Marvin Sapp's 8th album sells 76,600 in its first week!

March 26, 2010

By Robert Hasan James

As if the album “Thirsty” was not enough success for Marvin Sapp, he reached yet another milestone as his eighth album “Here I Am” sold 76,600 copies in it’s first week of release. To break it down for you, it is the #1 Gospel album, the #1 R&B/Hip-Hop album and the #2 album across all genres. So chances are the same people who picked up Lady Antebellum (#1  on the charts) and Ludacris (#3 on the charts) albums last week, also picked up “Here I Am”. The only difference is, there were major ad campaigns and heavy mainstream radio rotation for Antebellum and Luda, fortunately for Sapp, he has a consistent fan base and a lead single (Best In Me) that speaks directly to God’s people.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Marvin Sapp just two days before the release of “Here I Am” and we discussed the expectation of this album compared to the success of his last album. Fast Forward ten days and the album is the highest charted album ever for a gospel artist in the 54 year history of the Billboard 200. This is a huge feat for a 43 year old preacher from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Some gospel artists sell 76,600 copies of their album for the life span of the album and Sapp did it in a week! This is huge for not only gospel but for the industry at large. As a lover of gospel music and the culture, I am proud of the strides that gospel music is making and with all that is going on in the world, we all need a little inspiration. Thanks Marvin!

**Make sure you check out Marvin Sapp on the cover of ROOT Magazine online everywhere on April 15, 2010**