DC Talk Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Jesus Freak
It's been a quarter of a century since DC Talk's pivotal album Jesus Freak changed the landscape of Christian music. In honor of their RIAA double-platinum album, fans can look forward to special music releases, contests, and more!
“This record was more the three of us than anything we had ever done together up to that point” says TobyMac, who was also the album's co-producer. “This was the first album that sounded like Michael, Kevin and Toby. Those guys are such great vocalists that I didn’t have any more time for them to sing choruses. I wanted to hear some of their passionate vocals in the verses and beyond. Looking back I am so glad that we took a hip hop touring group and added guitars and rock to transform and grow the sound. We went into that house that we turned into a studio, with no formula and said musically whatever comes out comes out. We kept the same goal in mind, to use our music and platform to point people to God."
“When we were finishing up the project, we played Jesus Freak for the the label for the first time and, let's just say, it wasn't received well” says album producer and 'Jesus Freak' song co-writer Mark Heimermann. “I later heard that they thought it was the beginning of the end for dc Talk. Funny now for sure, but they were wise enough to trust Toby and keep riding that dc Talk train. We won the Dove Award for “Song of The Year” in 1996 for 'Jesus Freak' and I think we were both shocked. Up until that year, it was always the most conservative music that would win. It was truly ground breaking within the industry. To see 80,000 people at a Billy Graham Crusade singing a song that you were a part of is overwhelming and beyond humbling. Evidently it found its time. The Church needed passionate anthems for its generation and I truly believe God used 'Jesus Freak' to inspire millions of people – believers and non-believers alike.”
Contest information can be found here, and Jesus Freak merchandise is for sale here.
Check out this previously unreleased video from a 1995 Michael Tait Vocal Session demo: