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Toby McKeehan (born Kevin Michael McKeehan; October 22, 1964), better known by his stage name TobyMac (styled tobyMac or TOBYMAC), is an American
contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and s ...
singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He was first known for being a member of the
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
rap and
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
trio
DC Talk DC Talk (stylized as dc Talk) is a Christian hip hop, Christian rap and Christian rock, rock trio. The group was formed at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1987 by tobyMac, Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, and Kevin Max, Kevin Max Smith ...
, staying with them from 1987 until they went on hiatus in 2000. He has since continued a successful solo career with the release of eight studio albums: ''
Momentum In Newtonian mechanics, momentum (more specifically linear momentum or translational momentum) is the product of the mass and velocity of an object. It is a vector quantity, possessing a magnitude and a direction. If is an object's mass an ...
'' (2001), '' Welcome to Diverse City'' (2004), '' Portable Sounds'' (2007), '' Tonight'' (2010), '' Eye on It'' (2012), '' This Is Not a Test'' (2015), '' The Elements'' (2018), and '' Life After Death'' (2022) as well as five remixed albums: '' Re:Mix Momentum'' (2003), ''
Renovating Diverse City ''Renovating Diverse City'' (stylized ''Renovating→Diverse City'') is the fourth 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 exce ...
'' (2005), '' Dubbed and Freq'd: A Remix Project'' (2012), '' Eye'm All Mixed Up'' (2014) and '' The St. Nemele Collab Sessions'' (2019). He also has two full-length Christmas albums: '' Christmas in Diverse City'' (2011) and ''Light Of Christmas'' (2017). He became the third Christian artist to have a No. 1 debut on ''Billboard'' 200 chart with '' Eye on It''. Between DC Talk and his own solo career, he has sold more than 10 million albums and won seven Grammy Awards. He has had six No. 1 hit CHR singles including "
Gone Gone may refer to: Grammar * Gone, the past participle of go (verb) ** Have gone or have been, contrasting verb forms in some contexts Arts, entertainment, and media Film * ''Gone'', a 2002 a thriller written, directed by and starring Tim Chey ...
", " Made to Love", and "
Lose My Soul "Lose My Soul" is a song by TobyMac from his third studio album, ''Portable Sounds'' (2007). It features gospel artist Kirk Franklin and contemporary Christian singer Mandisa and was released in 2008 as the fifth single from the album. The song was ...
". Six singles have gone to No. 1 on ''Billboard''s Christian Songs chart, making him one of the artists with the most No. 1 hits on that chart. His live concert CD+DVD combo album, ''
Alive and Transported ''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, ''Billboard'' 200, and also placed at No. 4 on ''Billboards Top Christian Album ...
'', was released in 2008 and received the
Grammy Award for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
at the
51st Grammy Awards The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 8, 2009, honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2007, through September 30, 2008. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the b ...
in 2009. His fifth studio album, ''Eye on It'', received a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album at the
2013 Grammys The 55th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 10, 2013, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ...
.


Musical career


DC Talk (1987–2001)

TobyMac formed DC Talk with Michael Tait in 1987 at Liberty University. He and Tait released ''Christian Rhymes to a Rhythm'' in 1988 and recruited classmate
Kevin Max Smith Kevin Max Smith (born August 17, 1967) is an American singing, singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known for being a member of the contemporary Christian music, Christian pop group dc Talk. As a solo artist following the band going on hiatu ...
to join the group. The trio then signed with Forefront Records and set out on tour after they released ''DC Talk'' in 1989. In 1990, they released ''Nu Thang'', their first gold album which was followed with a tour. The follow-up, ''Free at Last'', was certified platinum and the band gained performed on '' The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' and '' The Arsenio Hall Show''. 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 Freakshow''. Following the release of "Between You and Me" which reached No. 29 on the Hot 100 in 1996, the group released ''Supernatural'', which would be their last album. The album was certified platinum. DC Talk disbanded in 2001 and its members embarked on solo careers. In 2005, the band performed together at a show in Redmond, Washington, and again in 2010 when he made a surprise guest appearance at Winter Jam in Nashville. In 2011, he joined Tait on the song "Jesus Freak" in Greensboro, North Carolina. 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 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated Suicide attack, suicide List of terrorist incidents, terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, ...
, "Atmosphere (Remix)" on his 2004 album '' Welcome to Diverse City'', "The Cross", a track on Kevin Max's 2007 album ''
The Blood The Blood are an English, London-based punk rock band, formed in 1982. Led by Cardinal Jesus Hate and JJ Bedsore (AKA Colin Smith and Jamie Cantwell), the band formed in the early 1980s under the name "Coming Blood". Their music is a blend of ...
'', "Love Feels Like", a track on TobyMac's 2015 album ''This Is Not a Test'', and "Space" on TobyMac's album ''Life After Death''.


