Story
Derek Minor started out selling CDs out the trunk of his car. He went on to make three Billboard 200 albums, win a Grammy as a producer on Lecrae's Gravity, and co-found Reflection Music Group, where he has spent years putting other artists in position to win.
His music is for regular people who love God: honest, grounded, and made without turning faith into a performance.
Out the trunk
Derek was born in Pontiac, Michigan and raised in Middle Tennessee. He came up rapping as PRo and released his debut, The Blackout, in 2008. In 2011 Dying to Live went #1 on Billboard's Christian albums chart and reached the Billboard 200. In 2012 he started going by his own name: Derek Minor.
On the road
He built his audience one city at a time. The Urban Missionary Tour took him as far as the United Kingdom, followed by the Unashamed and Man Up tours with 116 Clique. In 2011 he signed a two-album deal with Reach Records as a joint venture with his own label, putting him in the middle of the 116 movement alongside Lecrae, Trip Lee, Tedashii, Andy Mineo, KB and Sho Baraka. Later came a 48-stop Winter Jam tour and the Rock and Worship Roadshow.
He also worked behind the boards, producing on Lecrae's Gravity, which won the Grammy for Best Gospel Album, and on Lecrae's Anomaly, which won a Stellar Award.
Building the table
Derek and his partner Doc Watson built Reflection Music Group, the independent label home of Canon, Tony Tillman, Deraj and Chad Jones. RMG has also distributed music for artists like nobigdyl, Indie Tribe and Aaron Cole.
When doors opened, he brought people through them. Derek took Miles Minnick and about 20 others to Los Angeles on a trip with Universal.
Ownership
In 2022 Derek co-founded Ownership Is The New Black in Nashville to help close the racial wealth gap by getting more people to own their businesses, property, stock and music. He took artists including Foggieraw, Anike and Dee-1 to Washington, D.C., where they met with senators and had a meeting at the White House.
Still building
Derek co-hosts Say Dat Pod (You Can't Say That In Church) with Parris Chariz every week: hard conversations about faith, money and manhood, told straight. He still mentors young artists, and he's still making music. His newest single, r n r, drops with the Fall 2026 collection.
Track record
- Three Billboard 200 albums: Dying to Live, Minorville and Empire
- #1 on Billboard's Christian albums chart (Dying to Live)
- A #1 Christian radio single, "Change the World" with Hollyn
- Dove Award, Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year (Minorville)
- Stellar Awards for Empire and, as a producer, Lecrae's Anomaly
- Grammy-winning production on Lecrae's Gravity
- Music heard on ESPN, NFL Network, WWE, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video
