KIRK FRANKLIN PRESENTS FIRST-EVER PAY-PER-VIEW GOSPEL CONCERT; EASTER EVENT TO FEATURE CECE WINANS, TRIN-I-TEE 5:7, CRYSTAL LEWIS

LOS ANGELES - Who better than Kirk Franklin and The Nu Nation to mount the first-ever pay-per-view gospel special? The multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning ensemble will present a star-studded concert airing initially on Easter Sunday (April 4, 1999) on BET Action Pay Per View, home satellite through U.S. Satellite Broadcasting, and The Dish Network.

For the unusually low fee of $9.95, families all over America can top off church services and Easter egg hunts with a stompin' 90 minutes of gospel roof-raising featuring CeCe Winans, Trin-l-Tee 5:7 and Crystal Lewis. Those viewing the event on BET Action Pay Per View will also be treated to a bonus half-hour countdown show and behind-the-scenes footage of "Kirk Franklin & The Nu Nation Concert."

Directed by award-winning actress, choreographer and producer Debbie Allen, the worship extravaganza captures Franklin and his guests in top form at Baltimore Arena. Remarked Allen of the historic event, "Kirk Franklin is one of the most dynamic and powerful musical artists of our time. His live performance reverberates with hypnotic rhythms and lyrics, all in the praise of the Almighty God. That he has brought contemporary gospel music to the dance floor and made it popular with young people is truly a blessing. I'm very happy to have had the privilege of capturing his live concert on film."

In only four short years, Kirk Franklin has become one of the leading lights of gospel music, sparking a veritable revolution in the field with what USA Today termed "songs of heavenly praise [swaddled] in blankets of funk." Backed by the peerless Nu Nation choir, he's conjured a sometimes controversial pop/hip-hop/R&B-inflected idiom devoted to the greatness of God.

Franklin's most recent release, The Nu Nation Project, received the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album (it was also nominated for Best Engineered Album - Classical). The cut "Lean on Me" - which boasts the likes of R. Kelly, Bono, Mary J. Blige and Crystal Lewis - was nominated for Song of the Year, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal, and Best R&B song. The Nu Nation Project debuted at #7 on Billboard's Top 200 album chart and has sold upwards of 1.3 million copies since its September 1998 appearance.

Produced by Franklin and also displaying the talents of red-hot songwriter-producer Rodney Jerkins on the track "Revolution," The Nu Nation Project was issued by Inglewood, California-based Gospo Centric Records. Says Gospo Centric owner Vicki Mack Lataillade of Franklin's latest gospel first, "Kirk was the first gospel artist to achieve multi-platinum status and he continues to break new ground in terms of his creative abilities. This pay-per-view concert is a natural development of his innate talent and God given creative vision. The visual aspects of Kirk's show are easily transferable from the stage to television."

Franklin has amassed numerous awards since taking the gospel world by storm with his album premiere, Kirk Franklin & The Family, which was the first gospel or Christian debut to reach platinum status. Seven Stellar Awards and two Doves are just the tip of the iceberg. The tale of Franklin's amazing rise from Fort Worth obscurity is chronicled in his autobiography, Church Boy: My Music & My Life, which recounts his being offered a recording contract at age seven (the aunt who raised him squelched that idea) and becoming music director of his church choir at 11, among other details of this innovative performer's inspiring story.

Franklin, 28, achieved additional widespread acclaim in 1997 with the album he produced for choral group God's Property, God's Property From Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation. It garnered the Grammy for Best Gospel Album by a Choir or Chorus and has been crowned best selling gospel record of all time (with more than 2.5 million sold). The crossover phenomenon boasted the breakthrough #1 international hit "Stomp," which showcased Salt-N-Pepa's Cheryl James in a rap cameo. The electrifying video for "Stomp" was the first gospel clip to receive heavy rotation on MTV.