Solo career


''Momentum'' (2001–2003)

On November 6, 2001, he released his first solo album: ''
Momentum In Newtonian mechanics, momentum (more specifically linear momentum or translational momentum) is the product of the mass and velocity of an object. It is a vector quantity, possessing a magnitude and a direction. If is an object's mass an ...
''. He composed and recorded the song "Extreme Days" for the 2001 Truth Builder Productions film '' Extreme Days'', which was featured on the ''Momentum'' album. Momentum, debuted at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Heatseekers chart in the November 24 issue. The song "Extreme Days" was also used in the movie ''Hangman's Curse'', based on a book by Frank Peretti. His song "Get This Party Started" was featured on an episode of the TV show Roswell. His song "Yours" reached the Top 5 on ChristianRock.net. "Yours", "Extreme Days", "Get This Party Started" and "Momentum" were all featured in the Xbox 360 video game '' Crackdown''. "Momentum" earned five Dove Awards and a Grammy nomination. He was nominated for Artist of the Year at the
34th GMA Dove Awards The 34th Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on April 10, 2003 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2002. The show was held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by CeCe Winans and Steven Curtis C ...
. In 2002, he performed at the Festival Con Dios. Later that year, he released his first Christmas single, " This Christmas". In 2003, he released '' Re:Mix Momentum'', a remix of the album ''Momentum''. His song "Yours" was used in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) as " Sting's" theme song. He was featured on "Throw Yo Hands Up" on Kirk Franklin's 2002 album ''
The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin ''The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin'' is a live album by Kirk Franklin. ''The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin'' is the seventh album released by Kirk Franklin and is his first album to be considered a solo artist. The U.S. release on GospoCentric Records ...
''.


''Welcome to Diverse City'' (2004–2006)

'' Welcome to Diverse City'' was released in October 2004 and is certified gold. 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. The album's song "The Slam" was featured in the film ''
Never Back Down ''Never Back Down'' is a 2008 American martial arts film directed by Jeff Wadlow and starring Sean Faris, Cam Gigandet, Amber Heard and Djimon Hounsou. It tells the story of a frustrated and conflicted teenager who arrives at a new high school a ...
'', advertisements for the films '' Transporter 2'', ''
Aeon Flux The word aeon , also spelled eon (in American and Australian English), originally meant "life", "vital force" or "being", "generation" or "a period of time", though it tended to be translated as "age" in the sense of "ages", "forever", "timeles ...
'', and '' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'', as well as advertisements for the television show ''
Prison Break ''Prison Break'' is an American serial (radio and television), serial drama television show, television series created by Paul Scheuring for Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. The series revolves around two brothers, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purce ...
''. 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 ''SportsCenter'' (SC) is a daily sports news television show, television program that serves as the flagship program and brand of United States, American cable television, cable and satellite television television network, network ESPN. The show ...
''. Former Ohio Valley Wrestling performer Matt Cappotelli used "The Slam" as his entrance theme. In the movie ''
Never Back Down ''Never Back Down'' is a 2008 American martial arts film directed by Jeff Wadlow and starring Sean Faris, Cam Gigandet, Amber Heard and Djimon Hounsou. It tells the story of a frustrated and conflicted teenager who arrives at a new high school a ...
'' Toby's song "The Slam" is featured in the main fight scene. " Diverse City" was featured in the Veronica Mars episode
The Wrath of Con "The Wrath of Con" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American mystery television series ''Veronica Mars''. Written by Diane Ruggiero and directed by Michael Fields, the episode premiered on UPN on October 19, 2004. The series de ...
, as well as Konami's
Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 4 The ''Dance Dance Revolution'' series started in 1998 and has grown to a large set of games in the franchise. This list of ''Dance Dance Revolution'' games documents games released, including systems, formats, and regions for which the games were ...
. "Atmosphere" and "Burn For You" were also used on different commercials. 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.


