McDonald’s® announced today its list of honorees for the 2012 McDonald’s 365Black® Awards which includes multi-platinum and 10-time GRAMMY® award-winning recording artist Chaka Khan; global humanitarian, best-selling inspirational author/entrepreneur Bishop T.D. Jakes; GRAMMY-nominated R&B singer/songwriter Tamia and husband, professional NBA basketball player, Grant Hill; teenage inventor Tony Hansberry II; youth empowerment activist Mary-Pat Hector; and McDonald’s Owner/Operators, Tina and Harold Lewis. The McDonald’s 365Black Awards will be held on July 6 at 11 a.m. (CDT) at the Mahalia Jackson Theater and are given annually to salute outstanding individuals who are committed to making positive contributions that strengthen the African-American community.

“This year’s 365Black Award honorees showcase an incredible range of talent, intellect and leadership,” said Rob Jackson, U.S. marketing director, McDonald’s USA. “From a high school student blazing new paths in medical technology to a legendary spiritual leader who motivates millions of people every day, McDonald’s is proud to honor and recognize all 2012 recipients for their extraordinary contributions that positively impact communities across America and the world, 365 days a year.”

This year marks the ninth year for the annual McDonald’s 365Black Awards. This year’s event, which McDonald’s hosts as a prelude to the ESSENCE Music Festival® weekend, will ascend to a new level of star-studded showmanship. Taking place for the first-time ever at the historic Mahalia Jackson Theatre, the event will feature an all-star line-up of celebrity appearances and musical performances from leading artists, including gospel sensations Fred Hammond and Mary Mary. Prior to the ceremony, journalist Roland Martin will cover the celebrity action from the red carpet.

“McDonald’s is continually evolving to meet the needs of the communities we serve, not only through new menu offerings, but also by engaging our customers and employees with positive programs that are relevant and important to them,” said Jackson. “From events that impact communities nationwide, like the 365Black Awards, to local education scholarships and sports team sponsorships, McDonald’s values the diverse needs of our communities and will continue to invest in programs that enrich people’s lives.”

The McDonald’s 365Black Awards launched in 2003 as an extension of McDonald’s 365Black platform, created to celebrate the pride, heritage and achievements of African-Americans year-round.

Two of Christian music’s most innovative and talented artists are scheduled to launch their first tour together this fall.  An Acoustic Evening With Jason Gray And Todd Agnew Tour marks the first time the pair has toured together and will bring their chart-topping music in an intimate stage performance.  It’s a chance for audiences to hear the inspiration behind such songs as “God Undefeatable,” “Grace Like Rain,” “Remind Me Who I Am” and “More Like Falling in Love.” The tour kicks off on September 28^th in Bend, OR and concludes November 12^th in South Padre Island, TX. 

“There are few people I’ve met who are as passionate about Jesus and His Kingdom than Todd Agnew,” says Gray.  “His relentless pursuit of the heart of God is infectious and comes through everything he does: his artistry, his speech, and the way he conducts his life.  I’m grateful to make music and tell our story together, but I’m most excited to pursue Jesus with Todd Agnew.”

“I’ve been a friend and a fan of Jason Gray for quite a few years now,” adds Agnew. “Both of his last two records have really impacted my life, so I’m really excited about sharing a stage with him this fall.”

About Jason Gray

Gray began building a loyal fanbase as an independent artist and recorded two independent projects before signing with Centricity Music. Gray released his first national CD in 2007, All The Lovely Losers.  The project received rave reviews and was heralded as one of the top albums of that year. Gray’s sophomore project, Everything Sad Is Coming Untrue firmly established him has a solid artist in the Christian music genre.  The album brought Gray his highest-charting single, More Like Falling In Love, and the song garnered Gray his first ASCAP Performance Award in 2011.  Gray’s third project with Centricity Music, A Way To See In The Dark, was voted the #1 Album of the Year by the music website, Sound Opinion.  The first single from the project, Remind Me Who I Am, was iTunes #1 downloaded song and won Gray his second ASCAP Performance Award in 2012.  He has toured with such major acts as Michael W. Smith, Third Day, tobyMac, Sanctus Real, Francesca Battistelli, Tenth Avenue North and Jeremy Camp.  For more information on Gray please visit www.jasongraymusic.com.

