| DC Talk | |
|---|---|
 DC Talk left to right, Kevin Max, Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Lynchburg, Virginia, United States |
| Genres | Rap/Hip hop, rock, Christian hip hop, Christian rock |
| Years active | 1987–2001 (on hiatus) |
| Website | http://www.dctalk.com/ |
| Members | |
| Toby McKeehan Michael Tait Kevin Max Smith | |
In 2000, the group released an EP titled Solo which contained two solo songs from each member. Since that time, DC Talk has been on an indefinite hiatus, and the three band members have each led solo careers. They have performed and recorded individual songs together several times during the 2000s, although the group never officially reunited.
The group's musical style evolved significantly throughout their career. Their first two releases, DC Talk and Nu Thang, were of the rap/hip hop genre. DC Talk's third album, Free at Last, also mainly took influence from the hip hop style, although their music began taking on a rock sound. The trio's last two albums, Jesus Freak and Supernatural, were predominantly pop rock.
History
Formation
"DC Talk" was a nickname that Toby Michael McKeehan, later "TobyMac", (1964- ), who was born in Falls Church, Virginia, was given for being from the Washington D.C., area. While attending Liberty University, McKeehan met Michael DeWayne Tait (1966- ), and the two began to perform together. Tait had been featured singing on Jerry Falwell’s The Old Time Gospel Hour and recorded with the Falwell Singers. He also performed solo, what TobyMac later described his "kind of an R&B / church-oriented music."The two joined forces to record a song that McKeehan had written, "Heavenbound". They performed the song before an audience of 8,000 Liberty students with McKeehan rapping and Tait singing the chorus.The song was well received, selling out the approximately 3,000 copies of their demo tape, Christian Rhymes to a Rhythm. The tape included "Heavenbound" and was distributed by the group in the Washington D.C. area. The group’s demo tape eventually led to a recording contract with Forefront Records in 1988. Kevin Max Smith, later "Kevin Max", came from a campus rock band to join the group, and the trio called themselves "DC Talk and the One Way Crew". The name was later simplified to "DC Talk", which came to stand for "decent Christian talk".
DC Talk (1989)
After signing the recording contract with ForeFront the label released their self-titled debut album, DC Talk, in 1989 with Mike Valliere and Vic Mignogna. The music video for their first single, "Heavenbound", received airplay on the BET network. The album became the best selling debut by a Christian artist, but has since been surpassed.Nu Thang (1990)
Their follow-up release, Nu Thang, and a Christmas EP titled Yo, Ho, Ho!, were released in 1990. Yo Ho Ho had three songs, the track title, "Reason for the Season" and "The King", which was also on DC Talk's first album. Nu Thang had two successful singles: "I Luv Rap Music" and "Can I Get a Witness". Apart from dealing strictly with Christian themes, the band incorporated songs addressing social issues, such as racism in the song "Walls" and abortion in "Children Can Live Without It". The hip hop/pop styling of the album earned the band attention, expanding the group's audience, and by 1991, Nu Thang had sold 200,000 copies. The band became an opening act for Michael W. Smith and received a Dove Award. The release of their Rap, Rock, n' Soul video garnered a wider audience for the group, being certified gold for long form video.In 1992, a year after its release,Nu Thang sold more than 300,000 copies and gave the trio two more Dove Awards. In addition to the increasing attention that the group began to receive, DC Talk appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show that same year. "Nu Thang" was eventually certified gold, selling over 500,000 copies, an impressive feat for a Christian artist at that time.
Free at Last (1992)
In 1992, the group released an album that would forever change the landscape of Christian music, Free at Last, which was later RIAA-certified as Platinum. In 2001, CCM ranked "Free at Last" as the 9th best album in Christian music. The album included "I Don't Want It"; a cover version of the Bill Withers song "Lean on Me"; and a remake of "Jesus Is Just Alright", originally recorded by the Art Reynolds Singers. It stayed at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard CCM sales chart for 34 weeks. Dc Talk became one of the first contemporary Christian artists to perform on late-night television when, in the fall of 1993, the band performed "Jesus Is Still Alright" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Free at Last also garnered the group's first Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album in 1994. The success of the album is attributed to the group moving away from a strictly rap sound to a blend of hip hop and pop. The album also prompted the filming of a documentary film with the same name.Free at Last the Movie
During the Free at Last tour, the band was followed around by camera crews to film a documentary. The documentary was going to be released as a theatrical film, Free at Last: the Movie, and was heavily promoted on Lightmusic TV, a Christian music video show. After months of teaser trailers, they abruptly stopped. A trailer included in the enhanced CD single of "Jesus Freak" advertised a September 17, 1995 theatrical release date for the film. It was never released to theaters, as it could not find a distributor. Eight years after the film was to be released theatrically, the movie was finally released on DVD in unfinished form. Some of the footage used for the movie was shown in the video for the song "The Hardway". In 1994, they released one more Christmas single which was their remix version of the classic, "We Three Kings" which was on the album "Joyful Christmas" featuring many other Christian artists.Jesus Freak (1995–1997)
Jesus Freak was released in 1995, and it achieved the highest first-week sales of any Christian release in history, reaching No. 16 on the Billboard 200. The album, which was ultimately certified double platinum, was certified gold within thirty days of its release. This album was a fusion of the musical stylings, with a more pop-rock oriented sound combined with hip hop.Jesus Freak marked a milestone in the group's commercial career as they signed a deal with Virgin Records in 1996 to distribute their music to the mainstream market. It also earned dc Talk their second Grammy.
The title track is also of historical importance. It is believed to be the first link between grunge and rapcore in CCM, and was the first non-AC song to win the Dove Award for Song of the Year. The song was also played on some secular stations.
"Between You and Me" was a successful single, reaching No. 24 and No. 29 respectively on Billboard's Adult Contemporary and Hot 100 and No. 12 on Casey's Top 40, while the video received regular airtime on MTV and VH1.
With the release of the album, the group launched a massive tour titled the Freakshow Tour, which took the trio across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The group released a live video titled Live in Concert: Welcome To The Freak Show which contained footage from the Freakshow tour. An audio CD of the soundtrack from the video was also released under the same title, reaching No. 109 on the Billboard 200. The CD Welcome to the Freakshow was certified gold and won dc Talk another Grammy award.
Supernatural (1998–2000)
Supernatural, released in 1998, was their last all-new studio album. Upon release, the album overtook Jesus Freak to set a new record for the highest first week sales for a Christian release. It debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 charts, an unprecedented event for a Christian rock album. Supernatural abandoned the hip hop/rap style found on the group's earlier releases to settle for the pop/rock sound.The group has stated in The Supernatural Experience video that this album was different; it was a collaborative effort of all three members. The songs "Consume Me", "Into Jesus", "Red Letters", and "My Friend (So Long)" received their fair share of radio play on Modern Rock, Contemporary Christian, and Alternative outlets. The group then embarked on a 60-city tour across the United States titled, The Supernatural Experience. Footage from the tour was combined with interviews and released as The Supernatural Experience video and was certified gold for long form video.In addition to touring and recording Supernatural, the members of the group went on to co-author a book titled Jesus Freaks in collaboration with The Voice of the Martyrs in 1999. The book contains the shortened biographies and incidents in the lives of famous and lesser-known Christians who stood up for their faith. Since then, the group has co-authored a series of other books.
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