, the band became a cultural phenomenon thanks to 1995’s Jesus Freak, a riff-fuelled mission statement that not only became one of the most successful albums in the history of Christian music but raced up the secular pop charts as well. Boasting grunge-informed riffs and an angsty chorus (“I don’t really care if they label me a Jesus freak”), the title track made faith sound cool and edgy and swiftly became a defiant rallying cry for Christian teenagers across the United States. Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait and Kevin Max decided to part ways in 2000. McKeehan, going by the name TobyMac, became a massive Christian star in his own right and continues to carry the torch for DC Talk’s genre-blending adventurousness.