Marvin Sapp

Marvin Louis Sapp (born January 28, 1967) is an American Gospel musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer.

Early life and education

Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Sapp began singing in church at age four. In third grade he met MaLinda Prince, his future wife.

He was a student at the unaccredited Aenon Bible College in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Solo career

In 1996, Sapp decided to establish himself as a contemporary gospel solo artist and has recorded seven albums. Sapp first achieved crossover fame with the release of " Never Would Have Made It" from the album '' Thirsty'' in 2007. It peaked at No. 14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, No. 82 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and also at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Gospel Songs chart. ''Thirsty'' debuted at No. 28 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200, No. 4 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and also No. 1 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Top Gospel Albums. It has been certified gold by the RIAA due to the album selling over 500,000 copies, making it Sapp's best selling album of his solo career, and has so far sold over 712,000 copies.Grein, Paul (March 24, 2010
Week Ending March 21, 2010: Pastor Sapp's Chart Miracle
Yahoo Music. In 2009, Sapp won all seven Gospel Stellar Awards that he was nominated for.

Sapp recorded ''Thirsty''s follow-up album, ''Here I Am'', on October 16, 2009, at Resurrection Life Church in Wyoming, Michigan and released it on March 16, 2010. With its release, Sapp became the all-time highest charting gospel artist in ''Billboard''s 54-year history of tracking album sales. By selling approximately 76,000 copies of ''Here I Am'' its first week out, the album debuted at No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, making ''Here I Am'' the highest-charting album ever by a gospel artist. ''Here I Ams lead single, "The Best in Me," which was co-written by the album's producer, Aaron Lindsey (Israel Houghton), peaked at No. 14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, No. 1 on ''Billboard''s Gospel Songs chart and reached No. 20 (with a bullet) on ''Billboard''s Urban AC chart. On January 15, 2011, Marvin Sapp topped the list of winners during the 26th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards

Ministry

In 2003, Sapp and his wife founded Lighthouse Full Life Center Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. On November 17, 2019, Sapp became the senior pastor of The Chosen Vessel Church in Fort Worth, Texas.

Fundraising controversy

During his appearance at the 109th Pentecostal Assemblies of the World Convention in Baltimore, Maryland, in July 2024, Sapp called on in-person attendees and online livestream viewers to reach a fundraising goal. Sapp repeatedly instructed the venue's ushers to "close the doors", allegedly to prevent attendees from leaving until the goal was met. Video of the incident went viral on social media in March 2025, drawing backlash from users on Twitter and other platforms.

Sapp responded to the criticism in a March 26 statement on Facebook, claiming that the footage was taken out of context and that the doors were closed to ensure a "safe, focused, and reverent" environment for the team collecting contributions. On the March 31 edition of '' The Rickey Smiley Morning Show'', Sapp said that he received death threats due to the controversy.

Personal life

Sapp is the widower of MaLinda Prince Sapp, who served as the administrative pastor at his Lighthouse Full Life Center Church. MaLinda died September 9, 2010, from complications of colon cancer. Marvin Sapp had three children with MaLinda: Marvin L. II (b. August 30, 1994), MiKaila D. (b. September 8, 1997), and Madisson (b. June 9, 1999).

Stalking

In the early 2010s following the death of his wife Sapp experienced harassment from a stalker: Dr. Teleka Patrick, a resident physician who had moved from California to Kalamazoo, Michigan, to pursue Sapp. Patrick made numerous Twitter posts and YouTube videos containing romantic intentions towards Sapp, including wanting to bear children with him, but only a few of which addressed him by name directly.

On August 25, 2013, Sapp angrily attested to his service about an unnamed woman (now believed to have been Patrick) who the night prior had gone into his home uninvited and spoke to his three teenaged children. Sapp later filed a personal-protection order for him and his children with the Kent County Circuit Court, accusing Patrick of contacting him for over a year; joining his church; coming to his home; contacting his children; and making claims that he was her husband. He and his lawyer cited " app havingat least 400 pages of correspondence from atrickwhich e hadnever responded to" as evidence, and the order was successfully issued against Patrick on September 17, 2013.

Patrick's infatuation with Sapp was later brought to media attention by a police investigation into her disappearance on December 5, 2013. Police stated that Sapp was not considered to be a suspect in the woman's disappearance, and Patrick’s death was ruled an accident following the discovery of her drowned body in a pond in Porter, Indiana, on April 16, 2014.

Biopic

In April 2022, it was revealed that there would be a biopic airing on TV One in August 2022 on Marvin Sapp, entitled after Marvin's top song, "Never Would've Made It: The Marvin Sapp Story". The biopic features Chaz Lamar Shepherd who portrays Marvin and Ambre Anderson portrays Marvin's late wife, Dr. MaLinda Sapp.

Discography

* '' Marvin Sapp'' (1996)
* '' Grace & Mercy'' (1997)
* '' Nothing Else Matters'' (1999)
* '' I Believe'' (2002)
* '' Diary of a Psalmist'' (2003)
* '' Be Exalted'' (2005)
* '' Thirsty'' (2007)
* '' Here I Am'' (2010)
* '' I Win'' (2012)
* '' You Shall Live'' (2015)
* '' Close'' (2017)
* ''Chosen Vessel (Live)'' (2020)
* ''Substance'' (2022)
* ''Then and Now'' (2024)

Achievements and awards

Billboard Music Awards

BET Awards

GMA Dove Awards

Grammy Awards

Marvin Sapp has been nominated for eleven Grammy Awards.

References

External links

Official Website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sapp, Marvin
1967 births
Living people
African-American Christian clergy
African-American male singer-songwriters
American male singer-songwriters
20th-century African-American male singers
20th-century American male singers
20th-century American singers
American gospel singers
Musicians from Grand Rapids, Michigan
Singer-songwriters from Michigan
21st-century African-American male singers
21st-century American male singers
Thirty Tigers artists