Obama says that its OK for Muslims to go ahead with plans to build a Muslim Mosque on ground zero.  Many Christians are appalled by the idea of a Mosque being built just a block from where planes crashed into New Yorks twin towers.  The video below shows the President’s press conference expressing his belief in freedom of religion.  What do you think?  Do you agree with the president? 

THIS PRIZE HAS ALREADY BEEN WON!  Subscribe to our Newsletter for more give-aways.  Also, you don’t want to miss next weeks giveaway!  “Stay on the Path”

Prize:One winner will receive CoCo Brother’s new CD titled “Stand 2010” with songs by Israel Houghton, Joann Rosario Condrey, Tye Tribbett, James Fortune, Darwin Hobbs, BeBe Winans, Pastor Paula White, Canton Jones, Smokie Norful & More.

Exceptions: See guidelines for eligibility.
Number of winners allowed: 1
Ends: The third email with the correct answer wins!

Question (Multiple Choice) : Where was CoCo Brother Born?
A). Atlanta, GA
B). Washington D.C.
C). Germany
D). Europe

Hint: Google it!

Guidelines: Must submit the correct answers by email to pathmagazine@hotmail.com, along with physical address and your email.  The winner will be contacted by email, and must respond back to our email to validate their reward.  We will then ship the CD to you within two weeks.  Have fun!

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. — The cornerback steered his custom truck through familiar streets. The ex-convict sat shotgun and pointed out landmarks, this “drug hole,” that “crack house,” the best routes for eluding the police.

The cornerback is Al Harris. He wears No. 31 for the Green Bay Packers. The ex-convict is Kevin Soto. He wore No. 693430 in the Florida Department of Corrections.

They met 25 years ago, two boys from the same neighborhood north of Miami, bonded by break dancing and back flips and music above all else. That was before Harris went to the N.F.L., before Soto went to prison, before either man had heard of Christian rap.

“All these years, music kept coming up, kept bringing us together,” Harris, 35, said. “It always came back to music, no matter what we did, or where we went.”

In August, Harris and Soto will release a Christian rap album, the culmination of two lives that veered in opposite directions and converged again recently.

The cornerback wore shoulder pads for the first time at age 2, already certain his future was in football. The local boys’ club produced a stunning number of elite athletes, including the N.B.A. guard Eddie Jones and the seven players from Harris’s Blanche Ely High School teams who have played in the N.F.L.

The ex-convict preferred hip-hop. Soto owned one of the first portable stereos in the neighborhood, and he wrote rhymes about street life and Burger King commercials and rapped over the latest beats.

The boys rode the same bus to different schools, with Soto three years older. They engaged in enough adolescent mischief — lobbing batteries at buses, breaking car windows with rocks — that the bus driver separated them by at least two rows, they said.

Soto protected Harris as if he were his brother, wary of the dangers. Their hometown once consisted entirely of fields; beans, peppers, squash and tomatoes lined the horizon. Eventually it filled with families, lower and middle class.

Then came crack cocaine, which produced the usual byproducts: gangs, drugs and crime. The worst centered in Grace Apartments, at the dead end of a one-way street. Soto lived there for years, his favorite memory the night when police officers, clad in helmets and carrying shields, refused to advance beyond a certain point.

“When they tore down those projects, people were upset,” Soto said. “And I was one of them. To a juvenile delinquent, that was like Disney World.”

Even while their paths diverged, the cornerback kept tabs on his friend. Harris heard that Soto carried a gun and experimented with marijuana and cocaine. Harris’s father, Johnny, worked at the high school and noticed Soto driving stolen cars.

“Your boy, he’s heading down the wrong path,” he told his son.

Florida court records show what happened: felony arrests for aggravated assault with a firearm, battery, cocaine possession, robbery with a deadly weapon and marijuana distribution, all between 1990 and 1996.

Soto, 38, estimated he was picked up by the police more than 100 times. Eventually he served three terms in prison, where he said he felt more comfortable than outside.

He outlined his criminal past with detail but not emotion. He stashed drugs in lockers and went high to school, eventually being kicked out. He hid several stolen cars around the neighborhood. He escaped from juvenile detention. On and on it went.

