Aaron Cole is a hip-hop artist in a music world where hip-hop often creates controversy.
The 2021 Grammy's, for example, were panned by a leading watchdog for "glamorizing prostitution and stripping" during a performance by hip-hop artists Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion.
That same year, hip-hop artist Little Nas X released a music video depicting him descending into hell. He also sold a limited-edition line of sneakers dubbed "Satan Shoes."
Cole, a 23-year-old Christian artist and songwriter, stands out not only because his music is family-friendly but also because it's filled with a positive message.
"I think it's always just awesome to give people hope, to give people some encouragement with everything that's going on right now. It's a hard time right now," Cole told Christian Headlines, referencing not only the pandemic but other daily stresses. "... It's a privilege just to be able to do what we get to do and are called to do."
Cole signed to TobyMac's label Gotee Records in 2017 and immediately grabbed the attention of music fans with the hit single Right on Time (which featured TobyMac). The next year, another popular single climbed the charts, One More Day. Both songs have been streamed millions of times worldwide.
He won a Dove Award in 2019 for New Artist of the Year.
"I grew up wanting to sing. I'm really living my dream," Cole said. "This is a dream come true – to be able to do everything that I'm doing right now. I just give glory to God to be where I'm at today."
Cole has released two albums in recent years: Not By Chance (2019) and Two Up Two Down (2021), which he calls an "ode to my home state Virginia." Two Up Two Down was nominated for Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year for this year's Dove Awards.
"It also just talks about remembering where you came from, remembering who you are – just remembering the people that got me to where I am," he said of Two Up Two Down, which includes the hit song Like You featuring TobyMac and Tauren Wells.
He describes his music as a mix of hip-hop, R&B and pop. On most tracks, he sings.
Asked how he determines what to write about, Cole said he seeks God's guidance.
"I just kind of do whatever the Spirit leads me to do," Cole said. So if I want to do a song about my wife, that's holy – that's getting people encouragement, too, for their marriage, for whatever they've got going on. I think the most important thing is being led by the Spirit in whatever He calls you to do."
Photo courtesy: ©Ronald Pollard for K-LOVE Fan Awards, used with permission
Video courtesy: ©Aaron Cole
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
