Christian rapper tobyMac headlines show that includes seven other artists

The Show Me Center will be the site of an evening of Christian hip-hop, rap and pop music when six-time Grammy winner TobyMac hits the stage Dec. 13 with his Hits Deep tour.

The concert, scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m., will feature TobyMac -- that's the stage name of Toby McKeehan -- and an array of Christian recording artists including Brandon Heath, Mandisa, Jamie Grace, Colton Dixon, Chris August and Capital Kings.

"The Hits Deep tour is deep in hits and hits you in a deep place," TobyMac said in an interview from his home in Franklin, Tenn. "It's based on how Motown acts used to perform. There's going to be hit songs performed all night long."

As one of the biggest acts in Christian music, TobyMac knows a thing or two about hit songs. While a member of the legendary Christian rap-pop group DC Talk with Michael Tait and Kevin Max Smith, he helped the propel the group to the forefront of the new Christian sound of the early 1990s with four Grammy wins and the songs "Heavenbound," "Can I Get A Witness" and the groundbreaking anthem of faith, "Jesus Freak." After the members of DC Talk went their separate ways in 2000, TobyMac successfully transitioned into a solo artist with albums that include "Welcome to Diverse City," the Grammy-winning live concert album and DVD combo "Alive and Transported" and 2012's "Eye on It," which received a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album and for a week was No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart

Between DC Talk and his own solo career, TobyMac has sold more than 10 million albums and has had six No. 1 contemporary hit radio singles, including "Gone," "Made to Love" and "Lose My Soul." Five singles have gone to No. 1 on Billboard's Christian Songs chart, tying him with Third Day for fourth on the list of artists with the most No. 1 hits on that chart.

Not bad for a guy who said that he had to be dragged to church on Sundays while growing up in northern Virginia.

"My mom would do it," TobyMac said. "It wasn't until I was 13 and at a Christian summer camp when I really sat down and read parts of the Bible. I decided then that I wanted to follow God."

TobyMac's faith in God led him to enroll at the Christian-oriented Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., which was where he met Tait and Smith in 1987.

"Michael had already put out some CDs and I was rapping," he said. "I would also run sound for Michael at church shows. Finally I asked him, 'What if we did something where I rapped and he sang a soulful chorus?' We later met Kevin, who could provide a rock sound. That's when we got started as DC Talk."

DC Talk released its self-titled first album in 1989 and soon began to attract attention as energetic Christian hip-hop artists and was able to land an opening-act spot with Christian recording artist Michael W. Smith, who TobyMac credits with putting DC Talk in front of a lot of people.

"Michael was a great person to be with," he said. "We couldn't have asked for anyone better to go on tour with. We were with him for three years while we supported our albums 'Nu Thang' and 'Free at Last.'"

The album "Nu Thang," released in 1990, continued the hip-hop sound of DC Talk and eventually sold more 500,000 copies. Their third album, 1992's "Free at Last," has achieved platinum status and exhibited more of a rock sound. The popularity of the album led to the group's appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

"Things started taking off after that," TobyMac said. "Doors started opening. I also believe that a lot of people were liking us not only because we were a Christian band but also because they liked good music."

DC Talk's next album, "Jesus Freak," was released in 1995 and achieved the highest first-week sales of any Christian release in history, reaching No. 16 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. The album, which ultimately achieved double-platinum status, incorporated pop-rock sound combined with hip-hop and included the title cut "Jesus Freak," a song that remains a favorite with fans of Christian music.

"The song resonated with teens in particular," TobyMac said. "It's definitely an anthem. It broke new ground and marked a new day in spiritual music."

For the remainder of the 1990s, DC Talk, like any other band, did its share of touring to promote albums and entertain legions of fans; TobyMac said that during life on the road, temptation was always out there.

"Do we all stumble and fall?" he asked. "Yes. But you have to get back up and ask God for forgiveness. I was lucky to have been in a band that held each other accountable. We walked together and encouraged each other."

DC Talk continued to perform and be a dominate force in Christian music, and in 2000 the group decided to go on "hiatus," as TobyMac called it.

"It was just time," he said. "You're either climbing, camping or descending, and we were sort of just camping. We decided there were new mountains to climb."

The newest mountain for TobyMac to climb would be the release of his first solo album, "Momentum," in 2001.

"I just sort of eased into it," he said. "I loved the creative process and having to stretch my voice. It was good to push myself and ask God to give me the strength to create something good."

TobyMac continued to create good things with each successive albums. He said that "Eye On It" has been his most personal project.

"It contains references to a lot of personal things that were going on in my life," he said. "But when it topped Billboard's Top 200 chart, I was blown away. I thank God for that."

About his Dec. 13 performance at the Show Me Center, TobyMac said it will be a unique concert experience.

"There will be seven artists performing but the night will flow well," he said. "The sounds are diverse and the people there will definitely enjoy it. We want to make sure that we give people their hard-earned money's worth."

People wishing to purchase tickets for the show should hurry, according to Josh Hanlon, marketing director at the Show Me Center.

"We've sold about 4,000 tickets already," Hanlon said. "We're expecting at least a near-capacity crowd, or we could even sell out."

Tickets for tobyMac's Hits Deep tour are $20, $26 and $36 and may be purchased at the Show Me Center ticket office, by calling 651-5000 or visiting showmecenter.biz. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The first 200 Southeast Missouri State University students to purchase tickets will receive $10 off tickets purchased in person at the Show Me Center box office with a student ID. The VIP upgrade is $35 and includes early admission at 5:30 p.m., special music with the artists on tour and a Q-AND-A tour laminate. The VIP upgrade does not include an autograph session or a meet-and-greet.

klewis@semissourian.com

388-3635

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