About Todd Agnew

Texas native Todd Agnew is a seven-time Dove Award nominee, who has released six albums throughout his 15-year career.  The projects have garnered Agnew numerous hit singles, including two #1 songs, Grace Like Rain and This Fragile Breath (The Thunder Song).  Agnew is currently on Ardent Records and released his latest album, How To Be Loved in March of this year.  The veteran singer/songwriter and worship leader remains active on the touring circuit by performing over 150 dates per year and has shared the stage with such acts as Jonny Diaz, newsboys, Building 429 and Newsong.  He currently lives in Austin, TX with his wife and two children.

Acoustic Evening Tour Dates (subject to change)

11/11/12                Smithfield, PA

11/12/12                South Padre Island, TX

Path MEGAzine has learned that Gospel star James Fortune is being sued for physical child abuse of his then 4-year-old stepson.

According to a civil lawsuit, Fortune is being sued for $5 million after burning 50% of his stepson’s body and leaving him disfigured. Both Fortune and his wife Cheryl, the mother of accuser, are named in the suit.

In the suit, physical abuse occurred after he colored on a table in school. It’s claimed that after trying to verbally punish the child and putting him in time out, Fortune began “preparing a scalding bath” to punish his stepson.

Further in the suit, it claims Fortune “instructed (the child) to remove his clothes and began to whip the naked toddler with a switch.” He is then accused of putting the child in the scalding water, which left his body extremely burned.

The child was then treated at the Shriners Burn Hospital in Galveston for over two months.

Fortune’s stepson has since undergone many operations to repair the skin on his hands, buttocks, legs, and genitals.

The timing of the lawsuit will come under heavy scrutiny.  Fortune went from being a relative unknown in 2001 to a top selling artist, and NOW he’s being sued by the child’s father. 

The incident occurred over 11 years ago in 2001. In 2003, James Fortune plead guilty to felony injury to a child, receiving six years deferred adjudication. The child in the claim is now 15 years old. The suit is being filed by his biological father who says the money will be used for plastic surgery to repair his disfigurement.

Fortune just released the following statement:

I recently became aware of a civil suit pending against my wife, Cheryl Fortune and I, for an incident that occurred in 2001 involving my stepson. There was a criminal investigation and all matters were resolved in 2003. Since that time, my family and I, including my stepson, have continued with family traditions and always have a loving family environment. We are shocked by this lawsuit but understand people are free to use the court system to pursue claims, whether they contain merit or baseless matters. We are confident through this process, if it proceeds to a judge or jury, the ultimate decision maker will render a decision that is favorable to the circumstances and timing surrounding this situation. We believe in our American justice system and know it will work for us as it has for millions of other Americans. I love all my children, including my stepson, and I ask for your prayers as we deal with this matter privately. Thank you for your continued support for me, my family, and ministry.

With hits like ‘I Trust You,’ ‘You Survived’ and ‘I Believe,’ Fortune has become a valuable asset to the Kingdom of God.  Let’s keep him and all parties in prayer.

The excitement is building as plans get underway for EMI Gospel recording artist, Sheri Jones-Moffett first LIVE! Recording.

The Malaco Music Group regrets to announce the passing of Ben Chandler, a longtime member of the legendary Quartet group, The Pilgrim Jubilees.

Ben Chandler joined The Pilgrim Jubilees in 1970.

In 1979, The Jubes signed on with gospel’s venerable Savoy Records. During that era, the group recorded four albums, Keep on Climbing, Put on Your Shoes, Whensoever I Pray and Put Your Trust In Jesus. The Jubes soon became one of gospel’s top quartets. From these albums came such hit songs as Rich Man, Poor Man; I’m Happy With Jesus Alone; Whensoever I Pray; Put Your Trust In Jesus; and I’m Glad You Looked My Way. In 1987, the group signed with Malaco in 1991 and released Gospel Roots, which immediately hit the Top 40 of Billboard magazine’s Gospel Albums Chart. Their second Malaco project, 1988’s Back to Basics, reached the top 25 on Billboard’s chart.

Family Affair, released on Malaco in 1991, hit the top 20 in both on Billboard and Cashbox and was nominated for gospel’s coveted Stellar Award. I’m Getting Better All the Time earned extensive nationwide airplay in 1991 and became a favorite of gospel fans. In 1994, The Jubes released In Revival, a greatest hits album which was recorded live in their hometown of Houston, Mississippi. The charted disc became one of the top-selling gospel albums of any era.

