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March 24, 2008
Free will bring fresh appeal to Gospel
Former host of BET's 106 & Park, Free, will co-host the new Gospel Music Channel original series, Bobby Jones Next Generation, alongside the man who helped revolutionize gospel music as a creator, producer, director and performer, Dr. Bobby Jones.
The series will begin shooting in Atlanta next week and both performance heavyweights will share hosting duties of the hour-long show where merging artists will be showcased.
Gospel Music Channel, Atlanta-based Kingdom Come Productions and Dr. Jones will produce the new series together. The programme will be broadcast Sunday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT with the series premiere set for Sunday, May 4.
Speaking to reporters, Dr. Jones said, "Free is the ideal choice to share the hosting role on our new GMC series. She is a seasoned television personality, brings a young demographic appeal, knows the new artist world well and is an emerging artist herself. She and I will compliment each other well and viewers will enjoy our pairing"
Before her career in television as host on 106 & Park, BET's number one rated show, Free began showing her talent as a budding rap artist in the early 1990's working with likes of the Wyclef Jean Refugee Camp, Lenny Kravitz, and Pras, and had record deals with Elektra and Motown records and also worked with Def Jam. Most recently, Free held the position of DJ on KKBT 100.3, The Beat music station in Los Angeles.
It will be a busy stretch for Free who, between co-hosting duties on Bobby Jones Next Generation, will release her first album later this spring. The album will be produced by award-winning producers Missy Elliott, Rockwilder, Timbaland, Scott Storch, Pharrell Williams, Chucky Thompson, Antwan "Amadeus" Thompson, Kanye West, Clark Kent, Bryan Michael Cox, Just Blaze, Karma Productions, Bink!, Soul Diggaz and Salaam Remi. The album will be a tribute to all her fans.