Remembering D-Rock: The DJ Who Gave CHH A Home

Darren Greggs — known across the culture as D-Rock — passed away after a battle with lymphoma. He was a DJ, radio personality, music producer, and ministry partner, and for a generation of artists on the East Coast, he was the door that finally opened.

Born and raised in Brownsville, Brooklyn, Darren carried that borough in everything he did — direct, fearless, funny, and rooted. He came up in an era when Christian hip-hop had no lane, no audience, and no welcome on the airwaves. Most stations wanted nothing to do with it. The mainstream church wasn’t ready for it. And the culture at large didn’t believe the Gospel and a hard beat belonged in the same place. D-Rock believed differently.

Broadcasting from Rutgers University, his late-night radio show *The Power Plant* aired from 11pm to 1am and became the heartbeat of holy hip-hop on the East Coast. D-Rock used that platform to blast the hardcore holy hip-hop that no one else would touch. He gave original gospel rap artists their first radio play. He platformed pioneers before the world knew their names. If you were making this music on the East Coast in those years, your shot at being heard very likely ran through Darren Greggs. He later coordinated gospel music programming at another New York station as well, always finding a way to push the message further out into the world.

What D-Rock embodied was the same thing so many of the pioneers had to live out: the work of simply finding a way to make the vision work. We believed the idea was bigger and grander than anything it looked like at the time — we knew we were just carriers of a message far greater than ourselves — and Darren carried that conviction in his bones. He had a gift of talk and gab, a knack for words, jokes, and sly, smooth sayings, and he used it to make the world a better place. When he announced an artist on air — Gospel Gangstaz, Preachers In Disguise, Soldiers for Christ — he said the names like he was pulling jewels and treasures out of a treasure box, lifting unsung heroes and speaking of them like icons. That was how he introduced Richard “Ace One” Martin to the broad world of gospel hip-hop, and how he made so many of us feel like what we carried truly mattered.

D-Rock was never just a DJ behind a board. He was a producer who helped artists craft their sound, and a true ministry partner who co-founded Rap Ministries United alongside Ace One and others from the boroughs of New York and New Jersey. Together they moved like street evangelists — rocking the mic while ministering the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He opened his home, did life with the artists he believed in, and built brotherhood that lasted long after the records stopped spinning. Though he was Brooklyn through and through, his roots reached south to family in Atlanta and the Carolinas.

He was also flat-out hilarious. During The Power Plant days, D-Rock and his on-air assistant Don Coleman were a dynamic duo — Darren the eccentric, Jackie Gleason type, full of life and laughter, with Don as the steady straight man for him to play off of. That same comedic gift later carried Darren into stand-up comedy, which came as naturally to him as the turntables. He had a story for everything. He used to call the visiting artists the Ninja Turtles, because every time we came to New York we’d hunt down the freshest, greenest slice in the city — and Darren always knew exactly where to go. He swore we ate more pizza than the Turtles themselves.

For all of it, D-Rock rarely got the credit he was owed. He worked in the late-night hours, in the background, lifting other people into the light.

And he loved without condition. When relationships in the community grew complicated, and when others stepped back, Darren stepped closer. He held onto people as family across every kind of difference, and his loyalty never wavered — not once, not to the very end. That was the measure of the man.

Today the Christian hip-hop community lifts him. The pioneers who knew him, and even those who only knew his impact, have come together to honor a man whose fingerprints are on the very foundation of this culture.

These are their words.

Richard Allen Martin (Ace One / P.I.D.):

“One of Holy Hip Hop’s founding DJs and radio personalities, Darren (D-Rock) Greggs broadcasting from Rutgers University 11pm–1am — The Power Plant radio show blasted the hardcore holy hip hop. Darren was my brother, music producer, ministry partner and Brooklyn’s finest. There is no Ace One the MC without him, and there is no radio play for the original gospel recording artists on the East Coast without him. From 1982 until the late 90s he held it down for us and didn’t get enough credit for it — but he’s getting it now. I stayed with him in Brooklyn and we did life together, wrote music, recorded and performed together. He was funny, wise and BK direct. Brownsville born, he repped the Kingdom with that BK attitude. He formed Rap Ministries United with myself and others from the boroughs of New York and New Jersey. Like true street evangelists we rocked the mic but ministered the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There’s so much more that I and others can say — but RIP my brother. Well done. I’ll hold it down for you. Your little brother, Ace.”

Fred Lynch (P.I.D.):

Darren was more than a music associate to me — he was a lifelong friend. Long after the albums dropped and the shows were over, we still talked. About life, about God, about our kids. That’s who he was to me. He was one of the first people in this culture who made you feel like what you were doing mattered, not because it was popular, but because it was real. He inspired me in ways that went far beyond music. The world of Christian hip-hop is smaller and quieter today without him in it, and I am grateful that his impact will outlast his time here. Rest well, D-Rock. You ran your race.

Don Coleman (on-air partner, The Power Plant):

Don Coleman stood alongside Darren through The Power Plant years as his on-air partner and straight man — the calm to Darren’s comedic fire. “The years that we worked together were full of adventure, laughter, and a simple grace of promoting spokesman and spokesman who served God in untrodden paths through the voice of hip-hop. It was a joy to represent that calling alongside Darren.”

Chris Cooper:

“Rest in Peace, good brother Darren Greggs, aka D-Rock. I met Darren back in the 1990s when I traveled to New York. He welcomed me with open arms, hosted me, and showed me around. One of the memories that always stayed with me was him taking me to Sylvia’s in Harlem for some real soul food and good conversation. What started as a visit turned into a friendship that lasted for years. No matter how much time passed, we always stayed cool and kept in touch on social media. Darren was the kind of person who made you feel welcome, respected, powerful and appreciated. I’m grateful for the memories. My prayers go out to his family, friends, and everyone whose life he touched. Rest easy, my brother. You will be missed, but never forgotten.”

The Dynamic Twins (D2):

“While we never had the privilege of meeting Darren ‘D-Rock’ Greggs personally, his impact on Christian hip-hop was felt far beyond the people who knew him face to face. At a time when many stations were hesitant to give Christian hip-hop a consistent platform, D-Rock believed in the music and the message. Through *The Power Plant*, he gave artists an opportunity to be heard when few others would. As The Dynamic Twins, we want to thank him for championing Christian hip-hop when it wasn’t always popular or accepted. His willingness to support the culture and give artists a voice helped open doors for many ministries and musicians across the country. We are grateful for his contribution to the Kingdom and the legacy he leaves behind. Our prayers are with his family, friends, and everyone whose lives he touched.”

Michael & Julia Peace:

Michael Peace was one of the very first voices in Christian hip-hop — his album among the earliest ever recorded in the genre — and as a fellow Brooklyn native, his bond with D-Rock ran deep. Two men from the same borough who believed the Gospel could ride a beat. They worked closely together in those early years, and that brotherhood never faded. Michael’s words are brief, but they carry the weight of decades: “I am saddened by this news. Our loss but Heaven’s gain.”

Stephen Wiley:

Stephen Wiley holds a place in history as one of the true originators of Christian hip-hop — his recordings among the first to bring the genre into existence. He knew better than most what it meant to need someone willing to take a chance on the music before the world was ready. D-Rock was that person for a generation of artists. There will never be another DJ like him. His fingerprints are on the foundation of this entire culture.

Johnnie Williams (ETW):

“So sorry to hear of D-Rock’s passing. Prayers for his family. God bless. — Johnnie J”

Compiled by Fred Lynch on behalf of P.I.D. and the Christian hip-hop pioneer community. D-Rock, you are remembered.