Andy Mineo

Andy Mineo, the New York City rapper, crafts hip-hop that fuses progressive ideas with electronic textures and a spiritual core. While still a student in the 2000s he first presented his dense, lyric-driven approach, then issued the solo debut Sin Is Wack in 2009. After his initial chart entry in 2011, Mineo rose swiftly on the U.S. Christian and Gospel rankings through projects including Heroes for Sale (2013), the Never Land EP (2014), and Uncomfortable (2015). His third studio album, the follow-up collection Never Land II, appeared in 2021.

Raised in Syracuse, Mineo started writing rhymes and making beats in his bedroom studio during high school. Performing at the time as C-Lite, he joined Syracuse University’s Marshall Street Records and shared stages with the Roots and Common. During college he renewed his faith through encounters with producer Alex Medina and the urban evangelism initiative T.R.U.C.E.; soon afterward he toured alongside the group and released the 2009 mixtape Sin Is Wack, Vol. 1. In 2011 Mineo joined Reach Records, retired the C-Lite alias, and issued his second mixtape, Formerly Known. The proper debut album Heroes for Sale arrived in 2013, followed by the Never Land EP in 2014 and, in 2015, the hit single “Lay Up” together with the album Uncomfortable. Two years later he teamed with Wordsplayed for the collaborative mixtape Magic and Bird, which reached the Billboard 200’s Top 50 and spotlighted the singles “Dunk Contest” and “Judo.” The 2018 track “You Can’t Stop Me,” featuring Messiah, later earned gold certification. April 2018 brought the EP I: The Arrow, which contained two tracks with Weatherman and the single “I Ain’t Done,” while II: The Sword followed that September. The mixtape Work in Progress surfaced in August 2019.

Mineo returned at the end of 2021 with Never Land II, an emotionally turbulent and socially aware album that included appearances by Lecrae, JVKE, and Wordsplayed, his partner from the earlier Magic & Bird project.