Gospel music icon Marvin Sapp released his 15th album, Substance, on June 10. This is a special album for Sapp, because it was released by his own label, Elev8 Media & Entertainment. The album is also the first to be recorded in Sapp’s newly built Fort Worth, Texas, studio.
Sapp talked with rolling out about what Substance means to him, the creation of the lead single “All in Your Hands,” and the young artists he has on the album.
What does Substance mean to you?
Substance is what I believe that we need to stand on. It’s something that’s real, it’s something that’s tangible. And I wanted to make sure that this particular record was something that people could stand on, something that they can listen to, and apply the principles of the song to their lives so that the rest of [their] days can be the best of their days.
What makes this album special to you?
One, it’s a brand new venture. This is on my own label, it’s not on a major. I was on a major label for my entire career for 30 years. Having the opportunity to branch out and establish my own label and be able to own my master’s after 30 years of being in the industry is something that’s exciting. The next thing that’s really exciting, which is even more important, is that I had the opportunity to grab some young songwriters and partner with them. It’s a blessing to be able to accomplish some of the musical goals that I’ve been able to accomplish and to be celebrated as a multiplatinum recording artist and win all of the awards, but all of that really means nothing if you can’t go back and grab somebody and help them by using your platform. That’s another reason why I’m so excited about this because I pulled together some unknowns, some brand news, and some old schools, and we all came together in a writing retreat and put together this project.
Tell us about the lead single, “All in Your Hands.”
The lead single was birthed out of this pandemic. If we’ve not experienced anything, based upon what we’ve had to go through over the last two and a half, almost three years, we’ve been anxious about things and we’ve experienced all types of trauma. The reality is that during the pandemic, nobody was traveling doing concerts, and nobody was preaching, so if your whole livelihood was based upon making money on the road in order to take care of yourself and your family for a few years, that was wiped out, and that caused anxiety. When we looked at where we were, all of us said the only way we’re going to be able to get through any of this is if we put it in God’s hands, because we’re supposed to cast our cares upon him.
