nobigdyl

Dylan Phillips, professionally known as nobigdyl., is an American Christian rapper, songwriter, producer and creative artist known for combining hip-hop with elements of alternative music, R&B, funk and other genres. Born on November 23, 1991, in Hayward, California, he grew up across several parts of the United States before eventually settling in Tennessee. His music often explores faith, identity, relationships, ambition, loss and the tension between spiritual convictions and everyday life.

Nobigdyl. first gained attention within the Christian hip-hop community through independent releases and his involvement with the collective Indie Tribe. His career took a major turn after he began working with Christian rapper Derek Minor, who encouraged him to pursue his own music full-time. Since then, nobigdyl. has developed a reputation for inventive production, conversational storytelling and an approach to Christian hip-hop that does not separate faith from ordinary human experience.

Quick Facts

Early Life and Background

Dylan Phillips was born in Hayward, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. When he was nine, his family moved to Bell Buckle, Tennessee, beginning a childhood characterized by frequent relocation. By the time he was 18, he had lived in seven states, including California, Texas, Kentucky, Illinois, Florida and New York before making Tennessee his long-term home.

His upbringing exposed him to a wide variety of musical traditions. Phillips’ parents were enthusiastic music listeners, introducing him to artists ranging from Elton John and James Taylor to Motown performers. He also had a close connection to jazz through his uncle, drummer Derrek Phillips, who performed with jazz groups in California.

Phillips became interested in hip-hop while he was young, particularly the music of The Notorious B.I.G. and Onyx. He began writing his own rap lyrics and eventually performed with groups including Southside Epidemic and the short-lived Broken Folk, where he combined rap with banjo playing.

Education and Early Career

Phillips attended Middle Tennessee State University, where he initially studied audio and music production before shifting his focus toward the business side of the music industry. College became an important period in both his musical and spiritual development.

While at MTSU, Phillips was managing another student who was also a rapper when he encountered Christian hip-hop artist Derek Minor during a campus appearance. Phillips initially hoped to introduce Minor to the artist he was managing. Instead, Minor became a mentor to Phillips himself.

Phillips eventually interned with Minor’s Reflection Music Group, later becoming the company’s merchandise manager and eventually working as Minor’s road manager. At the same time, he continued making music under the name nobigdyl.

The turning point came when Minor decided Phillips was spending too much energy helping manage someone else’s career. In 2014, Minor fired him from the road-manager position, deliberately pushing him to concentrate on his own music. Phillips took the advice seriously and began treating nobigdyl. as his primary career.

Rise in Christian Hip-Hop

Nobigdyl. began releasing music independently, including early songs such as “Indie,” “Beauty” and “Pot of Gold.” His first full-length project, smoke signal., appeared in 2015 as a free release through Rapzilla. That same year, he appeared on Derek Minor’s album Empire and was named among Rapzilla’s “15 Freshmen” artists to watch.

During this period, he also helped establish Indie Tribe, a creative collective that included artists such as Mogli the Iceburg and Jarry Manna. The group was built around collaboration and mutual support rather than a conventional record-label structure.

His 2017 project Canopy expanded his profile through songs including “Purple Dinosaur” and “Treetops.” The following year brought his major-label debut, SOLAR., released through Capitol Christian Music Group. The album reached No. 22 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers chart and introduced his music to listeners well beyond the independent Christian hip-hop scene.

Major Projects and Musical Development

After SOLAR., nobigdyl. continued experimenting with his sound. He released LOWERCASE TAPE. in 2019, followed by the chopped-and-screwed SLOWERCASE TAPE. in 2020. He also worked with DJ Mykael V on GIFT RAP, a Christmas-themed project released in 2020.

Indie Tribe released its first full-length project, U P P E R H A N D, in 2021. The collective’s music further established the loose, genre-blending style that had become associated with its members.

Nobigdyl.’s collaboration with KB on “King Jesus” became one of the major achievements of his early career. Released in 2022, the song won the GMA Dove Award for Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year.

In 2023, he continued working with Indie Tribe, which released its second major project, L O W B L O W. That year also brought an unexpected moment of mainstream attention when former U.S. President Barack Obama included nobigdyl.’s “Parabolic” on his annual summer playlist.

The People We Became and Recent Music

Nobigdyl. entered another phase of his career with The People We Became, released in 2024. The project presented a more reflective side of his songwriting, dealing with growth, relationships, identity and the changes that come with adulthood. He later released The People We Became (reimagined) and nobigdyl. unplugged, Vol. 1, giving some of his material a more stripped-back treatment.

He also collected a number of songs that had not appeared on his main albums in the 2024 project THESE ARE NOT ON THE ALBUM. Among its highlights was “GO WITH THE GHOST,” which he performed for NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest. The performance won the contest’s first-ever Fan Favorite vote and introduced his music to another audience outside the traditional Christian hip-hop world.

His subsequent work has included collaborations and singles such as “NEVER GOING BACK,” “STRENGTH AND SONG,” “REVIVAL!” with KB, and the SEOUL BROTHER projects with producer Kato On The Track. He has continued releasing music and collaborating with artists across Christian hip-hop.

Musical Style and Influences

Nobigdyl.’s music is difficult to place within a single genre. Although he is firmly rooted in Christian hip-hop, his production draws from trap, alternative rap, R&B, funk, jazz and other forms of contemporary music.

His songwriting is similarly broad. Rather than limiting himself to explicitly theological subjects, he often writes about ordinary experiences through the perspective of his Christian faith. Questions about ego, ambition, love, disappointment, friendship, identity and spiritual growth appear throughout his catalog.

This approach has become one of his defining qualities. Nobigdyl. has explained that he does not have to force Christian messages into his music because his faith naturally shapes how he views and writes about life. As a result, his songs often feel autobiographical and conversational while still carrying clear spiritual themes.

Awards, Recognition and Collaborations

Nobigdyl. has received significant recognition within Christian music, particularly for his contributions to the growing Christian hip-hop movement. His 2022 collaboration with KB, “King Jesus,” earned a Dove Award, while his work with Indie Tribe has helped establish the collective as an influential force within the genre.

His music has also attracted attention outside the Christian music industry. Obama’s inclusion of “Parabolic” on his 2023 summer playlist introduced the song to a broader audience, while the success of “GO WITH THE GHOST” in NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest demonstrated the appeal of his music beyond conventional Christian-hip-hop audiences.

Over the years, he has collaborated with artists including Derek Minor, KB, Jon Keith, Mogli the Iceburg, Andy Mineo, Lecrae, Hulvey, WHATUPRG, Kato On The Track and others.

Personal Life and Legacy

Nobigdyl. is married to Chelsea Phillips, whom he met while studying at Middle Tennessee State University. Their relationship and family life have formed part of the personal foundation behind his music, although he generally keeps his private life separate from the public side of his career.

His influence within Christian hip-hop comes partly from his refusal to fit neatly into a single artistic category. He has helped demonstrate that Christian rap can be musically adventurous, introspective and culturally connected without abandoning its spiritual foundation.

From his early days making independent music to his work with Indie Tribe, major-label release SOLAR., Dove Award-winning collaborations and later experimental projects, nobigdyl. has built a career around creative independence and honest storytelling. His music continues to occupy a distinctive space between Christian hip-hop and the wider world of contemporary rap.