Africa Gospel Music Awards: Full list of winners

After a successful show last night, here is the full list of the winners of The 3rd  annual Africa Gospel Music Awards [AGMA] 2013 which was held at the Great Hall of Queen Mary’s University, London, United Kingdom. We say congratulations to all the winners. See Full list below.

Discovery of the Year: Moji Olusoji (Nigeria)

Central African Artiste of the Year (Joint): Dena Mwana (DRC)

Central African Artiste of the Year (Joint) : Redemption Voices (Burundi)

Artiste of the Year USA & Canada: Dare David

Artiste of the Year West Africa: Cwesi Oteng (Ghana)

Artiste of the Year East Africa : Christina Shusho (Tanzania)

Artiste of the Year Europe: Isabella Uzodike (UK)

Artiste of the Year Europe: Nana Lukezo (Belgium)

Artiste of the Year Middle East: Funke Akinokun (Emirates)

Artiste of the Year Middle Asia: Brother Philemon (China)

Artiste of the Year Southern Africa: Sfiso Ncwane (South Africa)

Radio Program of the year: Sunday Best with Sabina (Nigeria)

TV Program of the Year: Devine Jams (Uganda)

Afro Rap Artiste of the Year: Preachers (Ghana)

TV Program of the Year: Devine Jams (Uganda)

Afro Rap Artiste of the Year: Preachers (Ghana)

Afro Jazz Musician of the Year: Karabo Mongatane (South Africa)

Group of the Year: Tehila Crew (Nigeria)

Video of the Year: ‘Imela’ by Nathaniel Bassie

Event of the Year: SABC Crown Gospel Awards (South Africa)

Producer of the Year  (Joint): Wole Oni (Nigeria)

Producer of the Year (Joint): Nacy (Ghana)

Song of the Year: Living Faith Connections (UK)’Nobody’

Album of the Year: ‘Filled’ by Ntokozo

Female Artiste of the Year: Ntokozo Mbambo (South Africa)

Male Artiste of the Year: Frank Edwards (Nigeria)

AGMA SPECIAL AWARDS
Inspiration Award
Noel Robinson
Bazil Meade
Chevelle Franklyn

AGMA SPECIAL AWARD
TRAIL BLAZER
Sonnie Badu (UK)
Rebecca (UK)
Uche (South Africa)
Lara George (Nigeria)

AGMA SPECIAL AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTION TO THE PROMOTION OF GOSPEL MUSIC
Muyiwa Olarewaju (UK)
Kanji Mbugua (Kenya)
Danny Nettey (Ghana)
Kanvee Gaines- Adams (Liberia)

AGMA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENTS AWARD: Tagoe Sisters (Ghana)


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{NEW MUSIC} Bishop’s Crew – “Take Me Higher” {FREE DOWNLOAD}

Some were trained to sing and play music but the young men that make up the group called BISHOP’S CREW were born to sing and play music. BISHOP’S CREW is a music group consisting two brothers called RYTONE (Ewharekuko Orome Raymond) and MYTONE (Ewharekuko Isiorono Marvellous). It’s a Rhythm & Blue (R&B) Afro-pop music group which has a musical content that is gospel and inspirational. These brothers hail from Sapele, Delta State, Nigeria but are presently based in Lagos State, Nigeria.
This group has been best described for many years as the finest, most consistent and gifted music group that has emerged from Delta State. A distinctive quality that members of this group possess is the gift of a sonorous, soulful, touching and powerful vocal strength that they employ in captivating the hearts and minds of their listeners.
Presently, this group is being managed by a company called GO TALENTS, with Mr. Chuks Philip as the C.E.O. Contained in this promotional package are two recent hit singles by the group which were produced by the hit maker SAMKLEF noni. The songs are titled TAKE ME HIGHER and YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE LAST OF ME. More than words can express, these songs would keep you blessed & inspired as you await the complete release of the highly anticipated forthcoming album of
BISHOP’S CREW.

Here is “Take Me Higher” by the Bishop’s Crew. Enjoy

DOWNLOAD


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School of Virtue National Ladies Camp Meeting 2013

The School of Virtue presents "National Ladies Camp 2013" tagged - " Repairers of the breach"

Date: 12noon, FRIDAY, JULY 26TH – 12noon, SUNDAY 28TH.

Venue: NYSC ORIENTATION CAMP, SAGAMU, OGUN STATE.