A typical story: “The cops came to the house, and I ran out back. I jumped off a seven-story balcony and broke my kneecap. I have a full cast on my leg. I’m on the run from the police. My wife is tired. I can’t go back home. And I’m still going out trying to keep my drug spot going.”

The ex-convict felt abandoned and rejected by the father he never knew. In Johnny Harris, Soto saw the effect of parental influence. Johnny Harris never cared how many friends his son hosted. Their house sometimes filled with 20 children, but all under his watch.

The cornerback went to junior college, then boosted his N.F.L. stock at Texas A.&M.-Kingsville. Harris started 175 straight games with Philadelphia and Green Bay and became a Pro Bowl regular.

There were chance meetings with the ex-convict over the years, at gas stations or neighborhood haunts. Sometimes, Soto looked muscular, buffed by prison workouts.

After Harris spent 1997 on Tampa Bay’s practice squad, he visited a music studio back home, and recognized Soto’s voice inside the booth as Soto rapped with the lights off. Afterward, Harris asked Soto if he would consider a career in music.

But Soto was not ready. As recently as 2008, behind on child support, depressed and an alcoholic, Soto said he considered suicide. His wife, the mother of five of his six children, initiated a divorce.

What happened next made even Harris skeptical. On April 2, 2008, Soto went to church. He went again. And again. He fixed his marriage and became an usher. Now, the ex-convict counsels prisoners on Wednesday nights.

Eventually, Harris formed 31 Entertainment and teamed with Soto for this project. Last August, they started to make the album they long envisioned, with a twist.

Soto still rhymes about the life he lived, but he also speaks to consequences and incorporates his faith. What results is music at once gritty and introspective, a cross between traditional and Christian rap. Soto calls himself Proof — of God’s work, of redemption, he cautiously hopes.

“No one paints the whole picture,” Harris said. “Mothers who lost sons. Kids who lost their dads. All to live up to some lifestyle that isn’t worth it.”

Harris admitted that even friends were skeptical of the new venture. For years, he had tightened his inner circle, and then he went out and hired an ex-con.

Producers worried that Soto would return and rob their studio, Harris said. Others wondered if he had really changed.

“Al always believed in Kevin,” Johnny Harris said. “Sometimes, that’s what it takes.”

Soto recently finished a mix tape and distributed it to build buzz for the album they plan to release in August. Soto’s appendix burst during production, and less than one month later, Harris sustained a gruesome and rare knee injury that threatened his career and still requires rehabilitation. His future with the Packers appears somewhat uncertain, but he said he thought he would play this season.

The album reflects those struggles, along with their friendship, now 25 years strong. In recent discussions, Harris and Soto talked less about music and more about family, about faith, about men sharpening men.

“We’re going to change everything,” Harris said. “This is a movement. We’re saying, you can do all the right things and still be cool.”

Most Sundays during the off-season, the cornerback arrives late to the Word of Living God Ministries in his hometown. His longtime friend, the ex-convict, waits at the side entrance.

That, to Harris, is the essence of their story: friendship, faith and open doors.

What’s next for Tye Tribbett?  Always accessible to his fans, Tye announced in July that he was retiring his group G.A. so that they could pursue some of their dreams and goals.  In a previous YouTube video Tye makes it known that he cherished his time with the group but said, “All seasons must change.”  To feel the void, he launched a nationwide internet audition for background singers.  Audition hopefuls uploaded their singing auditions to YouTube in hopes of singing with the award winning artist.

Hard at work on the new album, Tye said he had the album title before the album was completed.  The album is based off of scripture from Issiah 43: 18-19.  “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  Behold, I do a new thing!  With that he’s calling the new album, “Fresh.”  The album is tentatively scheduled for release on Tuesday, October 19th 2010.  

Listen to Tye tell you in his own words about the new CD project, ‘Fresh.’ in the video below.

The Gospel Music Association (GMA) recently announced the renewal of its partnership with GMC, America’s favorite channel for uplifting music and family entertainment, to broadcast what is Gospel/Christian Music’s Biggest Night, the Dove Awards.

