KIRK FRANKLINBest R&B Artist
Best R&B Artist Runners-up:
2. Mary Mary 3. CeCe Winans
Profile By Andrew Greer
A genre-defying artist whose larger-than-life persona and inventive brand of spiritual music has earned him millions of fans worldwide, Kirk Franklin has single-handedly changed the face of gospel music forever. And he doesn’t even really sing.
A Texan by birth, Franklin does nothing halfway. Ever since he burst onto the scene with “The Family’s” feverish sangin’ 15 years ago (Kirk Franklin & the Family eventually became gospel music’s first platinum-selling record), the high-poweredchoir leader has conquered the music world with a variety of artistic re-inventions, earning him a discography of platinum and multi-platinum albums; dozens of GRAMMY, Dove and Stellar Awards and collaborations with a list of industry giants like R. Kelly, Bono, Stevie Wonder and Yolanda Adams.
Fresh from a week of performances in London, the young music legend dishes the inside scoop on family, faith and fame.
FAN FAIR
We’re obviously big fans of Kirk Franklin, or you wouldn’t be reading and I wouldn’t be composing this profile. But just out of curiosity, who is he a No. 1 fan of? “I’m a big fan of Yo-Yo Ma. I’m a big fan of Prince. I’m a big fan of U2. I’m a big fan of MercyMe and tobyMac. And you gotta’ add James Brown in there.”
LEAN ON ME
Franklin has worked with dozens of music’s top names, a literal Who’s Who of celebrity collaborations. But when it comes down to someone you can count on, he says tobyMac is No. 1. “I really feel endeared to toby. He’s been a good friend, somebody I really consider family.”
TO SING OR NOT TO SINGEven though Franklin’s own clout has musical heroes calling (i.e. Stevie Wonder and Bono), he is slow to respond, using spiritual discernment to test the motivations behind his reply. “My own M.O. when it comes to anything I do is, Would this be offensive? Will my motive get lost in it? Even though it may be crunk and cool looking to mainstream cats, will I end up doing it a disservice?”
I AM A C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N
And admittedly, sometimes he has to just say, “No.” “Several years ago I was invited by Prince to come to Minneapolis for a jam session. Even though I’m a huge fan of him musically, I wanted to make sure I didn’t cross the lines too much as a Christian. I may love or respect somebody’s gift, but I try to make sure what they say and what I think would be friends. [So] I just chose to stay home on that one. I try to be led, to make sure cats are very clear in where I stand, that my swagger is 100 percent church dude and when Kirk comes, they automatically know, ‘He’s that Jesus dude.’”