Theme: REPAIRERS OF THE BREACH!!!

You can register HERE

Lecrae Responds to Accusation of Illuminati Ties and Jay Z Signing Rumours

Ebony Magazine recently had a chat with popular Christian hip hop artiste Lecrae. The married, father of three—with six albums to his name talked about the message behind the music, those persistent Jay-Z rumors, and the pressure of fame and faith.

EBONY: First, loved your latest album, especially the title track, “Gravity.” You’re rapping about “a place where there’s no gravity” – I take that to mean a place free from sin. But what does that mean to you?

Lecrae: “Gravity” really represents the falleness of this world and the weight and heaviness of it all. And no matter how much power, pleasure, or possession you can acquire, there’s still that weight. You can be the richest person in the world, it’s not going to stop your mother from passing away. Pleasure is just this endless chase. [I'm] just saying that we all want to be free from the gravity, everyone is looking for that and [with this album] I just tried to give some dialogue about what it looks like, to be free from the weight of this world.
E: On your song “Co-sign,” it sounds like you’re saying you don’t necessarily want to be considered a Christian rapper anymore but just a rapper who’s a Christian. When did that change come about? Do you see it as a change?

Lecrae: Yeah, you know, as I’ve gotten a little more acknowledgement in mainstream music, one of the things I’ve noticed is that there are so many stigmas attached to names. And I think my music comes with a message that I want everybody to hear and I don’t want a stigma to keep a person from hearing the message. I will obviously never deny being a Christian, that’s my faith, my identity. But I don’t want my music to be categorized with a presupposition. So sometimes people hear a term and they say, “Aw. I don’t like it.” Before they even give the music a chance. My big thing is just getting rid of all of the presuppositions so people can just sit with the music and allow it to speak to them.
E: It can seem for Christians who are not new to the faith that everyone’s goal, whether it’s musicians, artists, preachers, it’s to reach out to those outside the faith and find ways to do that that won’t turn people outside the faith off and those who are a little farther along can sometimes be left out of that. Do you consider your main goal to reach new people and bring them to the faith?
Lecrae: No, no, no. If you’re swimming in the deep end of the spiritual pool, so to speak, you’re farther along in your faith, I think the music is still very rich. There are a lot of parables in there, a lot of depth that you would have to come through to really grasp the message. [You may hear] cliché terms like, “Don’t live for this world.” They’re cliché terms but when you start unpacking that and what that looks like in song and story, I think that really helps a more mature believer say, “Man, that’s deep. That’s enriching and fulfilling.”

Lecrae

E: There was a little bit of controversy surrounding your “Confessions of a Millionaire” video. People were saying they saw Illuminati signs in the video. Were you aware of that? What’s your response when people say things like that?

Lecrae: It gets to a point where, anything that is not just blatant, if there’s any kind of symbolism, it just gets equated as negative or it’s demonized. The Bible uses plenty of symbols so I think symbolism is not bad. There are symbols all throughout the video. There’s a wolf, which symbolizes the predatory nature of us (humans), we just want and want and want and hunger. There’s color schemes where one young lady is wearing green to show the pursuit of wealth and there’s a deer head in there because it’s a wealthy party because if you go to any wealthy person’s house, they’re showing off their accomplishments. So it’s really just a lot of that kind of symbolism. None of it was intended for evil.
E: So how do you deal with that, when you’re trying to be in a positive space and you have people – even Christians—who are coming and attacking you for stuff like that or just for doing hip hop, in general, how do you stay grounded in your faith and stay above that fray?
Lecrae: I try to pay more attention more to the positive aspects of what the music is doing. There’ve been some professional athletes who have publicly spoken about how that song has inspired and challenged them and so those type of things encourage me. And then on top of that, I know that people don’t really know me so all they can do is kind of assume my motive and assume what’s happening, so I don’t take it to heart. They don’t really know me so I can’t get that flustered and hopefully if they got to sit down and have a conversation with me they’d say, “Oh, O.K. I get it.” And then we’d move on.
E: There’s also a rumor that Jay-Z is trying to sign you. Is that true?

