Barbara Ellington, Features Co-ordinator
Toby McKehan (tobyMac), is no stranger to Jamaica, he's been to the island over 30 times because his wife is Jamaican and he likes to take breaks here. tobyMac spoke to The Sunday Gleaner prior to taking the stage at the recent Fun in the Son Gospel Festival held in Ocho Rios, St. Ann,
Of the idea for a gospel festival as part of spring break activities, tobyMac thinks "...it's a good idea, it will have a desirable effect on Jamaica's reputation overseas because spring break activities have received negative feedback overseas in the past. This is an opportunity for us to "positive-up" the holiday by doing something wholesome and spiritual. Many who are interested in coming here would come if they knew the Jamaica that I know."
tobyMac describes his visits to Jamaica as almost like a spiritual renewal and it was during one such visit that he met and held discussion with Tommy Cowan, of Glory Music, and the idea for the gospel festival was born. "I got very excited," said the hip-hop performer who had performed here once before.
Along with his group 'dc talk', tobyMac has won four Grammys. He won them in 1994, 1996, 1997 and 2002.
But he is quick to credit his success to a life spent walking in God's light and that's why he chose to use hip-hop to point people to God.
"I'm a Christian, when I began in the business I wanted to use hip-hop to point people to God," said tobyMac.His conversion took place at age 12 when he went to what he thought was only a baseball camp. He recalled sitting round the camp fire and hearing on an intimate level about Jesus.
"I was hearing about Jesus in a conversational way for the first time. That night, in my sleeping bag, I wanted to pray but didn't know how so I got up and went to the young man who spoke to me about God earlier and he led me to Christ. It has been a great walk - this pursuit of holiness. Some days it's a real struggle but I pray for guidance to walk in the light."
tobyMac's title song from the movie 'Extreme Days' spent 10 weeks at the top of the Update Rock Charts and although he's just completed a 25-city tour, he would love to do a recording in Jamaica.
Among his favourite Jamaican artistes are: Bob Marley, Stitchie and Papa San. Lover's rock and the music of Third World are also in the mix. Of the latter he thinks they're in his all-time top 10 great groups. Members of his band 'dc talk' have done solo projects but the group still does recordings together.
"We want to pursue our own artistic passions," he says of the group of friends who came together in the late 1980s.
Early role models in the business include Larry Norman, the Fugees, Lauryn Hill and U2 and his favourite writer is Oswald Chambers who penned My Utmost for His Highest - a song he credits with having a great influence on his life. He also liked The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson and reads his Bible daily.
In the wake of the catastrophic events of September 11 tobyMac, like many other musicians, made a recording to benefit families of the deceased. His contribution Let's Roll was made for the Beamer Foundation set up in memory of one of the passengers of the plane that hit the Pentagon.
