TobyMac - Hip Hop Artist, Timeline and Life
TobyMac's Personal Details
TobyMac is an American Christian hip-hop music producer, rapper, songwriter, singer, and recording artist
| Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birthday | October 22, 1964 |
| Nationality | American |
| Famous | Liberty University, Singers, Hip Hop Singers, Rappers, Gospel Singers, Hip Hop Artist |
| City/State | Virginia |
| Spouses | Amanda Levy McKeehan |
| Known as | Toby |
| Childrens | Judah McKeehan, Leo McKeehan, Marlee McKeehan, Moses McKeehan, Truett McKeehan |
| Universities |
|
| Notable Alumnis |
|
| Founder / Co-Founder |
|
| Birth Place | Fairfax |
| Height | 183 |
| Gender | Male |
| Sun Sign | Libra |
| Born in | Fairfax |
| Famous as | Hip-hop Artist |
| Socials |
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TobyMac's photo
Who is TobyMac?
TobyMac is an American Christian hip-hop music producer, songwriter, singer, and recording artist. Although Christian music is not considered to be as popular as traditional hip-hop music, Toby’s songs prove to be a pleasant exception. Born and raised in Virginia in a traditional Christian family, Toby was an avid music lover since his early days. In the late 1980s, Toby formed a group called ‘DC Talk,’ with two of his friends, Kevin Max Smith and Michael Tait. ‘DC Talk’ released several successful albums. After the trio took a break from making music together, Toby embarked on a solo music career. He began with the 2001 album ‘Momentum.’ Mixing urban rock and beats with authentic Christian music worked for Toby, leading the album to become a big hit. Since then, Toby has had six successful studio albums and a Christmas album called ‘Christmas in Diverse City’ to his credit. In the course of his solo career, Toby has won seven ‘Grammy Awards’ and sold more than 10 million copies of his albums. Toby has also penned a few novels, including two novels belonging to the ‘Jesus Freaks’ series with Kevin Max and Michael Tait.
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Childhood & Early Life
TobyMac was born on October 22, 1964, in the suburbs of Virginia, to devout Christian parents. Toby discovered his love for contemporary music very early in life and listened to everything from rap to hip-hop to rock music. At the age of 13, he went to a church camp where he was inspired by words from the ‘Bible.’ Very few musicians apart from him have combined biblical words with music.
His real inspiration came from the singer Sting, whom he saw leading his band, ‘The Police,’ in 1983. He immediately fell in love with the music and the fact that music could be beautiful and provocative at the same time. After graduating from a local high school, he became serious about a career in music and started looking for like-minded individuals to begin his career with.
Toby went to high school with Michael Tait, and in 1987, their common love for music had them forming a duo called ‘DC Talk.’ They both attended ‘Liberty University,’ where they met Kevin Max Smith, and when Kevin joined them, things finally started falling into place.
Career
The trio released their first album, ‘DC Talk,’ in 1989, and following its success, they embarked on a nationwide tour. This earned them further mainstream exposure. Riding high on the success of their debut effort, they released their second album, ‘Nu Thang,’ in 1990. The sophomore effort surpassed ‘DC Talk’ in terms of success and achieved the “gold” certification from the ‘Recording Industry Association of America’ (RIAA.)
Their success streak continued with their third album, ‘Free at Last,’ which surpassed ‘Nu Thang’ in terms of success. The album was later certified “platinum” by the ‘RIAA.’ Their mainstream success had them appearing on ‘The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,’ making them household names in America. Their music presented soulful and fresh sounds resulting from a complex mixture of grunge, contemporary Christian music, and rap.
They were at the peak of their careers, with the release of their 1995 album ‘Jesus Freak.’ The album was tagged as “double-platinum” and was followed by the grand ‘Jesus Freak Tour.’ In 1998, the trio released their last full-fledged album, titled ‘Supernatural,’ which was another pleasant success story.
In 2002, ‘DC Talk’ was named “the most popular overtly Christian act of all time” by ‘The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music.’ Barring ‘DC Talk’ and ‘Supernatural,’ all their albums have been honored with at least one ‘Grammy’ award.
In the early 2000s, before the trio parted ways, they released an EP named ‘Solo, which contained two new songs from each of their solo ventures. By that time, all three had started working seriously on their solo projects.