Lecrae: [Laughs] At this point in time, no. Essentially, he was looking for some conscious artists and my name was thrown into a pool of other artists and that’s as far as it went.
E: Is that something that you would consider?
Lecrae: Nah. For multiple reasons, but one majorly, I’m an independent artist, I’m a label owner. I love my independence. I love being able to create the story. And I want to do in many ways what Jay-Z is doing for the mainstream. He’s inspiring a lot of people to think they can do something on their own. I want to inspire people that they can do it on their own and not compromise their faith and beliefs, as well. So, that’s what I stand for.
E: Before joining the faith, you had a lot of hardships—a near-arrest, a terrible car accident, some near-death moments—that literally brought you to your come-to-Jesus moment. Since becoming a Christian, have you faced anything else that made you reconsider your decision to follow Christ?
Lecrae: I can’t think of one single event, but I do know that the Christian faith is one that has to be tried and tested consistently. The Bible talks about making your “calling and election sure.” And so I think you just have to ask those questions: Do I really believe this? Am I really serious about this? To prod and probe to see where you really stand. Hopefully you always end up with that firm foundation. So I think that’s healthy. I’ve had some circumstances and experiences that have been tough, but those trials and those tests on the other side of them have always produced a stronger faith.

The most recent [hardship] I can think of is criticism. You influence 10 people, you’ve got one critic; you influence 100 people, you’ve got 10 critics, and so on and so forth. And so that comes with a lot of assumptions, a lot of rumors, a lot of people involved in aspects of your life and you’re just like “What? This has nothing to do with my music.” And so in those circumstances you wonder, “Man, is it really worth it? What’s the point? But when you have good community like I have, close people who encourage you to keep going so that when you make it to the other side of that [hardship] and get a sober perspective, you say, “It’s worth it.” And, “God is real. He’s here for me.”

Dietrick Haddon floats a Reality T.V Show

 

The Detroit born singer released the trailer for his upcoming reality T.V. show tagged: Preachers of L.A.The new docu-series, set to air on Oxygen this fall, will show a rare glimpse into the lives of six high-profile pastors from Los Angeles.

1. Bishop Noel Jones (@BishopNoelJones)
2. Deitrick Haddon (@DeitrickHaddon)
3. Bishop Clarence McClendon (@BishopMcClendon)
4. Pastor Wayne Chaney
5. Bishop Ron Gibson
6. Pastor Jay Haizlip (@jayhaizlip)

Check out the trailer HERE

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PEACE HOUSE SOUTH WEST REGIONAL STUDENTS' CONGRESS

Living Seed Ministries Presents South West Regional Students' Congress.

A regional students' congress for all students in tertiary institutions in South Western states in Nigeria.

Venue: Foursqaure Gospel Camp, Off Lagos Ibadan Express Way, Ajebo.

Theme: "Maximizing Your Youthful Years" (Lam 3:27-31.) 

Date: 4th - 7th July, 2013.

NOTE: Exco & Leaders summit 6am Friday & Saturday.

To register online click the link below

Register NOW


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Rapper DMX Is A Church Deacon?

 

Wonders they say will never end!!!
Many of us know Earl “DMX” Simmons as a rapper, but…in a recent interview with Global Grind, DMX revealed that he is now a deacon at his church!

When asked about preaching and studying the Bible, here is what he said:
Yeah, I read the whole bible. I just been made a deacon at the church I used to go to – Morning Star. I would like my first sermon to be there or in Yonkers. The biggest step is not in the studying, reading, but the warning to change the way you live. Wanting different things for yourself, and making that change because if you still want to drink and smoke, you could read as much as you want, that doesn’t mean you’re ready.


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HOOK UP WITH US ON TWITTER

You can now hook up with us on twitter @churchBOI_SZ...


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The Abuse of Beauty

“All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small

All things bright and wonderful,

The Lord God made them all”

 

            I’m sure you do remember that song. The song is very self-explanatory, that all things (no matter how beautiful or bright they might look) come from one entity - GOD, the creator of ALL things. So, whatever thing you see on the surface of this earth was or is created by God. Everything was created through him; nothing--not one thing!-- came into being without him. John.1:3(MSG).

            Since all we see today are all God’s handwork, then WHY are things going very much wrong than right? or did God miss it somewhere? or God was imperfect for just a nanosecond which led HIM to make a mistake? Hell No! God can and will never make a mistake, at least everything was okay at the beginning “And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, [it was] very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Gen.1:31(KJV). So, how, where, when and why did everything go wrong?