''Portable Sounds'' (2007–2008)

McKeehan's third studio album, '' Portable Sounds'', was released in 2007 and sold 50,645 copies in its first week, debuting at No. 10 on the ''Billboard'' 200, and at No. 1 on the SoundScan Contemporary Christian Overall chart. The album also received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album. He won rock/contemporary album of the year for "Portable Sounds" at the 39th annual GMA Dove Awards. 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. "Hype Man (truDog '07)" features his son Truett. "Ignition" is being used by
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
/ 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 Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the developm ...
. "Ignition" received worldwide exposure when it was used as the
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
entrance music during the pre-game of Super Bowl XLIII. 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.


''Alive and Transported'' (2008–2009)

He released his first live album as a solo artist in 2008. ''
Alive and Transported ''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, ''Billboard'' 200, and also placed at No. 4 on ''Billboards Top Christian Album ...
'' 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 GMA may refer to: Broadcasting * GMA Network, a Philippine television channel * GMA Network Inc., a Philippine broadcasting company * GMA TV, a fake news website which imitated the legitimate GMA News website * ''Good Morning America'', a morni ...
and a Grammy Award.


''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. The album's first single, "
City on Our Knees "City on Our Knees" is a song by Christian artist TobyMac from his album, ''Tonight'' (2010). It was released as a radio single in August 2009 and reached No. 1 on ''Billboard''s Hot Christian Songs chart in October 2009. It also reached No. 8 on ...
", was released on August 14, 2009. The song reached No. 1 on ''Billboards 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. The album is a mix of
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...
,
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
, hip hop, Latin, and
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
, 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. In the same year, he released a DVD, ''TobyMac: Moving Pictures Featuring His Entire Work of Music Videos'', on November 10, 2010. The title track of ''Tonight'' is featured in the intro of MLB Network's TV show 30 Clubs 30 Days. In March, he announced the "Hello Tonight" summer 2010 tour with Chris Tomlin. The song "City on Our Knees" earned him a Dove Award for Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year. 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. 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. In 2010, McKeehan performed at Revelation Generation. He also toured with
Skillet A frying pan, frypan, or skillet is a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods. It is typically in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid. Larger pans may have a small grab ha ...
and House of Heroes on the "Awake Tonight Tour". He toured with Third Day, Michael W. Smith, Jason Gray and
Max Lucado Max Lucado (born January 11, 1955) is an American author
"Lucado set a record by concurrently placing seven differe ...
on the World Vision-sponsored "Make a Difference Tour 2010". ''Tonight'' was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for the
53rd Annual Grammy Awards The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prio ...
. 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 include: Leigh Nash, Owl City, Jamie Grace, Victor Oquendo, "Superherose nowiki/> sic.html" ;"title="nowiki/>sic">nowiki/>sic, Arch Nemesiz, Tim Rosenau, Toddiefunk, and Mr. TalkBox">Byron "Mr. Talkbox" Chambers. 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.


