BIGSONG:
A Dove Award-winning Christian rapper, singer, and songwriter, Aaron Cole began nurturing his musical aspirations at a young age, releasing numerous independent projects throughout his childhood and adolescence, culminating in a 2017 label deal with Gotee Records when he was only 18. He entered the Christian charts with the TobyMac collaboration “Right on Time,” and began releasing a steady stream of singles that included the hit “One More Day.” In 2019 he released his first full-length effort for Gotee, Not by Chance, with Two Up Two Down arriving in 2021. Born in Bristol, Virginia on February 28, 1999, Cole’s entry into the music business started when his father, an audio engineer and musician, wrote a rap song called “Jesus Is the Rock,” which became the title of then four-year-old Cole’s first album. Throughout his childhood and teenage years, he released a handful of other independent Christian rap projects like 2007’s The Trinity and 2012’s 4th Period. Following his 2016 EP, If I Can Be Honest, he was picked up by Gotee Records and earned his first chart success with the 2017 single “Right on Time,” a collaboration with label founder TobyMac. “One More Day,” the bright R&B-oriented single from his 2018 EP Virginia Boy, featured a greater focus on singing than rapping and he continued to mix both vocal styles into singles like “Mama Said” and “Patient with Me.” He issued the full-length Not by Chance in 2019 and took home the New Artist of the Year trophy at that year’s Dove Awards. His 2021 LP Two Up Two Down featured collaborations with Tauren Wells, TobyMac, Terrian, and Parris Chariz, among others.
