Derek Minor Essentials

Since the mid-'00s, Derek Minor has been infusing his stirringly intense hip-hop sounds with a clear sense of purpose. The Southern rapper not only celebrates the presence of God in his life, he also confidently dismembers beats such as the EDM-tinged “Ready, Set, Go” with fiery battle rhymes. On 116's trap-inflected “Now They Know,” he holds his own lyrically amid a dream cipher that also includes Lecrae and Tedashii. Over the piano pop of “Change the World,” he harmonizes about how Christ's example keeps him from succumbing to the darkness of the world.