''Eye on It'' (2012–2014)

His fifth full-length studio album, '' Eye on It'', was released August 28, 2012. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 1, which is a first for a Christian album since 1997, and sold 69,000 copies in its first week. The album fell to No. 8 on the second week with 26,000 sales. The first single, " Me Without You", was released to iTunes and Amazon MP3 on June 12, 2012, and went to No. 1 on ''Billboards Christian Songs chart on September 1, 2012, becoming the singer's fifth chart-topper. "Family" was used in a promotional advertisement campaign for the show '' Blue Bloods''. One showing of this advertisement was during the Blue Bloods (TV series)">Blue Bloods''. One showing of this advertisement was during the 2013 Super Bowl. "Forgiveness" is a collaboration with Christian rapper Lecrae">2013 Super Bowl">Blue Bloods (TV series)">Blue Bloods''. One showing of this advertisement was during the 2013 Super Bowl. "Forgiveness" is a collaboration with Christian rapper Lecrae. Although not released as a single, "Eye on It" was utilized by the ACC Network on its telecast of the 2013 ACC men's basketball tournament. The song was also used in several commercials by the Fox Sports Networks for National Basketball Association, NBA and MLB telecasts. He appears in the 2013 film ''
I'm in Love with a Church Girl ''I'm in Love with a Church Girl'' is a 2013 Christian drama film directed by Steve Race. It stars Jeff "Ja Rule" Atkins, Adrienne Bailon, Stephen Baldwin, Vincent Pastore, Toby Mac, T-Bone and Michael Madsen. The film was released in theater ...
''. A remix album, '' Eye'm All Mixed Up'', which features remixes from the album ''Eye on It'', was released on November 4, 2014.


''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, titled "Beyond Me", which was released on January 6, 2015. The single "Beyond Me" also appeared on Hot Shot Debut at No. 34 solely on the strength of radio airplay. His sixth
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
, '' This Is Not a Test'', (stylized as "***THIS IS NOT A TEST***") was released on August 7, 2015 and debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. The album appeared on Top Christian Albums at No. 1, selling 35,000 copies in its first week. "Backseat Driver" was released as a promotional single from the album on June 9, 2015, which was later followed by "Til The Day I Die" on July 10, 2015, and "Feel It" on July 24, 2015. On November 3, 2017, he released ''Light of Christmas'', his second compilation of Christmas songs.


''The Elements'' (2018–2021)

In January 2018, he released "
I Just Need U "I Just Need U" (stylized as "I just need U.") is a song by Christian Christian hip hop, hip hop musician TobyMac. It was released as a single on January 5, 2018. The song debuted at No. 1 on the Hot Christian Songs chart, becoming his sixth No. 1 ...
", which debuted at No. 1 on the Hot Christian Songs chart, making the song TobyMac's sixth No. 1 single to top the chart. In July 2018, he released " Everything" as a single. In September 2018, he both announced his new album, '' The Elements'', and released "Scars" as a single. The album was released on October 12, 2018, and became his fifth album to top the Christian Albums chart on Billboard. On January 10, 2020, he released a single "21 Years", dedicated to the memory of his son Truett who died on on October 23, 2019. McKeehan released ''The Lost Demos'' on May 8, 2020, an EP of recovered
demos Demos may refer to: Computing * DEMOS, a Soviet Unix-like operating system * DEMOS (ISP), the first internet service provider in the USSR * Demos Commander, an Orthodox File Manager for Unix-like systems * plural for Demo (computer programming) ...
. During the
pandemic A pandemic () is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic (epidemiology), endemic disease wi ...
, he released "Separate Altogether Acoustic" music videos featuring the Diverse City band, his daughter, Marlee McKeehan, and Gotee Records colleague Michael Cochren.


''Life After Death'' (2022–present)

On February 19, 2021, McKeehan released " Help Is on the Way (Maybe Midnight)" as a single. On September 17, 2021, McKeehan released " Promised Land" as a single. On January 7, 2022, he released a new version of "Promised Land" as a collaboration with
Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three li ...
. On June, 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. TobyMac announced his Hits Deep Tour for 2023, with supporting acts Crowder, Cochren & Co., Tasha Layton, Jon Reddick, and Terrian.


