Houston, Texas native Nuwine stood out as one of the more noteworthy rappers to sincerely advocate a Christian ideology, and though he remained underground, he enjoyed much success there, producing and self-releasing numerous albums on his Wine-O label. Born Maurice Williams to a musical father and a God-fearing mother, he ran the streets and led a gangsta lifestyle prior to looking to Christ for answers. Nuwine synthesized his gifted rapping ability with his beliefs, which resulted in prolific output that began in the late '90s with albums such as Ghetto Mission and would-be hits such as "Bad Day." Many described him as similar in style to 2Pac but with a Christian agenda. He eventually went secular as Wine-O and later performed and recorded as Hefe Wine. ~ Jason Birchmeier