Marvin Sapp has taken Roc Nation Distribution into gospel album territory with a new partnership tied to Restoration. The deal gives the company its first full-length gospel release, a move that widens its footprint beyond the three gospel or inspirational singles it had already released.
On Tuesday, July 28, Billboard revealed the arrangement ahead of Restoration, Sapp’s ninth live recording and 17th album overall. The lead single, “He’s Not Finished,” will be available on Aug. 21.
Stanley Brown brokers the deal
The partnership was brokered by TITLE 9 and Timless Music Group’s Stanley Brown, who has worked with Sapp before. Brown wrote and produced on Sapp’s 1999 album Nothing Else Matters, which reached No. 6 on Top Gospel Albums. That history gives the new deal a practical edge: Roc Nation Distribution is not entering gospel cold, but through a team that already knows how to move records in the genre.
Sapp said, “More than thirty years into my journey as an artist, every partnership I enter must be rooted in purpose, shared vision and mutual respect,” and added that he was honored to work with Roc Nation Distribution. He also said he looked forward to creating something impactful in this next chapter of his career.
He’s Not Finished on Aug. 21
“He’s Not Finished” is the first track from Restoration, and Sapp co-wrote it with Stan Jones. Jones was recently honored at the 2026 BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards, and Gus Lacy is also among the songwriters on the project. Curtis Lindsey, Sapp’s longtime music director, helped shape the album alongside him.
For Roc Nation Distribution, the release matters because “He’s Not Finished” will be just the fourth gospel or inspirational single released through the platform. A single is one thing; a full album is another. The step from a few tracks to a complete gospel project is the cleaner signal that this is a real push into the format, not a one-off experiment.
Restoration and fall 2026
Restoration does not yet have a set release date, though it is expected to arrive in fall 2026. That creates the central split in the rollout: the first single lands on Aug. 21, but the album remains on the longer runway. Sapp’s 2025 If I Were An R&B Singer EP was a one-and-done Valentine’s Day project, so this will be his first collection of new music after that release.
Krystian Santini, president of Roc Nation Distribution, called Sapp “a talented, award-winning artist whose impact spans generations,” and said the company was excited to work with him and his team. Brown said the success of 2023’s “God Is Good” helped open the door for this kind of move, and that the goal is to build Roc Nation’s presence in gospel and Inspirational music with credibility, excellence and cultural impact. The next hard date is Aug. 21, but the real test is whether the label can turn one gospel single into a durable album lane before fall 2026 arrives.
