Rising artist gio. stepped onto the red carpet at the 2026 Dove Awards to discuss his latest musical chapter, hip-hop influences, and passions outside the studio.

gio. highlighted his recent collaborative project during the red carpet interview.

“I just dropped a new album with Dell Mac called Promised Land,” gio. shared. “It’s out everywhere. And who knows what’s next, but stay tuned.”

Naming the GOATs

When asked to name his top three Christian rap artists of all time, he was quick to give flowers

“I got to go Lecrae. I got to go Andy,” he noted. “Those are my goats, off bat. And third, it’s between Torey [D’Shaun] and J.Monty.” gio. also named Andy Mineo’s anthem “You Can’t Stop Me” as the greatest song of all time in the genre, cementing his respect for the movement’s trailblazers.

But perhaps his biggest passion is soccer. He gave us a 20-30 second rant.

“A lot of Americans think they know soccer now because there was one World Cup here, man. What about all the previous years? First of all, I’m an Italy fan. We haven’t made it in 12 years. I don’t know what the heck is going on with our coach Mancini, but he’s got to figure it out, and we’re going to get there next time, okay? Next up, we got the Copa and the Euros up in two years. Y’all make sure to tune in if you’re real soccer fans. Spain, the goats. They’re probably going to run it back in the Euro.”

Watch gio. Below:

The post gio. Shares Top Christian Rappers & Goes on World Cup Rant at the 2026 Dove Awards appeared first on Rapzilla.