Please pray for the entire Chandler family and friends.  Funeral Arrangements will be forthcoming.

Watch the video below of Ben Chandler sing I’ll Fly Away.

Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) celebrated the songwriters and music publishers behind the past year’s most-performed songs in Christian music tonight during the organization’s annual Christian Music Awards, held at BMI’s Nashville offices on Music Row.

Consistent chart-topper tobyMac earned his third consecutive Christian Songwriter of the Year crystal and shares the 2012 honor with Casting Crowns frontman Mark Hall, singer/songwriter Matt Maher, Southern gospel staple Kyla Rowland and hit songwriter/producer Chris Stevens. The unusual five-way tie occurred because the hit-makers each wrote or co-wrote two of the songs on the year’s most-performed list.

Cross-format superstar Kirk Franklin earned Christian Song of the Year honors for his smash “I Smile,” published by Aunt Gertrude Music Publishing LLC and Bridge Building Music.

With the highest percentage of copyright ownership among the year’s most-performed songs, powerhouse EMI CMG Publishing clinched the Christian Publisher of the Year win.

During the ceremony, prolific family group the Isaacs, 2012 Dove Awards Artist of the Year Jason Crabb and dynamic contemporary Christian singer/songwriter Chris Tomlineach delivered inspirational performances.

Jody Williams, BMI Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations, Nashville, and Associate Director Leslie Roberts served as the evening’s hosts alongside Phil Graham, BMI Senior Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations.

A complete list of the 2012 BMI Christian Award winners is available at www.bmi.com.

This week saw a few shifting of positions among leaders in the Top 10, but the glaring addition to the top ten comes from the emerging artist Charles Jenkins.  

Charles Jenkins & Fellowship Chicago debuted at #1 this week, bumping Gospel icons Mary Mary to the #2 spot in sales for the first time in 6 weeks.  

Charles Jenkins is riding the wave created by his #1 hit single ‘Awesome’ that continues to impact radio worldwide.  

New artist Maria Jenkins made a respectable Top 20 debut with her CD ‘The Journey of a Worshipper.’  Jenkins can be seen July 9th performing at the Gospel Music Workshop of America in Nashville.

Next week lookout for Gospel veteran Byron Cage’s latest CD ‘Memoirs of a Worshipper.’ 

The Complete Top 10:

1 | Charles Jenkins & Fellowship Chicago – The Best of Both Worlds
2 | Mary Mary – Go Get It
3 | Marvin Sapp – I Win
4 | Andrae Crouch – The Journey
5 | William McDowell – Arise
6 | WOW Gospel 2012
7 | Jason Nelson – Shifting the Atmosphere
8 | James Fortune & FIYA – Identity
9 | Zacardi Cortez – The Introduction
10 | Various Artists – Joyful Noise (Soundtrack) 

Reach Records, home to award-winning artists such as Lecrae, Trip Lee and Tedashii, is proud to present KB as its newest hip hop artist to join their diverse roster. Together, they will unveil the debut album Weight & Glory, available in stores nationwide starting July 17, 2012. 

Weight & Glory is the follow-up full-length album to Kevin Burgess’ (otherwise known as KB) 2011 mixed-tape, titled Who is KB? Since its debut, the project has quickly become a fan favorite garnering over 30,000 downloads to date. In addition, KB has been featured on many Reach Records projects including: Lecrae Rehab (“I Used to Do it Too”), Man Up, Pro (“Dying to Live”), and Trip Lee The Good Life (“One Sixteen”).

Weight & Glory is produced by a stellar cast including Dirty Rice, Cheesebeats, and Black Knight. The 14-track album features an extra bonus track and guest appearances by label mates Lecrae, Trip Lee, Tedashii, Swoope, J Paul, Chris Lee Cobbins, Suzy Rock and more (see full track listing below).

With electrifying beats and hypnotic riffs, the project serves as a call-to-action for people to respond to God’s greatness.

“The album is about responding to how amazing God is, but there will be no responding unless God miraculously gives us eyes to see Him and taste buds to savor His goodness,” says KB. “This is what it means to have faith in Christ. My prayer is that God would give us eyes to see what has been in our face our whole lives. The Weight & Glory of God!”

In conjunction with his release, KB is also gearing up to perform at various music festivals and venues across the county and will also embark on a 30-city label tour this fall showcasing selections from Weight & Glory.

