Culture, Diversity, Music and tobyMac

This past January it was announced that the latest album from Christian music mogul, TobyMac has been nominated for a Grammy, but for Mac, who has seen his share of hits in the music industry, the award is more than just a sign of his latest success; it’s a tribute to his relevance. In the early 90’s TobyMac and his group dc Talk achieved mega-success with their ever-progressing style that blended hip-hop, rock and pop, but with his latest solo effort, Welcome toDiverse City, Toby shows how he found success in the first place.

“You got to stay in love with people,” Toby said in his recent interview with Jake. “You have to stay in love with culture.”

It’s been over a decade since dc Talk’s number one, Grammy winning album reached a generation, but with Diverse City gaining its own notoriety, it’s still evident that TobyMac knows a something about being relevant. The record displays a mix of influences that lives up its name. The colorful combination of styles that make up Diverse City are what Toby describes as an “explosion of ear candy.” But creating an eclectic sounding album isn’t the only thing that Toby had in mind.

“[I’m] a lover of cultures, a lover of diversity, a lover of all races and lots of styles of music,” Toby said. “I just think if we’re gonna be a shinning city on a hill, we have to be a diverse city.”

It’s this simple message of equality and diversity that Toby is speaking through his music. His songs use a flavorful style in delivering their themes that center around Christ’s commands of loving our neighbors and serving our God. It is a message that is always relevant, delivered through a medium that is still progressive.

“I’m gonna always be involved in youth culture,” Toby said. “They are tomorrow’s leaders; they’re tomorrow’s people. It’s the age when you can really impact somebody. My prayer is that I can just be a light, sitting right there where … all of the sudden they’re open to something God’s doing through my music.”

By Jesse Carey