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Dc Talk

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dc Talk is a Christian rock band formed in the late 1980s in Lynchburg, Virginia by Toby McKeehan, Kevin Max, and Michael Tait. They began as a hip hop group, but in the mid-90s they reinvented themselves as a pop/rock group. In both instances, they found critical and commercial success in the both the Christian music industry as well as the general market.

Contents

History

The band's roots trace back to the late 1980s, when rapper/vocalist Toby McKeehan (Toby Mac) started writing Christian hip hop under the moniker Caucatalk. While attending Liberty University, he formed dc Talk by joining up with vocalists Kevin Max Smith (Kevin Max) and Michael Tait. The name is short for Decent Christian Talk; the explanation can be found in the lyrics of the song "Time Ta Jam" which is on their self-titled debut album.

In 1989, the group released their self-titled debut album on ForeFront Records. They gained some crossover success when the "Heavenbound" music video received airplay on the BET network. Their follow-up album, Nu Thang (1990), also received attention for its hip hop/pop stylings (a la M.C. Hammer and Fresh Prince).

DC Talk, 1989
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DC Talk, 1989

Their third release, 1992's Free at Last, was a tremendous success, producing six Christian radio hits. It was notable for its innovative blending of musical genres, combining hip hop with pop, rock, and gospel.

The group's best-known achievement, however, was their fourth album, 1995's Jesus Freak. This time, dc Talk had reinvented themselves as a pop-rock act, with little to no hip hop to be found. Now their music was much more similar to Nirvana, U2 or the Red Hot Chili Peppers than M.C. Hammer. The album also produced several radio hits. This album has been cited as one of the milestones in Christian music, as it appealed to a much wider audience and achieved much crossover success, having sold over 2 million copies. dc Talk capitalized on this phenomenal success by headlining a tour called "The Freak Show", with live recordings later released on CD and VHS. They also wrote two books in collaboration with The Voice of the Martyrs, Jesus Freaks and Jesus Freaks II, each containing dozens of profiles of famous and lesser known Christians who died for their faith.

Their latest album, Supernatural (1998), was not nearly the critical or commercial success as the previous two albums, but it also churned out its share of hits. The songs "Consume Me" & "My Friend (So Long)" received their fair share of radio play on Modern Rock, Contemporary Christian and Alternative outlets.

dc Talk also participated in Rocketown Records's Exodus album in 1998 with the song "My Will."

dc Talk has been awarded four Grammy Awards, as well as numerous Dove Awards. The group is notable for its stances concerning racism, as well as the uncompromised Christian message in its music. "We're very open about our Christian faith," says Toby McKeehan, "but when we make our records we want to create a musical experience that anyone can immerse themselves in." But still, he says, "one of our goals is to encourage listeners to question themselves and to seek out truth."

Solo Efforts

In 2000, the trio announced that they would be producing solo projects. Since that time, Tobymac has released four solo records, Michael Tait (with his band, Tait) has released two, and Kevin Max has released three.

In September 2002, dc Talk reunited to record and release a single about the September 11, 2001 attacks, entitled "Let's Roll."

Rumors are circulating about a possible reunion tour in 2006, though as of September 2005, Kevin Max denies the rumors. He writes on his official website's message board, "DC Talk is something of the past. In order for DC Talk to be anything of the future, it will be up to each individual member to come together to create something that is lasting and substantial. There is an audience out there interested in seeing DC Talk back together as a group and as an entertaining and creative force, but I feel that the spirit of the thing is dead. I appreciated the time that we had together those many years, and I thank God many times over for allowing me to be a part of something that was so far reaching and helped so many people, but to be honest, just doing a show to do a show is not interesting to me. It must be thought out, creative and passionate."

In a recent concert with his band Tait, Michael Tait denied rumours of dc Talk coming back, saying that he was focusing now on Tait.

In 2005, dc Talk reunited for a remix of Tobymac's "Atmosphere" as the final track of the Welcome to Diverse City album. This song also appears earlier on the album in its original form. It is the fifth track.

On January 12, 2006, Gotee Records (founded by dc Talk's Tobymac) announced the production of a 10th anniversary Jesus Freak tribute album entitled FREAKED!. This album, which was released in June 2006, features songs from such Gotee Records artists as Relient K, Sarah Kelly, House of Heroes, Verbs, Liquid, and Family Force 5. It also features a reunion of the Gotee Brothers.

In 2004, Toby McKeehan and Michael Tait reunited to write a book called "Under God". The book chronicles America's struggle with racism. Featured in the book are stories about Rosa Parks, Emmett Till, and Martin Luther King, Jr.. They also released a sequel called "Living Under God", following the same formula.

Members

Discography

Title Year Label(s) The Billboard 200
Chart Position 		RIAA
Certification
DC Talk 1989 ForeFront
Nu Thang 1990 ForeFront Gold
Free at Last 1992 ForeFront Platinum
Jesus Freak 1995 ForeFront
Virgin 		16 2x Platinum
Welcome to the Freak Show 1997 ForeFront 109 Gold
Supernatural 1998 ForeFront
Virgin 		4 Platinum
2000 ForeFront 81 Gold
2001 ForeFront 142

Literature

Title Year
Jesus Freaks 1999
Live Like a Jesus Freak 2001
Jesus Freaks Volume II: Stories of Revolutionaries Who Changed Their World Fearing God, Not Man 2002
Jesus Freaks: Revolutionaries 2005
Jesus Freaks: Martyrs 2005

Videography

Title Year RIAA Certification
Rap, Rock, and Soul 1992
Narrow is the Road 1994 Gold
Welcome to the Freak Show 1997, 2003 Gold
The Supernatural Experience 1999, 2003
2002

GMA Dove Awards

Grammy Awards

External links

dc Talk
Toby McKeehan | Michael Tait | Kevin Max
Discography
Albums: DC Talk | Nu Thang | Free at Last | Jesus Freak | Supernatural |
Live Album: Welcome to the Freak Show
Compilation:
Movies:

 

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