Performer tobyMac embraces faith, diversity

If Christian pop, hip hop and rap had a child, the offspring would most certainly be Toby McKeehan, better known as tobyMac. The former dcTalk member has conquered Grammy, started a record label and turned on a generation of listeners to a genre once thought of as anything but cool. And he's just getting started.

"There is still so much room in the world for positive change and I hope we can be a part of that. We've got enough music out there already that focuses on the negative side of life and all the vices humans are prone to; it's time to start moving in a different direction."

That's the goal with his latest release, Renovating Diverse City on the label he cofounded, Gotee Records, which houses a lot of today's hottest Christian rock, pop, rap and hip hop acts. The CD features the single "Burn for You," a song Mac said is as personal as he's ever done. Proving that even those who seeminly have it all struggle through hard times just like everyone else, the forthright frontman details a period of complacency he underwent while recording.

"The album was really just kind of moping along and I had gotten to a point where everything seemed so stagnant. My wife and I were adopting twins and that experience really kind of woke me up and helped me light a fire inside again. I realized I was just kind of floating along, not really gaining anything because I wasn't really IN there doing my best. I needed to stand up and get that determination and drive going again."

The result is not only his release, but the myriad of other up and coming artists under the Gotee umbrella. Making art imitate his quest for the acceptance of more diversity in the world, Mac has a plethora of music makers on the label from all different backgrounds and influences. Filtering through the mainstream, particularly movie soundtracks, are enlightened ditties from Out of Eden, Sonicflood, GRITS, the Katinas and Reliant K. Many groups on the label's roster have lent their support to artists from Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, LL Cool J and Monica, among others.

With drive, dedication and Mac's hard won reputation in the music world, Gotee has become the little label that could.

"There is so much talent out there dying to be heard, all different kinds of bands and all different kinds of music. There's room for everyone, but finding a place in mainstream radio or on the touring scene isn't always easy for them. That's where we come in. We don't consider it specialized music that only fits into one little slot, we just consider it great music in general - forget the labels."

Mac knows that as much as he misses his family and friends when he's out on tour, his loved ones understand the sacrifices that have to be made to affect change. He keeps in touch with his family as much as possible and has found a balance between his duties at home, his duties at the label and his duties at home. He's the same man wherever he goes, but no matter how successful he gets or how many hats he wears at the label, he is just another husband and father at home.

"They know me too well for me to act like anything but just me," he laughed.

"Even if I was prone to it, they'd be the first ones to smack me back into reality and say 'Hey, let's put this into prospective.' That's why it's so amazing to come home to them. No matter where I've been or how long I've been on the road, when I reach that doorstep, it's all about us and not just me."

He knows that achieving his goals, however, will take time and effort, including more days on the road and in the studio and he's fine with that. It helps that Mac's a firm believer in the "every journey begins with one step" adage. After all, many careers have begun with something he is very familiar with - a leap of faith.

"I think everyone has dreams, it's just that some of us never learn that they may not come true. Or maybe it's that we just refuse to believe it, but either way, I've always held fast the belief that you can do anything with the love of God and family as your foundation. I think I'm living proof."