“Andy! Andy! Andy!” The crowd cheered as fans eagerly looked on to the stage. The lights dimmed, smoked rolled off the stage, and a man stepped out easing the crowd with his soulful voice.

Andy Mineo, a Christian hip-hop artist, performed a sold out show at Wooly’s on Thursday, October 15. Mineo has toured with Lecrae, but recently decided to headline his own tour for the first time.

Mineo released his full-length album Uncomfortable on September 18, only to hit the number three spot on the hip-hop/rap iTunes charts, just after a day of being released.

Uncomfortable is Mineo’s third album, after Never Land and his debut album Hereos for Sale.

Mineo started off by building his own recording studio in his closet in high school. After high school, Mineo attended The City College of New York for music where he discovered his spiritual path with God, and made connections with communities of people who listened to hip-hop music, but were also Christian.

Mineo said one of his biggest struggles in the industry has been to not box himself in to one specific genre, hip-hop or Christian.

Uncomfortable connects fans the uncomfortable truths of how the world can be. During one of Andy’s songs, his mic was turned off and we were unable to hear the lyrics. The crowd looked around at each other in confusion, because Andy didn’t seem to notice. He continued to mouth the silent lyrics into the mic. The lights sparked and everything went dark. Fans started to panic as they thought there was a malfunction.

Mineo’s face was re-lit on stage as he did sign language to the crowd. He then asked if they have ever thought about the uncomfortable truth of being deaf. He shared a story of how his sister was born deaf and he didn’t learn sign language until later on life. He said it was uncomfortable to learn something he personally didn’t need, but realized how selfish he was for not learning how to communicate with a person he loved.

Mineo said he wants to make music with a purpose and leave his fans with a positive impact.

Mineo wraps his tour up this fall and said he will continue making more music this winter and spring. For more information on Andy Mineo: http://www.andymineo.com/