*As one of gospel music’s premiere artists, Kirk Franklin is noted for his high energy, out-of-the-box approach to spreading his faith to the masses. At times, that approach has included collaborating with secular artists who may be popular but make music that falls outside the holy realm.
With that comes mixed reviews from those who praise Franklin for his expanding his reach into secular waters, but frown upon his choice of artists to pair up with to promote the Savior.
Particularly, Will Smith featured Franklin on his song, “You Can Make It” and GloRilla, who included the “Declaration (This Is It)” entertainer on” her “Rain Down On Me.”
In a recent YouTube video looking back at some of his most viral moments of 2024, Franklin went at his critics, admitting that his mix of hip-hop and gospel rubbed some the wrong way.
Especially when it involved team-ups deemed too secular for saved and righteous folks.
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“There were a lot of questions and controversy about the Will Smith performance this year [2024] at the BET Awards,” Franklin said about the moment he joined the “Gettin’ Jiggy wit It” rhymer for the live performance of “You Can Make It” featuring Chandler Moore and Sunday Service Choir at the awards show in June.
Taking note of the single, Revolt mentioned that “You Can Make It” marks Smith’s return to music after a 19-year break as well as his comeback following harsh reaction to his infamous slap to Chris Rock live on the air at the 2022 Academy Awards.
During Smith’s BET Awards performance, Franklin joined the embattled entertainer on a stage surrounded by a ring of fire and backlit with red lighting to deliver an encouraging word about tough times not being everlasting.
Smith wasn’t the only rap star Franklin mentioned in his video. The gospel icon’s feature on “Rain Down On Me” with Kierra Sheard, Maverick City Music, and Moore also came under fire.
Responding to the ruckus, Franklin touched on how the musical pairing may be a challenge to find positive for those not aware of what the secular artist’s “motives are from a distance.”
“There are questions and controversy about me working with Miss GloRilla and her lyrics and are they conducive to the Christian community,” he said.
Franklin added: “I think that when we talk about working with people that do not live in the [gospel] ecosystem that we are accustomed to, it is very difficult to find their hearts and discover what their motives are from a distance. We have to be close.”
Franklin’s comments come amid a history of musical pairings with rappers, ranging from Salt from Salt-N-Pepa (“Stomp” remix) and Chance the Rapper, (“Finish Line / Drown”) to Trip Lee (“Mercy”), Lil Baby (“We Win”) and Kanye West (“Ultralight Beam”).
While his collabs can be a lightning rod for controversy, Franklin says joining forces with rappers is not a sign of abandoning his faith.
“When we’re invited into their world, it’s very important that we don’t have to compromise our messaging,” the “Revolution” hitmaker said in the 2024 recap clip, which was posted on his YouTube channel on Dec. 30. “… We’ve gotta be able to do life with people so that they can get the residue of the message that we’re trying to share.”
“Whenever I’m invited like I have my entire career, I try to do my best, and I may fail at times, but my goal is to make sure that the church does not just exist within the walls but that it exists in the world,” he shared.
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