TobyMac

Real name Kevin Michael McKeehan, American rapper, singer, songwriter and producer TobyMac (or Toby Mac) is known both as a member of the group DC Talk and for his rap-rock solo output, which has made him one of the most awarded artists in contemporary Christian music. Born in Fairfax, Virginia, on October 22, 1964, he met Michael Tait and Kevin Max Smith at university, with whom he formed the rap and rock trio DC Talk in 1987, of which he is the principal composer and musician. After five of the group's albums released between 1989 and 1998, three of which topped the Billboard Christian Music charts, and sixteen of which reached number one, TobyMac embarked on a solo career with the Grammy-nominated Momentum (2001), No. 8 on the Christian Albums chart (No. 110 on the Billboard 200), followed in 2003 by Re: Mix Momentum. On his next album, Welcome to the Diverse City (2004, No. 3 on the Christian Albums chart), the musician invited his former DC Talk partners on a remix of the track "Atmosphere". Apart from the Christmas albums Christmas in Diverse City (2011) and Light of Christmas (2017) and the remix projects, the following six original collections rank at #1 on the Christian market. Solo or accompanied by established artists in the genre such as Kirk Franklin, TobyMac in turn signed the albums Portable Sounds (2007) and its flagship track "Made to Love" (#1 on the Christian chart), Tonight (2010), represented by the number ones "City on Your Knees" and "Get Back", then and Eye on It (2012), which also landed at #1 on the Billboard 200 and from which "Me Without You" is taken. In 2015, his successor This Is Not a Test (No. 4), which earned him a 3rd Grammy Award, earned him four tracks in the Christian top 5. The genre's leading artist for two decades, TobyMac's 2018 album The Elements (No. 18 on the Billboard 200), driven by the songs "I Just Need U" (No. 1) and "Everything" (No. 6). From 2020 to 2022, six tracks precede the release of the album Life Ater Death (#1 on the Christian chart and #34 on the Billboard 200), including "Help Is on the Way" (#3 on the Christian chart) and the first version of "Promised Land", later duetted with Sheryl Crow. Back with a new series of singles, including the Christian #1 "Nothin' Sweeter", the artist signed his tenth album Heaven on My Mind (2025), ranked #6 on the Christian charts and featuring collaborations with Juan Winans and Terrian.