Toby’s debut solo album, ‘Momentum,’ debuted at the top spot on the ‘Billboard Heatseekers’ chart in 2001. The modern mixture of rap and grunge sounds became Toby’s signature. Several songs from the album, such as ‘Extreme Days,’ ‘Get this Party Started,’ and ‘Yours,’ were featured in various films and TV series. All three songs, along with the single ‘Momentum’ were featured in the video game ‘Crackdown.’ The album won several ‘Dove Awards’ and a ‘Grammy’ nomination.
Keeping the genre technically similar, with a little dose of reggae, Toby released ‘Welcome to Diverse City’ in 2004. The album worked well with critics and listeners and earned him the ‘Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year’ award at the ‘Dove Awards.’ Toby further presented the remixed versions of his first two solo albums to general appreciation.
His 2007 album ‘Portable Sounds’ was yet another mixture of signature Toby beats and unconventional sounds. The album was another addition to his pile of successful albums. The album debuted at number 10 on the ‘Billboard 200’ chart and at the first spot on the ‘SoundScan Contemporary Christian Overall’ chart. Toby won the ‘Artist of the Year’ award at the ‘Dove Awards’ for his remarkable work in the album.
His first live album as a solo artist was ‘Alive and Transported,’ which released in 2008 and earned Toby one ‘Grammy’ and one ‘GMA Dove’ award. The album featured the cover versions of several successful ‘DC Talk’ singles from the 1990s and Toby’s solo singles.
In 2010, ‘Tonight’ released and sold 79,000 copies in the first week of its release. It reached number six on the ‘Billboard 200’ chart. It featured Latin and funk sounds in addition to Toby’s signature hip-hop, rap, and rock beats and became another successful experiment.
In 2011, Toby released his debut Christmas album, ‘Christmas in Diverse City,’ which was a result of Toby’s collaboration with several other musicians. In 2012, Toby released ‘Dubbed and Freq’d: A Remix Project,’ a collection of remixes of songs from his previous two albums.
His next studio album, ‘Eye on It,’ released in late 2012 and aced the ‘Billboard 200’ charts, making it the first Christian album since 1997 to receive the honor. However, the album plunged to the eighth spot in the second week of its release.
In August 2015, ‘This Is Not a Test’ released and debuted at the fourth spot on the ‘Billboard 200’ chart. Selling 35,000 copies in the first week of its release, it aced the ‘Top Christian Albums’ chart.
Toby has co-written two novels with his former ‘DC Talk’ members, Kevin Max Smith and Michael Tait. The books belong to the ‘Jesus Freaks’ series and glorify the lives of several Christian martyrs. He has also written ‘Under God’ and ‘Living under God: Discovering Your Part in God's Plan’ with Tait.
Toby has regularly made appearances on TV talk shows, and the rights of several of his songs have been bought by film and TV producers to be used in their films and series.
Personal Life
TobyMac and his wife Amanda are married since 1994. She is from Jamaica, and Toby regularly visits her hometown. His love for Jamaican music has been reflected in a few of his songs. The couple currently lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with their five children.
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TobyMac's awards
| Year | Name | Award |
|---|---|---|
Grammy Awards | ||
| 2013 | Best Contemporary Christian Music Album | Winner |
TobyMac biography timelines
- // 22nd Oct 1964TobyMac was born on October 22, 1964, in the suburbs of Virginia, to devout Christian parents. Toby discovered his love for contemporary music very early in life and listened to everything from rap to hip-hop to rock music. At the age of 13, he went to a church camp where he was inspired by words from the ‘Bible.’ Very few musicians apart from him have combined biblical words with music.
- // 1987Toby went to high school with Michael Tait, and in 1987, their common love for music had them forming a duo called ‘DC Talk.’ They both attended ‘Liberty University,’ where they met Kevin Max Smith, and when Kevin joined them, things finally started falling into place.
- // 1989The trio released their first album, ‘DC Talk,’ in 1989, and following its success, they embarked on a nationwide tour. This earned them further mainstream exposure. Riding high on the success of their debut effort, they released their second album, ‘Nu Thang,’ in 1990. The sophomore effort surpassed ‘DC Talk’ in terms of success and achieved the “gold” certification from the ‘Recording Industry Association of America’ (RIAA.)