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'' and ''Jesus Freaks: Revolutionaries: Stories of Revolutionaries Who Changed Their World: Fearing GOD, Not Man''. These books are mainly focused on Christian martyrs. He has also written two more books with Michael Tait, one titled, ''Under God'', containing stories of America's spiritual battles, and another book called ''Living Under God: Discovering Your Part in God's Plan''. He has written a fifth book called ''City on Our Knees''. 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 Joey Elwood is one of the co-founders of Gotee Records, along with the other Gotee Brothers, Toby McKeehan and Todd Collins. The record label was created when, after failing to find a label willing to sign the group Out of Eden, Elwood, McKeehan, an ...
in order to produce
Out of Eden Out of Eden was an American gospel music group often identified with R&B and contemporary Christian music. It featured sisters Lisa Kimmey, Andrea Kimmey-Baca, and Danielle Kimmey. The group was active from 1994 to 2006, producing seven albums ...
's ''
Lovin' the Day ''Lovin' the Day'' is the debut album of the Dove Award-winning American urban gospel group Out of Eden, released in 1994.Akins, Debra. Hip-Pop.' February 27, 2004. CCM Magazine. Accessed on July 12, 2010. It features sisters Lisa, Andrea, and Dan ...
'' after efforts to sign the group to an established label proved unsuccessful.Geil, Mark (April 14, 2008).
About Gotee
''. Originally posted on Christianitytoday.com. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
"We all collectively said, 'Let's just give this a shot'", Elwood recalls; "Three naïve guys, a willing band, and some really good songs." Gotee features artists such as
Relient K Relient K is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Canton, Ohio, by Matt Thiessen, Matt Hoopes, and Brian Pittman Board Message during the band members' third year in high school and their time at Malone University. The band is named after ...
, House of Heroes, Jamie Grace,
Capital Kings Capital Kings was an American pop, EDM and Christian pop act. The group went on indefinite hiatus on January 3, 2018. The group originally consisted of producer and rapper Cole Walowac and singer Jon White, who was later replaced by Dylan House ...
, 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.


Personal life

McKeehan and his wife Amanda were married in 1994. 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. 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. They have had five children: 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, born on November 2, 2004; and Judah, born March 24, 2006. McKeehan's son Moses suffers from
muscular dystrophy Muscular dystrophies (MD) are a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of rare neuromuscular diseases that cause progressive weakness and breakdown of skeletal muscles over time. The disorders differ as to which muscles are primarily affe ...
. Truett Foster McKeehan appeared on
dc Talk DC Talk (stylized as dc Talk) is a Christian hip hop, Christian rap and Christian rock, rock trio. The group was formed at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1987 by tobyMac, Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, and Kevin Max, Kevin Max Smith ...
'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 Holly Marie Wilson (née Miller; born January 3, 1997), known by her stage name Hollyn, is an American Christian music singer and songwriter. Hollyn sings a mixture of pop, R&B, and Christian music. She was a contestant on ''American Idol'' dur ...
'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, at age 21 of an accidental drug overdose of fentanyl and amphetamines. On January 10, 2020, after a hiatus from touring to be with family, TobyMac released "21 Years" as a tribute to his son.


Discography

* ''
Momentum In Newtonian mechanics, momentum (more specifically linear momentum or translational momentum) is the product of the mass and velocity of an object. It is a vector quantity, possessing a magnitude and a direction. If is an object's mass an ...
'' (2001) * '' Welcome to Diverse City'' (2004) * '' Portable Sounds'' (2007) * '' Tonight'' (2010) * '' Christmas in Diverse City'' (2011) * '' Eye on It'' (2012) * '' This Is Not a Test'' (2015) * '' The Elements'' (2018) * '' Life After Death'' (2022)


Awards and nominations


American Music Awards

, - ,
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2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
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2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
, , TobyMac , , Favorite Contemporary Inspirational Artist , , , - ,
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
, , TobyMac , , Favorite Contemporary Inspirational Artist , , , - ,
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, , TobyMac , , Favorite Contemporary Inspirational Artist , , , -


