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Marvin Sapp’s arguably biggest hit almost didn’t happen. If he had his way, he would have never recorded “Never Would Have Made It.” During an interview on the Jennifer Hudson Show on Tuesday (November 26), he said the song was personal and he crafted it spontaneously as a comfort tune after his father died. 

“I actually wrote it spontaneously,” he said. “I think it was the Sunday after my father passed. I would sing it all of the time around the house and it was therapeutic for me. So, my wife says to me ‘You need to record this song.’”

Thank God for Marvin Sapp’s wife. After its release in 2007, “Never Would Have Made It” peaked at number 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also topped the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs chart and stayed on that chart for 46 weeks. The song has been certified platinum by the RIAA. 

Now, Sapp is looking toward the future. In August, he released his 14th studio album “Then & Now.” It’s the second album released on his independent label. “Then & Now” is also a live album. He told Jennifer Hudson, his audience seems to enjoy him better live than when he’s recording his music in the studio.

“I realized a long time ago that people enjoy me live better than the studio,” he said. “I get the opportunity to draw from the crowd, their energy and get an immediate response. Those records have always sold well for me.”

Sapp calls “Then & Now” a chronological call-back to his illustrious career.

“I wanted this record to feel like a Marvin Sapp concert, and we pulled it off,” said Sapp in a statement when the album was released over the summer. “The album sounds incredible and I’m proud of this body of work. Then & Now is a musical diary of my career. It is what I like to call ‘churchy but funky’ and it offers something new for those who have been supporting my ministry throughout the years.”

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