With the 2010 Dove Awards this past April delivering more than 300K viewers and outperforming the 2009 premiere HH rating by +54%, the GMA is also taking a bold step and hosting the 42nd Annual Dove Awards in Atlanta, GA., the first time the show has taken place outside of Nashville.

GMA’s Chairman of the Board Ed Leonard comments, “the experience of attending the Dove Awards in person, with our artists and fans gathered together in the Atlanta community to celebrate the Gospel, is incredible. We want to share that excitement with the people of Atlanta in 2011, and having moved our Immerse event back to Nashville from Estes Park, CO in 2009, we are taking this opportunity to expand the reach of the Dove Awards for 2011.”

The 2011 Dove Awards will be held in Atlanta’s historic and fabulous Fox Theatre on April 20, 2011, GMA is working in conjunction with the city of Atlanta to host the broadcast, where its television partner, GMC is also headquartered. Atlanta is the home of many of the industry’s biggest names (Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, Third Day, Byron Cage, Bishop Paul Morton, Canton Jones, Dottie Peoples, Brian Free and Assurance and more).

“GMC is thrilled to present the Dove Awards for another year to Gospel and Christian music fans,” said Charley Humbard, President and CEO of GMC. He added, “As the leading television provider of Gospel music, we are dedicated to making GMC the television home of Gospel and Christian music’s biggest events.”

“Georgia’s music scene is vibrant, growing and full of history,” said Kevin Langston, Deputy Commissioner for Tourism for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “We are looking forward to playing host to the 2011 Dove Awards.”

Located on Peachtree Street in the middle of the city surrounded by some of the city’s best restaurants, hotels and more, Dove Award activities will take place in close proximity to the Fox Theatre, creating an intimate atmosphere for attendees, artists and industry VIPs.

“We Atlantans are so happy to welcome the Dove Awards to Atlanta this year,” remarked 16-time Dove Award winner and platinum selling artist Chris Tomlin. “How exciting to celebrate and share a night together honoring God in a city I have come to know and love.”

In agreement with Tomlin, Bishop Paul S. Morton commented, “To the world, Atlanta is already known to be a home for diversity in music. I am so excited that the GMA has chosen to bring the Dove Awards to our historic and beautiful city. What better way to add to the broadening musical landscape of Gospel Music.”

THIS PRIZE HAS BEEN ALREADY WON!
Prize: One winner will receive Lucinda Moore’s new CD titled “Blessed, Broken & Given”

Exceptions: See guidelines for eligibility.
Number of winners allowed: 1
Ends: The 4th email with the two correct answers wins!

Question 1: What record label is Lucinda Moore currently on?
Question 2: What is Lucinda Moore’s hometown?

Hint: Google it!

Guidelines: Must submit the correct answers by email to pathmagazine@hotmail.com, along with physical address and your email.  The winner will be contacted by email, and must respond back to our email to validate their reward.  We will then ship the CD to you.  Have fun!

Interesting Newsweek cover story titled “The Reinvention of the Reverend Al.” Writers Allison Samuels and Jerry Adler ask tough questions that are sure to stir up your opinions.  But the biggest question looms.  Is Al Sharpton needed now that we have a black president?  Here is what he has to say, and the writers who predict what he wanted to say weigh in. 

Excerpt from Newsweek Magazine:
But the interesting question is whether his role is still needed in an era when the man atop the national power structure himself is black, and Sharpton now regularly meets with him—issuing not just demands but advice. If you asked Sharpton himself, he’d undoubtedly reply, are you serious? Blacks still have twice the unemployment rate of Americans overall, and young black men are still being shot by cops under circumstances that range from tragic to suspicious. The election of Barack Obama has provoked an almost hysterical reaction from the far-right media, which last week claimed as its latest victim an obscure African-American official in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Relaxing with a thick Ashton Churchill in a plush midtown cigar lounge, the once-and-still Reverend Al scoffs at the idea that there is, or ever has been, a new Sharpton. “My mission, my message, and everything else about me is the same as always,” he says. “The country may have changed, but I haven’t.”