Billboard Music Awards

, - , rowspan="3",
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
, , TobyMac , , Top Christian Artist , , , - , " Get Back Up" , , Top Christian Song , , , - , '' Tonight'' , , Top Christian Album , , , - , rowspan="3",
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, , TobyMac , , Top Christian Artist , , , - , " Me Without You" , , Top Christian Song , , , - , '' Eye on It'' , , Top Christian Album , , , - , rowspan=1,
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
, rowspan=1, TobyMac , Top Christian Artist ,


Grammys

, - ,
2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
, , ''
Momentum In Newtonian mechanics, momentum (more specifically linear momentum or translational momentum) is the product of the mass and velocity of an object. It is a vector quantity, possessing a magnitude and a direction. If is an object's mass an ...
'' , , Best Rock Gospel Album , , , - ,
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
, , '' Welcome to Diverse City'' , , Best Rock Gospel Album , , , - , rowspan="2",
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, , " Made to Love" , ,
Best Gospel Song The Grammy Award for Best Gospel Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the gospel music genre. Honors in seve ...
, , , - , '' Portable Sounds'' , , Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album , , , - ,
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, , ''
Alive and Transported ''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, ''Billboard'' 200, and also placed at No. 4 on ''Billboards Top Christian Album ...
'' , , Best Rock Gospel Album , , , - ,
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, , "
City on Our Knees "City on Our Knees" is a song by Christian artist TobyMac from his album, ''Tonight'' (2010). It was released as a radio single in August 2009 and reached No. 1 on ''Billboard''s Hot Christian Songs chart in October 2009. It also reached No. 8 on ...
" , , Best Gospel Song , , , - ,
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
, , '' Tonight'' , , Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album , , , - ,
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, , '' Eye on It'' , , Best Contemporary Christian Music Album , , , - ,
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
, , "Speak Life" , , Best Contemporary Christian Music Song , , , - , rowspan="2",
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
, , "Feel It" , , Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song , , , - , '' This Is Not a Test'' , , Best Contemporary Christian Music Album , , , - ,
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
, , '' The Elements'' , , Best Contemporary Christian Music Album , , , -


GMA Covenant Awards

, - , rowspan="2", 2013 , , " Me Without You" , , International Song of the Year , , , - , '' Eye on It'' , , International Album of the Year , ,


