Rene Francisco Sotomayor, better known by the stage name T-Bone, is a

Christian rap Christian hip hop (originally gospel rap, also known as Christian rap, gospel hip hop or holy hip hop) is a subgenre of contemporary Christian music and hip hop music. It emerged from urban contemporary music and Christian media in the United S ...

per. His father was Nicaraguan and his mother is Salvadoran. His name came from being called 'Bones' as a youngster because he was very skinny. The 'T' was "added to give the name a little slang edge."

Music career

According to published interview, he started rapping at the age of seven at parties and in ''

rap battles Battle rap (also known as rap battling)Edwards, Paul, 2009, p. 25. is a type of rapping performed between two or more performers that incorporates boasts, insults and wordplay. Battle rap is often performed or freestyled spontaneously in live ...

''. He was close to getting a gangsta rap record, but, after changing his life, he opened for a noted rock group at that time which led him to getting signed to his first inspirational record deal that very night. His first three albums: ''Redeemed Hoodlum'' in 1993, ''Tha Life of a Hoodlum'' in 1995 and ''Tha Hoodlum's Testimony'' in 1996 were released on the independent Metro One record label. All three albums were characterized by being

gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...

albums, which was rare in the inspirational music scene at the time. In 1997, he released ''History of a Hoodlum'', a compilation set of hits from his first three albums was released on the Metro One record label. After a brief hiatus, T-Bone released his fourth album, and first on the Flicker Records music label, '' Tha Last Street Preacha'', in 2001, to critical acclaim. ''Tha Last Street Preacha'' was nominated for the Rock Gospel Album

Grammy Award 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 ...

. and saw T-Bone break into the

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 ...

market. It was the first rap album to debut at No. 7 on the Christian Contemporary Music charts. 2002 saw an increased exposure of T-Bone to both Christian and mainstream markets with the release of his fifth album, ''Gospelalphamegafunkyboogiediscomusic''. The album was characterized by the guest appearance of hip-hop legend ''

KRS-One Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from New York City. He rose to prominence as part of ...

'' on the title track – returning the favor of the controversial guest spot T-Bone had made on KRS-One's ''

Spiritual Minded ''Spiritual Minded'' is the fifth solo studio album by American rapper and record producer KRS-One. It was released on January 22, 2002 through Koch Records. Recording sessions took place at Slammin' Studios. Production was handled by BB Jay, Berv ...

'' album earlier in the year. 2005 saw the release of his most controversial, and successful, album to date: ''

Bone-A-Fide ''Bone-A-Fide'' is an album released by Christian rapper T-Bone. It was released in 2005. The album charted at #25 on the Billboard Christian albums chart and #44 on the Billboard Heatseakers chart. Track listing #The Rally #12 Years Ago #Har ...

''. ''Bone-A-Fide''s album cover controversially featured T-Bone in an image evoking

Che Guevara Ernesto Che Guevara (; 14 June 1928The date of birth recorded on /upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Ernesto_Guevara_Acta_de_Nacimiento.jpg his birth certificatewas 14 June 1928, although one tertiary source, (Julia Constenla, quoted ...

, leading to concerns that he was promoting

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

ideologies – charges he denied. Adding to the controversy were collaborations with two major secular rappers: Mack 10 and

Chino XL Derek Keith Barbosa (born April 8, 1974), better known by his stage name Chino XL, is an American rapper, and actor. He has released four solo studio albums, in which his most recent – ''Ricanstruction: The Black Rosary'' – won the 2012 HHU ...

. ''Bone-A-Fide'' was his first album not to be produced by long-time collaborator Chase Dante and, perhaps deliberately, saw T-Bone move away from the previous

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

sound of his earlier albums to a smoother, more

East Coast East Coast may refer to: Entertainment * East Coast hip hop, a subgenre of hip hop * East Coast (ASAP Ferg song), "East Coast" (ASAP Ferg song), 2017 * East Coast (Saves the Day song), "East Coast" (Saves the Day song), 2004 * East Coast FM, a ra ...

sound. Also, in 2005, he was featured as

Jairus The raising of Jairus' daughter is a reported miracle of Jesus that occurs in the synoptic Gospels, where it is interwoven with the account of the healing of a bleeding woman. The narratives can be found in Mark 5:21–43, Matthew 9:18–26 a ...

in the rock opera ''

!Hero ''!HERO'' is a 2003 Christian rock opera about Jesus. It is based on the question, "What if Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania?". After the original tour in 2003 ended, it was released on DVD, CD, and was written into a trilogy of novels ...

'', along with

Michael Tait Michael DeWayne Tait (born May 18, 1966) is an American contemporary Christian music artist. Michael Tait met Toby McKeehan in 1984 when he was in high school. Both Toby and Michael met Kevin Max while attending Liberty University in the late 19 ...

of Tait and

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 ...

Rebecca St. James Rebecca Jean Fink (; born 26 July 1977), known professionally as Rebecca Jean or Rebecca St. James, is an Australian Christian pop rock singer, songwriter and actress. She began performing in Australia in the late 1980s and released her first ...

