Marvin Sapp
11x Grammy-nominated Gospel powerhouse Marvin Sapp is here to talk with Chris Baker on his responsibility as an artist to deliver “horizontal” messaging that causes people to have a vertical relationship with God, why he always prioritizes singing classic hymns, and most importantly, how he keeps it “churchy and funky.”
Chris: How have you been able to be relevant and maintain longevity all these years?
Marvin: From a musical standpoint, I understand that I’m not a vertical singer. I’m horizontal. My responsibility is to deliver messaging that will cause people to have that vertical relationship. Somebody has to speak to the issues that people deal with. Once you understand who you are as an artist, and once you realize who your fanbase is, you give them what they like and what ends up happening is they expand who you are. And that has given me staying power 32 years later.
Chris: You are always going to kill it with the hymns. I love that you never leave that root. I wanna ask you — why do you do that?
Marvin: Once I began to realize what the lyrical content of the songs I grew up singing meant, I made a decision early on in my career.
Whenever I do a record, I’m going to make sure I stick some hymns in there just for the simple purpose of people understanding that there are certain foundational things that we should absolutely never leave.
Chris: How have you been able to maintain the balance between ministry and family?
Marvin: That’s probably the easiest question you’ve ever asked. I maintain the balance between ministry and family because I don’t balance it. I prioritize. Anything you try to balance, you can fall off of. I prioritize above everything else my relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. After that relationship, I’m a father. Then I’m a pastor, a recording artist, and an entrepreneur. My first ministry is to my family. If you get to that place, the rest of your days will be the best of your days.
Chris: I want to ask about the masterpiece y’all made in a month: Chosen Vessel.
Marvin: This record, strangely enough, is prophetic. We recorded Chosen Vessel at the end of February and 2-3 weeks after we recorded, everything was shut down. I just keep asking God: how did you know that these were the songs people were going to need to hear in this particular season?