Heath Daniel McNease is an American

Christian hip hop 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 ...

and

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...

musician who is primarily a

worship Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. It may involve one or more of activities such as veneration, adoration, praise, and praying. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recognition ...

musician in the

Christian music Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely around ...

movement. He released four albums with

7Spin Music 7Spin Music is an independent Christian record label based in Valparaiso, Indiana. It was founded by Peter Khosla in 2004. Sevenglory’s first single, "Just Me" was the label's first top ten single to chart at '' R&R'' magazine. Artist list C ...

, two of those hip hop releases, ''The Heath McNease Fanclub Meets'' in 2007 and ''The Gun Show'' in 2010, while he released two

roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...

releases, ''The House Always Wins'' in 2010 and ''Shine On'' in 2010. The remainder of his albums have been released independently. He released four hip hop albums, ''Straight Outta Console: The Nintendo Thumb Mixtape'' in 2011, ''Thrift Store Jesus'' in 2012, ''Jesus Shuttlesworth: The Mixtape'' and ''The Weight of Glory: Second Edition (A Hip Hop Remix Inspired by the Works of C.S. Lewis)'' in 2013, and ''Among Thieves'' in 2014, while two were folk rock roots releases, ''The Weight of Glory - Songs Inspired by the Works of C.S. Lewis'' in 2012, and ''Fort Wayne'' in 2014.

Early life

McNease was born Heath Daniel McNease in

Colquitt, Georgia Colquitt is a city in Miller County, in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 1,992 at the 2010 census. Colquitt is the county seat of Miller County, a role it has held since just after Miller County was create ...

. His parents raised him and his siblings in the church, where his father was a deacon, and his mother was the choir director. The hip hop influence was imparted to him by his two older brothers, while a cousin, and his mother in particular, got him listening to

music. McNease graduated post-secondary school from Miller County High School, and went on to graduate from

Bainbridge State College Bainbridge State College was a public college in Bainbridge, Georgia. It was part of the University System of Georgia which was merged it into Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in 2017. The college's campus was located on of land just inside ...

. Two years later he obtained his

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachelor ...

degree from

Valdosta State University Valdosta State University (VSU or Valdosta State) is a public university in Valdosta, Georgia. It is one of the four comprehensive universities in the University System of Georgia. , VSU had over 12,000 undergraduate and graduate students. VSU a ...

Music career

He started his music recording career in 2005, with his first studio album, ''The Heath McNease Fanclub Meets Tonight'', which was released by

on April 24, 2007. The subsequent two studio albums, Shine On'' and ''The Gun Show'', were released on the same day, May 4, 2010, from 7Spin Music. His next release – ''The House Always Wins'' – released by 7Spin Music on February 22, 2011, was his last release with the aforementioned label. The next release, a

mix tape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

, ''Straight Outta Console: The Nintendo Thumb Mixtape'', was independently released on July 3, 2011, and all of his forthcoming releases would be released independently. His follow-up release, ''Thrift Store Jesus'', was released on February 28, 2012. The forthcoming release, ''The Weight of Glory - Songs Inspired by the Works of C.S. Lewis'', was released on August 14, 2012. He released ''Jesus Shuttlesworth: The Mixtape'', another mix tape, on February 19, 2013. There was another release, on January 10, 2013, ''The Weight of Glory: Second Edition (A Hip Hop Remix Inspired by the Works of CS Lewis)''. He released two albums in 2014, the first, ''Fort Wayne'', on September 23. The second, ''Among Thieves'', was released on November 18. He released, an extended play, ''Salem Songs'', his third EP on October 22, 2015.

Discography

;Studio albums * ''The Heath McNease Fan Club Meets Tonight'' (April 24, 2007, 7Spin, hip hop) * ''Shine On'' (May 4, 2010, 7Spin, folk rock) * ''The Gun Show'' (May 4, 2010, 7Spin, hip hop) * ''The House Always Wins'' (February 22, 2011, folk rock) ;Independent albums * ''Thrift Store Jesus'' (February 28, 2012, hip hop) * ''The Weight of Glory - Songs Inspired by the Works of C.S. Lewis'' (August 14, 2012, folk rock) * ''The Weight of Glory: Second Edition (A Hip Hop Remix Inspired by the Works of C.S. Lewis)'' (January 10, 2013, hip hop) * ''Fort Wayne'' (September 23, 2014, folk rock) * ''Among Thieves'' (November 18, 2014, hip hop) ;Mix tapes * ''Straight Outta Console: The Nintendo Thumb Mixtape'' (July 3, 2011, hip hop) * ''Jesus Shuttlesworth: The Mixtape'' (December 11, 2012, hip hop) ;EPs * ''Losing Daylight'' (October 30, 2012, independent, folk rock) * ''Gold'' (September 18, 2015, Collaboration with

Jetty Rae Jetty Rae (born January 13, 1987) is an unsigned indie folk American singer-songwriter (also part of the group Pen Pals) whose career began in Kona, Hawaii but now resides in Michigan. Notable appearances include Lilith Fair 2010, CMJ Music Fe ...

, as Pen Pals) * ''Salem Songs'' (October 22, 2015, independent, folk rock) * "Who Knows? Who Cares? (August 10, 2016, independent, hip hop)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:McNease, Heath Living people American performers of Christian music Musicians from Georgia (U.S. state) Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Colquitt, Georgia Valdosta State University alumni Performers of Christian hip hop music Year of birth missing (living people) Pen Pals (band) members