, and Mark Stuart of Audio Adrenaline. '' Bone-Appétit: Servin' Up tha Hits'', a compilation set of hits from his last three albums was released on September 25, 2007. ''Pa mi Dios y Pa mi Gente'' (''For My God and For My People'') was released on April 7, 2017 and ''Broken English'' was released on March 15, 2018.

Other works

Film career

T-Bone stars in the film ''The Rally'', co-starring Kenneth Copeland. It was released in late 2009 to early 2010. T-Bone's first major film role was in 2003, playing the role of Briggs, a rapping prisoner in the comedy-romance motion picture '' The Fighting Temptations'', which starred Cuba Gooding Jr. and Beyoncé Knowles. In the film, T-Bone performs the song "To da River" with secular artists Lil Zane and Montell Jordan. T-Bone also co-starred in the 2006

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

film ''

All You've Got ''All You've Got'' is a 2006 sport/drama film directed by Neema Barnette and starring stars Ciara Harris and Adrienne Bailon. The film debuted on MTV. Plot summary A rivalry between two volleyball teams (the Phantoms and the Madonnas) causes a ...

'' which starred

Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pa ...

and Adrienne Bailon of

The Cheetah Girls The Cheetah Girls may refer to: * The Cheetah Girls (franchise), a series of young adult novels by Deborah Gregory and the spin-offs made from the novels, including a film series ** ''The Cheetah Girls'' (film), a 2003 Disney Channel Original Movie ...

. His other films include

Carman In Celtic mythology, Carman or Carmun was a warrior and sorceress from Athens who tried to invade Ireland in the days of the Tuatha Dé Danann, along with her three sons, Dub ("black"), Dother ("evil") and Dian ("violence"). She used her magical ...

and Stephen Yake's ''R.I.O.T.'' and starred in ''Black Rose'' in 2003. He appeared 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 ...

''.

TV shows

* ''Real Videos'' (TBN): T-Bone has been the host of Real Videos since 1997. * ''TX 10'' (JC-TV): T-Bone has been the host since 2006. * ''Hope and Glory'' ( Gospel Music Channel) * ''Hispanic College Quiz'' ( NBC): T-Bone was a co-host.

Works

Albums

Collaborative works

* Appeared in the rock opera ''

'' both on the recording and touring show.

Music videos

*2018: "Ain't Ashamed" *2018: "Chuurch" *2016: "Volare" featuring Marcos Witt *2007: "Name Droppin'" *2005: "Can I Live" (Produced by Kenn Michael for CODEKRAFT) *2001: "Ride Wit' Me" (Produced by King Tech for Bolo Entertainment) *1996: "Throwing Out tha Wicked" (Produced by Bill Boyde) *1992: "Lyrical Assassin" (Produced by Dough Green)

Films

*''

'' (RGM Films LLC) *''

'' (Paramount Pictures/ MTV Films) *'' The Fighting Temptations'' (Paramount Pictures/ MTV Films) *''R.I.O.T.'' (Steven Yake Productions) *''Black Rose'' (Short)

Other

* Performer at 2004 GMA Gospel Music's Dove Awards (UPN, PAX) * Featured performer at the 2003 MovieGuide Awards * Featured performer/Presenter at the 2003 Arpa Awards (Telemundo/Univision) * Presenter at 2001 Stellar Awards * Featured performer at the 2000 ALMA Awards with Kirk Franklin * Television appearances include "E!", "Live at the Apollo", "MTV's "The Cut" and "From the Church to the Charts", "LA TV", "Urban Latino", "Despierta America" (Univision), "Entertainment News" (Telemundo), "Entertainment News" (MGM Latin American Network), and "Keeping it Real" (Soundtrack Channel)

Awards and nominations

Grammy Nominations

*2001 ''Tha Last Street Preacha'' - Best Rock Gospel Album *2007 Best Rap/Rock Gospel Album of the year: ''Bone-a-fide!'' *2008 Best Gospel Performance: "With Long Life" with Israel Houghton

Visionary Award Nominations

*2009 Hip Hop/Rap Performer of the Year

Dove Awards

2008: *Winner of Rap/Hip-Hop Song of the Year "Name-Droppin" 2004: * Winner of special event album (''

'', a rock opera) * Nomination for Rap/Hip-Hop Album (Gospelalphamegafunkyboogiediscomusic) * Nomination for Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song (''Raised in Harlem'' from ''!Hero'') 2002: * Nomination for Rap/Hip-Hop Album, (Tha Last Street Preacha) * Nomination for Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song (Ride Wit Me) * Nomination for Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded (King of My Life) 1997: * Nomination for Rap/Hip Hop Album (Tha Hoodlums Testimony) * Nomination for Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song (Keep on Praising) 1995: * Nomination for Rap/Hip-Hop Album (Tha Life of a Hoodlum) * Nomination for Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song" (Throwing Out Tha Wicked) 1993: * Nomination for Rap/Hip Hop Album (Redeemed Hoodlum) * Nomination for Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song (Lyrical Assassin)