GMA Dove Awards

, - , rowspan="5",
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
, , ''
Momentum In Newtonian mechanics, momentum (more specifically linear momentum or translational momentum) is the product of the mass and velocity of an object. It is a vector quantity, possessing a magnitude and a direction. If is an object's mass an ...
'' , , Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year , , , - , "Somebody's Watching Me" , , Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song , , , - , TobyMac , ,
Producer of the Year The Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical is an honor presented to record producers for quality non-classical music at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in ...
, , , - , "Extreme Days" , , Rock Recorded Song of the Year , , , - , "Extreme Days" , , Short Form Music Video of the Year , , , - , rowspan="6",
2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
, , "Irene" , , Short Form Music Video of the Year , , , - , TobyMac , , Artist of the Year , , , - , "Irene" , , Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year , , , - , "J-Train" (featuring Kirk Franklin) , , Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year , , , - , "Get This Party Started" , , Modern Rock/Alternative Recorded Song of the Year , , , - , ''
Momentum In Newtonian mechanics, momentum (more specifically linear momentum or translational momentum) is the product of the mass and velocity of an object. It is a vector quantity, possessing a magnitude and a direction. If is an object's mass an ...
DVD'' , , Long Form Music Video , , , - , rowspan="2",
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
, , "Get This Party Started" , , Rock Recorded Song of the Year , , , - , "Love Is in the House" , , Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year , , , - ,
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
, , '' Welcome to Diverse City'' , , Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2",
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
, , "The Slam" (featuring
T-Bone The T-bone and porterhouse are steaks of beef cut from the short loin (called the sirloin in Commonwealth countries and Ireland). Both steaks include a "T"-shaped lumbar vertebra with sections of abdominal internal oblique muscle on each side ...
)
, , Rock Recorded Song of the Year , , , - , '' Music Inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' , , Special Event Album of the Year , , , - ,
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
, , TobyMac , , Artist of the Year , , , - , rowspan="5",
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, , TobyMac , , Artist of the Year , , , - , TobyMac , , Male Vocalist of the Year , , , - , " Made to Love" , ,
Song of the Year Song of the Year may refer to: * Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year * Dove Award for Song of the Year * Golden Melody Award for Song of the Year * Grammis Song of the Year * Grammy Award for Song of the Year * Latin Grammy Awa ...
, , , - , '' Portable Sounds'' , , Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year , , , - , "Boomin'" , , Short Form Music Video of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2",
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, , TobyMac , , Artist of the Year , , , - , ''
Alive and Transported ''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, ''Billboard'' 200, and also placed at No. 4 on ''Billboards Top Christian Album ...
'' , , Long Form Music Video of the Year , , , - , rowspan="3",
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, , TobyMac , , Artist of the Year , , , - , "
City on Our Knees "City on Our Knees" is a song by Christian artist TobyMac from his album, ''Tonight'' (2010). It was released as a radio single in August 2009 and reached No. 1 on ''Billboard''s Hot Christian Songs chart in October 2009. It also reached No. 8 on ...
" , , Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year , , , - , "
Lose My Soul "Lose My Soul" is a song by TobyMac from his third studio album, ''Portable Sounds'' (2007). It features gospel artist Kirk Franklin and contemporary Christian singer Mandisa and was released in 2008 as the fifth single from the album. The song was ...
" (featuring Kirk Franklin & Mandisa) , , Short Form Music Video of the Year , , , - , rowspan="6",
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
, , TobyMac , , Artist of the Year , , , - , " Get Back Up" , ,
Song of the Year Song of the Year may refer to: * Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year * Dove Award for Song of the Year * Golden Melody Award for Song of the Year * Grammis Song of the Year * Grammy Award for Song of the Year * Latin Grammy Awa ...
, , , - , " Get Back Up" , , Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year , , , - , " Showstopper" , , Rock Recorded Song of the Year , , , - , "Tonight" (featuring John Cooper of
Skillet A frying pan, frypan, or skillet is a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods. It is typically in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid. Larger pans may have a small grab ha ...
)
, , Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year , , , - , '' Tonight'' , , Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2",
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
, , '' Christmas in Diverse City'' , , Christmas Album of the Year , , , - , '' Christmas in Diverse City'' , , Recorded Music Packaging of the Year , , , - , rowspan="5",
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, , TobyMac , , Songwriter of the Year , , , - , TobyMac , , Artist of the Year , , , - , '' Eye On It'' , , Pop/ Contemporary Album of the Year , , , - , ''Eye on It'' , , Recorded Music Packaging of the Year , , , - , "Eye On It" (featuring Britt Nicole) , , Short Form Video of the Year , , , - ,
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
, , "This is Not a Test" , , Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year , , , - , rowspan="3",
2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
, , TobyMac , , Artist of the Year , , , - , ''Bring on the Holidays'' , , Short Form Video of the Year , , , - , ''Hits Deep Live'' , , Long Form Video of the Year , , , - , rowspan="5",
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
, , TobyMac , , Songwriter of the Year , , , - , TobyMac , , Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year, , , - , "I Just Need U." , , Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year , , , - , "I Just Need U." , , Short Form Video of the Year , , , - , ''Light of Christmas'' , , Christmas / Special Event Album of the Year , , , - , rowspan="4",
2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
, , TobyMac , , Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year , , , - , TobyMac , , Artist of the Year , , , - , "Everything" , , Song of the Year , , , - , ''The Elements'' , , Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year , , , - ,
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
, , TobyMac , , Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year , , , - ,
2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
, , "Help Is on the Way (Maybe Midnight)" , , Short Form Video of the Year , , , - , rowspan="3" ,
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
, , " Promised Land" , , Short Form Video of the Year (Concept) , , , - , ''Live In Denver'' , , Long Form Video of the Year , , , -


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tobymac 1964 births Living people American male rappers American performers of Christian hip hop music Performers of Christian electronic dance music DC Talk members Liberty University alumni ForeFront Records artists 21st-century American rappers