            I know somebody is already giving me an answer - The Devil of course!. Oh! he takes the blame again, things go right we sing praises and when things go slightly wrong, the devil gets the knock. We start off the blame game without taking time to consider if it was really the devil’s fault or our fault. Many of us use what God has given us in the course of our creation against Him, and we make God regret that He ever put that thing in us while He was creating us... GOD was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart. Gen.6:6 (MSG).         

There is a story-kind of illustration in Ezekiel. 16, Verse 4 to 13 keeps a detailed record of how God transformed a once upon a time abandoned baby to a smashing beauty. In the course of the transformation, God made her live (vs.6), washed her in water and anointed her with oil (vs.9), He clothed her and adorned her with ornaments (vs.13), at the end of it all... God looked at her and said: Your beauty was dazzling Ezek.16:13b(GNB)...and thou wast exceeding beautiful (KJV)...You were absolutely stunning. (MSG)... There we can see very much clearly that God Himself appreciated what He created.

            Here comes the big problem: "'But your beauty went to your head. Verse.15(MSG)...But you trusted in your beauty (NKJV). What a great mistake! Oh! what a misfortune. She became too full of herself. She trusted in her beauty not her beautifier...and you became a common whore. Vs.15 (MSG). What a disaster! A being God Himself took time to beautify now a common whore!?. I am sure my God will never had beautified her for that purpose. What an abuse of beauty.

            The God I serve is a God of Purpose and for everything and situation, there is always a purpose. When He was busy beautifying this abandoned baby, He sure had a great thing in mind: You were absolutely stunning. You were a queen!. Vs.13(MSG)...Yes! a Queen of a Kingdom and not a common whore. What a tragic change in destiny.

            My dear Girl-friend, are you the type that people compliment your beauty, or they always say you are “drop dead gorgeous!”, or guys find it hard to concentrate whenever you are around or they whistle whenever they see you pass by. Almost every guy on Campus just wants to be called your sweetheart even if its gonna last for just for a minute...don't be carried away my dear, don't trust in your beauty, trust in HIM who has made you beautiful. Those wonderful set of eyes you have is not a mistake, that your gorgeous set of teeth that makes guys go gaga whenever you smile didn’t get there by accident, that well-trimmed body that you have is not an error. There is a reason why the greatest Decorator (GOD) put those features there. I am very sure He didn’t make you beautiful so that you can use your beauty to get favours, money or even good grades. Don't trade with your beauty, God didn’t create it to be a business capital.

            He designed you to be a Queen, not a common whore, a raw diamond not a junk on the refuse bin. He was the one who beautified you, don't twist your destiny, don't re-write your history, don't use what God gave you against HIM, and don’t use HIS handwork against HIS will.

            There are some ladies out there that the LORD is already regretting giving them so much beauty... don't make HIM sorry for creating you, don't make Him apologise because of you... that at the end HE will not say...HAD I KNOWN..don't wait till God will be so much interested in your doom. That abandoned baby in Ezek.16 did not have a happy ending at all. Ezek.16:23,27,36-41. Stop the abuse of beauty, stop commercialising your beauty, don't make it a passport to get anything you want... just in case you don't know: “outer beauty don't last for long, inner beauty does”           

            Note this: Let evildoers do their worst and the dirty-minded go all out in pollution, but let the righteous maintain a straight course and the holy continue on in holiness."   "Yes, I'm on my way! I'll be there soon! I'm bringing my payroll with me. I'll pay all people in full for their life's work.   Rev.22:11-12(MSG).

           

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VIDEO: Deitrick Haddon’s New Single HAVE YOUR WAY

2013 is surely ANOTHER great year for music! Up next…Deitrick Haddon!

Deitrick (@deitrickhaddon)has a new single out entitled HAVE YOUR WAY. His twelfth studio album “R.E.D.: Restoring Everything Damaged” will be available on Tuesday, September 3, 2013.

A mid-tempo track with a pop-rock edge, “Have Your Way” is R.E.D.’s lead single. This song about surrendering flawlessly sets the tone for R.E.D. and prepares audiences to delve further into the theme of restoration for a journey to redemption.

“The title, R.E.D.: Restoring Everything Damaged, is more than just a creative acronym. It represents an album that is, for me, very transparent,” offers Haddon. “R.E.D. means the color of love…the color of life…the color that binds us all together. It’s the color of the blood of Jesus, He that forgives us of our sins and restores everything damaged in our lives.”

WATCH OUT

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