TULSA, Okla. (BP)–ForeFront Records announced Nov. 12 the Christian dance band Raze will be disbanded. The announcement came four days after Raze member Ja’Marc Antoine Davis pled guilty to sex offenses involving a girl who was a backup dancer for his Tulsa-based group.
Sentencing for Ja’Marc Antoine Davis, 26, is set for Dec. 13.
“Before we could announce our decision about the future of Raze at ForeFront, they came to us with their decision to go their separate ways,” said ForeFront President Greg Ham. “We wish Ja’Marc, Donnie, Mizzie and Todd well and we pray God’s blessing for their futures.”
Davis pled guilty to three felonies — rape by instrumentation, lewd molestation and sodomy, according to The Tulsa World.
Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris recommended a 10-year sentence as part of a plea negotiation in which seven related counts were dismissed.
Davis was arrested March 1 in Tulsa after Raze’s first concert in a planned 30-city tour, which was later canceled.
Defense attorney Rob Nigh told The Tulsa World that Davis’ musical career is “on hold” and that he has not been performing with Raze while awaiting a resolution of his case.
Prosecutors contend that Davis had a sexual relationship from mid-1998 until mid-1999 with a teenager who under the law was too young to agree to such conduct.
Raze’s brand of Christian music and its 1999 CD “Power” earned the group a Dove Award in the category of Dance/Rap/Hip-Hop.
The group won a Spot Music Award last year in the category of best gospel act. The group was nominated again for a Spot award in the same category this year but did not win.
They had been on the ForeFront label since their debut release in 1998.
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