Collaborations

Songs

* "Alabemos" by Marcos Witt ( Sigues Siendo Dios ) * "Gospelalphamegafunkyboogiediscomusic" KRS-One * "With Long Life" Israel & New Breed * "Lonely Man" Audio Arenaline (Lift) * "We're a Band" Audio Adrenaline (Live from Hawaii) * "A Few Good Men" Mack 10 * "You Can't Win" Chino XL * "1,2,3 Praise!" Virtue * "Joy" Feat. Joi of Brownstone * "The Slam" tobyMac * "The Slam Dubb Remix tobyMac * "Rubber House" Rachael Lampa * "With Long Life" Israel & New Breed * "To Da River" featuring Lil' Zane and Montell Jordan (from ''The Fighting Temptations'') * "I'm Thankful" by Yolanda Adams (from the album ''Believe'') * "With long life" by Israel Houghton and New Breed * "Te Amo," by Israel and New Breed * "I Can't Schleep" by J.C. Crew * "Mi Dios es grande" by Josue Del Cid * "Wrapped Up (Remix)" by Dawkins & Dawkins * "What a Fool I've Been" by Crystal Lewis (also features J-Raw)

Soundtracks

* "To Da River," featuring Montell Jordan and

Lil' Zane Zane Copeland, Jr. (born July 11, 1982), better known as Lil' Zane or simply Zane, is an American rapper. He is perhaps best known for his single " Callin' Me" (featuring 112) from his debut studio album '' Young World: The Future'' (2000). Ea ...

from "The Fighting Temptations Soundtrack" * "Raised in Harlem," featuring Michael Tait for ''!Hero'' * "The Struggle Continues," featuring KRS-ONE for Spiritual Minded * "I'm Thankful," featuring

Yolanda Adams Yolanda Yvette Adams (born August 27, 1961) is an American gospel singer, actress, and host of her own nationally syndicated morning gospel show. She is one of the best-selling gospel artists of all time, having sold over 10 million album ...

for Believe * "Lonely Man," featuring Audio Adrenaline for Lift * "My Story" and " God is Exalted," featuring Carman for R.I.O.T. * "Little Jackie" and "What a Fool I've Been," featuring Crystal Lewis for Fearless * "King of My Life," featuring

Natalie LaRue Natalie Marie Murray (''née'', LaRue; born December 28, 1983) is an American singer and songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. She has released four studio albums with her band LaRue, formed with her brother Phillip; and an EP as solo artist. ...

for Soul Lift * "Wrapped Up," featuring Dawkins and Dawkins for Focus * "Sooner or Later," featuring Freedom of Soul for The 2 nd Coming * "Watcha Gonna Do," featuring JC and the Boyz for Chill 4 A While * "I Can't Schleep," featuring J.C. Crew for Serius Bizness * "With Long Life," Featuring Israel and New Breed for A Deeper Level * "Te Amo," featuring Israel and New Breed Jesus at the Center * "Alabemos," featuring Marcos Witt (Album : Sigues Siendo Dios )

Producers

* Fredwreck (Dr. Dre,

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

, Xzibit, Dogg Pound, Westside Connection, Mack 10) * Warryn Campbell (

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...

Mary Mary Mary Mary is a female American urban contemporary gospel duo composed of sisters Erica Atkins-Campbell (born April 29, 1972) and Trecina Atkins-Campbell (born May 1, 1974). Formed in 1998, Mary Mary was launched into mainstream recognition fo ...

) * Bosko (

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

, LiL Jon, E-40, Master P) * Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

) *

Darkchild Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists. Jerkins has won multiple Grammy Awards. Among hi ...

(Destiny's Child, Brandy, Christina Aguilera, Brian McKnight, Mary J. Blige, Kirk Franklin) * King Tech (Eminem, Sly Boogie, Chino XL, Common) * Tommy Simms (Babyface, Eric Clapton, Carman) * Rex Rideout (Mary J. Blige, Angie Stone, Luther Vandross, The Temptations) * Buster and Shavoni (

, Kirk Franklin, God's Property) * Avila Bros. (Jessica Simpson, Janet Jackson, Usher, Mariah Carey, Macy Gray) * Bobby "Bobcat" Ervin (2pac, Ice Cube, LL Cool J, Mack 10, Eazy E) * Dwayne "Muffla" Simon (Run DMC, LL Cool J, King Tee) * Chase (Dr. Dre, Az Yet, Rakeem, KRS-ONE, Mista Grimm) * David Bannister (Carman, Cee-Cee Winans, Jaci Velasquez)

Additional highlights

* Lifetime music sales exceed 800,000 units * Selected to do commercials on MTV for "The Cut" * Did four commercials on MTV with Beyonce and Mike Epps for "The Fighting Temptations" * Partnered in 2008 with the Hands & Feet Project, started by Christian band Audio Adrenaline, to build churches and an orphanage in Nicaragua. T-Bone's parents will be moving to Nicaragua to run a children's village.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:T-Bone 1973 births 21st-century American rappers American people of Nicaraguan descent American people of Salvadoran descent American performers of Christian music Flicker Records artists G-funk artists Hip hop activists Hip hop musicians from San Francisco Hispanic and Latino American rappers Living people Performers of Christian hip hop music Rappers from the San Francisco Bay Area