TobyMac brings unique brand of Christian hip-hop to Macon on latest tour

Grammy-winning Christian hip-hop artist TobyMac performs Thursday at the City Auditorium on a tour of his seventh solo studio release, "This Is Not A Test," which hit No. 1 on the top Christian Albums chart and No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums this summer.

TobyMac said the album is a reflection on his experiences as a father and son, while maintaining his roots in the musical legacies of four artists who have most influenced him. What follows is an edited Q&A with TobyMac.

Q: What inspired "This Is Not A Test"?

A: It takes me about three years to make a new CD, because I wait to experience enough life to write about life. I call it the good and the bad. The times I'm surviving; the times I'm thriving. The times I've been there for a friend when they needed me; the times I've failed to be there. My faith walk when it's strong; my faith walk when it's weak.

The title song, "This is Not a Test," is about making the most of every moment in life. There are no practice runs in life, this is it. Do what you can with it while you are here.

Q: How has life changed for you since your last album, "Eye On It"?

A: It's a little more complex. Some things have gotten deeper. I have five kids, and they're growing up. I've had friends go through some very tough times.

I lost my dad seven months ago. There's a song called "Love Feels Like," which is specifically about that. It's about really getting to care for (my dad) when he couldn't care for himself and it being hard at times on my family and hard on me to serve with hands and feet to that degree. But I was able to experience a deeper kind of love for my dad.

And then I have a son with muscular dystrophy named Moses. He's one of the lights of my life, and it's an honor to be his dad and to love him through this disease. It's a new level of love for me.

Q: How would you describe this album?

A: It's like soul music, but not the Marvin Gaye kind. I have horns that come in on seven songs, and I have a small horn section on tour. I've always called my music like a big ol' pot of musical gumbo, and my ingredients are hip-hop, soul, rock 'n' roll, guitars, a little splash of reggae.

I grew up on Bob Marley, Hall and Oates, Run DMC and the Police. So those are my four corners musically that I live in, and lyrically it's my own journey.

Q: So your music is very personal?

A: The themes are from my own life. But to me music isn't a self indulgent experience. I am doing music to serve people, to serve humankind. That's sincerely my hope and prayer that these things I'm experiencing help people out in some way.

Q: You have 36 stops on your tour. What's it like to be on the road?

A: I do four days on and three days home. Thank goodness Nashville is pretty central so we can get home on Monday morning and spend Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at home. I can, as I call it, be a daddy who is in the mix.

TobyMac, Britt Nicole and Colton Dixon

When: 7 p.m. Nov. 19

Where: City Auditorium, 415 First St.

Cost: $21-$70.50

Information: www.ticketmaster.com; 800-745-3000

This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 4:11 PM with the headline "TobyMac brings unique brand of Christian hip-hop to Macon on latest tour ."