Fans can check out his music video for his first single “Zone Out” featuring Chris Lee. Here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tlSeDHroMo&feature=plcp and for more information on KB and Weight & Glory, please go to http://reachrecords.com.

Weight & Glory Track Listing:
1. Weight Music 
2. Zone Out feat. Chris Lee Cobbins 
3. Anomaly
4. Don’t Mean Much feat. Sho Baraka 
5. Go Off feat. Andy Mineo and Tedashii 
6. Mr. Pretender 
7. Open Letter (Battlefield) feat. Swoope, Trip Lee and Jai 
8. Heart Song feat. Jasmine Le’Shea 
9. Better Man feat. J. Paul 
10. Angels feat. Flame 
11. Tear It Down 
12. Church Clap feat. Lecrae 
13. Hello feat. Suzy Rock 
14. Here We Go feat. PK
15. Bonus Track: Zone Out (Amped Remix)

About Reach Records and ReachLife Ministries
Reach Records and ReachLife Ministries strive to, “bridge the gap between biblical truth and urban context.” Founded in 2003, Reach Records is a Christian music record label dedicated to using music as a means of reaching the urban community in a biblically sound way. While Reach Records employs music to reveal biblical truth, ReachLife Ministries aims to empower ministry leaders with this music in order to grow the urban church.

For further information and a list of upcoming Reach Records and ReachLife Ministries events, please visit http://reachrecords.com. For more information about ReachLife please visit http://reachlife.org/.

Kevin Durant, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Christian forward, may have cried after an emotional NBA Finals loss to the Miami Heat on Thursday night, but the league’s leading shooter has expressed nothing but gratitude for the opportunity to compete.

“Tough way to end a season but I am truly blessed to have the privilege to play for such a great city, congrats to the Miami Heat,” the 23-year-old Thunder forward wrote on his Twitter page.

While Durant has continually called the opportunity to play with his teammates a blessing, he has been vocal about his Christian faith even before advancing to his first NBA finals this season. Many became curious about Durant’s faith after the star walked into last year’s playoffs with a Bible in his backpack.

The Christian Post.com reports that the forward admitted that he was attempting to get closer to the God by reading Scripture every day.

“I just want to grow spiritually with the Lord. I’m keeping strong at it, just trying to make my walk with faith a little better,” Durant told the press last season. “That’s making me a better person, opening my eyes to things and I’m also maturing as a person. I’m just trying to grow.”

Although it seems Durant’s team has grown over the past year, which was made evident with their stint in the NBA Finals, he admitted that the Thunder’s recent loss was hurtful.

“It hurts. We’re all brothers on this team and it just hurts to go out like this,” Durant admitted in his post-game press conference. “We made it to the finals.”

The star shooter remained humble during his interview, giving credit to the skills of the Heat players.

“Their defense is really good. I didn’t want to admit it during the series but now that its over those guys are really good,” Durant said. “It’s unfortunate for us, man we wanted it so bad. But we all gotta keep our heads high, I’m a positive guy so I’m gonna keep my head high.”

After sewing her debut album GOD’S PROJECT (Book I) in 2010, the single “Holy Groove” garnered Coppe a buzz in the community.  Coppe was invited to perform at various churches, Knott’s Berry Farm’s (Gospel Showcase in 2011), The Dream Center and other venues throughout California.   She has shared the stage with Michelle Bonilla, Jessica Reedy, The Neville Sisters, P-Dub, Jameel Jones and Freed to name a few.

Coppe is back with her sophomore CD release GOD’S PROJECT (Book II), kicking it off with the hot single “True Riches” already getting radio play in various markets, It will surely give fans more of what they’ve bargained for, it features veteran rapper Shames Worthy.   Other industry veterans that are featured include Macho on the up-tempo track “Get Up” and Eastwood on the song “Good Man”.   Throughout this new CD you will hear the anointing that has transpired this sister in Christ. 

The second single “My Daddy” which is an up-tempo track that will have the young and the old dancing and praising who their daddy is, (our God).   Her Third single “Be With You” is a nice mellow mid-tempo groove; this is about spending time with the Lord not just on Sundays, but all the time

Coppe Cantrell is great addition to the Gospel family, get ready to hear a lot more from this talented singer/songwriter that was given her gifts from a sound sleep just less than three years ago, all praise be to God.