So, taking him at his word, Sharpton—at 55, a half-generation younger than Jesse Jackson and seven years older than Obama—can serve as a marker against which to gauge the shifting river of American race relations. Contacted in May by the family of a 7-year-old girl accidentally killed by Detroit police, Sharpton called no angry press conference and declined to get himself arrested. Instead, he preached an impassioned, but hardly inflammatory, sermon whose message—”we are all responsible for our children’s safety”—could have offended no one except Mike Cox, a Republican candidate for governor of Michigan, who pronounced himself “disgusted” that Sharpton would come to his state to preach at a child’s funeral.

What has changed, though, is the center of gravity of political anger in America. Sharpton’s next big project is a march on Washington planned for Aug. 28, the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Sharpton’s “Reclaim the Dream” rally will coincide with a speech by Glenn Beck near the Lincoln Memorial. Sharpton is especially cutting about Beck’s “Take Back America” tour with Sarah Palin earlier this year. “The nerve and gall,” he expostulates. “Who are they taking America back from, and who are they giving it to?” Reclaim the Dream versus Take Back America. CLICK to Read More from NEWSWEEK

GRAMMY, Stellar, and Dove award winning worship leader Israel Houghton is gearing up to release his newest effort titled Love God, Love People. The Integrity Music artist has tapped longtime music director and producer Aaron Lindsay and Tommy Sims to handle production for this new effort. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, England, the-12 track effort features guest appearances from Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond, and Take 6. Love God, Love People is due in stores August 31, 2010.

ALSO READ: Bishop Walter Hawkins Homegoing Musical Celebration Features Yolanda Adams, Mary Mary and Bebe Winans

Oakland, CA: A who’s who of the gospel world is gathered to pay final respects to Grammy Award winning gospel legend, Bishop Walter Hawkins, who passed away July 11th after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer.

On Tuesday, July 20th, some of the biggest names in gospel music will congregate at The Paramount Theater for a musical salute to Walter Hawkins who is known for his classic gospel songs such as “Goin’ Up Yonder,” “Marvelous,” and “What is This?” The musical celebration is titled, The Man, the Music, The Ministry: A Musical Salute to Bishop Walter Hawkins.”

Among the stars confirmed to sing Hawkins’ evergreen compositions are platinum artists such as Yolanda Adams, Mary Mary, and Donnie McClurkin. Also performing is Hawkins’ sister, Lynnette Hawkins, R&B artist Ledisi, Karen Clark Sheard, Daryl Coley, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Byron Cage, Melvin & Doug Williams of The Williams Brothers, guitarist Jonathan DuBose Jr., D.J. Rogers, Ted Winn, and The Love Center Choir.

Making a special appearance will be Hawkins’ longtime vocal muse and former wife, Lady Tramaine Hawkins, whose dramatic vocals were featured on Walter Hawkins masterpieces such as “Changed,” “Goin’ Up Yonder,” and “He’s That Kind of Friend.”

The music directors for the evening will include Hawkin”s brother, Edwin Hawkins, Donald Lawrence, Kurt Carr, Richard Smallwood, and Hawkins’ longtime music director, Rusty Watson. The masters of ceremonies duties will be shared by Bebe Winans, Marvin Winans, and Black Entertainment Television (BET) personality, Dr. Bobby Jones.

The concert takes place Tuesday, July 20, 2010 @ 7:00 pm at the Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612-2303. Tickets are free and available on a first come, first serve basis. Contact Paramount Theater at: (510) 465-6400

The funeral will take place the following morning, Wednesday, July 21, 2010 @ 11:00 am at the Paramount Theater. Bishop Kenneth Moales (of Prayer Tabernacle Church of Love, Inc. in Bridgeport, CT) will officiate at the ceremony.

Instead of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The Walter Hawkins Memorial Foundation. Cards, letters and donations may be mailed to: Love Center Ministries, 10440 International Blvd, Oakland, CA 94603.

ALSO READ: Israel Houghton Prepares for New CD Release