Relient K's label Gotee Records is founded by Christian rapper (one of the first) TobyMac, or Kevin (Toby) Michael McKeehan. McKeehan's first nickname, however, was DC Talk named for his origins in Washington D.C. He attended Liberty University where he met gospel singer Michael Tait. The two began collaborating in 1987 performing Toby's songs at Liberty. Their performances went over well enough that they were able to sell over 3,000 copies of their demo Christian Rhymes to a Rhythm. The demo also made it to Christian label ForeFront Records who signed them in 1988. Fellow student Kevin Max joined as the third member (on backing vocals) of what was at first "dc Talk and the One Way Crew" but then shortened to just dc Talk. The three dropped out, the "dc" was reappropriated to mean "direct Christian", and the crew released their debut album dc Talk a year later. The album is filled to the brim with Christian hip hop anthems that combine McKeehan's message-driven rapping and Tait's soulful choruses while maintaining the popular aesthetic of the hip hop scene at the time. dc Talk broke ground as one of the first major hip hop groups in the contemporary Christian music scene and would quickly become, by far, the most successful.
Here is the discography surrounding dc Talk's debut album:
dc Talk
Heavenbound (1989 single)
"Heavenbound" by dc Talk
Pass the Headphones!!
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