- // 1994TobyMac and his wife Amanda are married since 1994. She is from Jamaica, and Toby regularly visits her hometown. His love for Jamaican music has been reflected in a few of his songs. The couple currently lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with their five children.
- // 1995They were at the peak of their careers, with the release of their 1995 album ‘Jesus Freak.’ The album was tagged as “double-platinum” and was followed by the grand ‘Jesus Freak Tour.’ In 1998, the trio released their last full-fledged album, titled ‘Supernatural,’ which was another pleasant success story.
- // 2002In 2002, ‘DC Talk’ was named “the most popular overtly Christian act of all time” by ‘The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music.’ Barring ‘DC Talk’ and ‘Supernatural,’ all their albums have been honored with at least one ‘Grammy’ award.
- // 2004Keeping the genre technically similar, with a little dose of reggae, Toby released ‘Welcome to Diverse City’ in 2004. The album worked well with critics and listeners and earned him the ‘Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year’ award at the ‘Dove Awards.’ Toby further presented the remixed versions of his first two solo albums to general appreciation.
- // 2007His 2007 album ‘Portable Sounds’ was yet another mixture of signature Toby beats and unconventional sounds. The album was another addition to his pile of successful albums. The album debuted at number 10 on the ‘Billboard 200’ chart and at the first spot on the ‘SoundScan Contemporary Christian Overall’ chart. Toby won the ‘Artist of the Year’ award at the ‘Dove Awards’ for his remarkable work in the album.
- // 2008His first live album as a solo artist was ‘Alive and Transported,’ which released in 2008 and earned Toby one ‘Grammy’ and one ‘GMA Dove’ award. The album featured the cover versions of several successful ‘DC Talk’ singles from the 1990s and Toby’s solo singles.
- // 2010In 2010, ‘Tonight’ released and sold 79,000 copies in the first week of its release. It reached number six on the ‘Billboard 200’ chart. It featured Latin and funk sounds in addition to Toby’s signature hip-hop, rap, and rock beats and became another successful experiment.
- // 2011In 2011, Toby released his debut Christmas album, ‘Christmas in Diverse City,’ which was a result of Toby’s collaboration with several other musicians. In 2012, Toby released ‘Dubbed and Freq’d: A Remix Project,’ a collection of remixes of songs from his previous two albums.
- // 2012His next studio album, ‘Eye on It,’ released in late 2012 and aced the ‘Billboard 200’ charts, making it the first Christian album since 1997 to receive the honor. However, the album plunged to the eighth spot in the second week of its release.
- // 2015In August 2015, ‘This Is Not a Test’ released and debuted at the fourth spot on the ‘Billboard 200’ chart. Selling 35,000 copies in the first week of its release, it aced the ‘Top Christian Albums’ chart.
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TobyMac's FAQ
What is TobyMac birthday?
TobyMac was born at 1964-10-22
Where is TobyMac's birth place?
TobyMac was born in Fairfax
What is TobyMac nationalities?
TobyMac's nationalities is American
Who is TobyMac spouses?
TobyMac's spouses is Amanda Levy McKeehan
Who is TobyMac childrens?
TobyMac's childrens is Judah McKeehan, Leo McKeehan, Marlee McKeehan, Moses McKeehan, Truett McKeehan
What was TobyMac universities?
TobyMac studied at Liberty University, Liberty University
What was TobyMac notable alumnis?
TobyMac's notable alumnis is Liberty University
Which company or organization was founded by TobyMac?
TobyMac was the founder/co-founder of Gotee Records
How tall is TobyMac?
TobyMac's height is 183
What is TobyMac's sun sign?
TobyMac is Libra
How famous is TobyMac?
TobyMac is famouse as Hip-hop Artist
What is TobyMac's facebook?
TobyMac's facebook is https://www.facebook.com/tobymac
What is TobyMac's twitter?
TobyMac's twitter is https://twitter.com/officialtobymac
What is TobyMac's youtube?
TobyMac's youtube is https://www.youtube.com/user/TobyMacVEVO
What is TobyMac's instagram?
TobyMac's instagram is https://www.instagram.com/officialtobymac/