If that wasn’t enough, the Christian community will also be surprised to know that Franklin, 46, is featured on Kanye West’s new album that he premiered to an attentive audience at New York’s Madison Square Garden over the weekend.
According to The New York Times review of the record, Kirk Franklin is featured on the very first track praying. Rolling Stone wrote about the gospel music veteran’s feature on West’s album, describing it as “a preacherly invocation.”
Many will criticize Kirk Franklin for befriending the 38 year old west, and now the onslaught of criticism will surely come now that people are hearing there’s more behind the picture.
Below is what Kirk Franklin had to say:
Kanye is not me. I am not him. He is my brother I am proud to do life with. No sprints, but Marathons; like most of us are on. Before one song was released, I was crucified because my brother asked me to take a picture. Again “no Kanye, you’re not good enough”? No. That is a dangerous message I believe we send to the world when our posture is they have to meet certain requirements before they are worthy to kiss the ring. It says people are not redeemable, forgivable or candidates for grace. That my friend is religious. I will not turn my back on my brother. I will love him, prayerfully grow with him. However long he’ll have me, and however long the race takes. To a lot of my Christian family, I’m sorry he’s not good enough, Christian enough, or running at your pace…and as I read some of your comments, neither am I. That won’t stop me from running. Pray we win.
Rapper Kanye West feels like his new album scheduled for release this Summer is a Gospel album. The Gospel according to Kanye..
“When I was sitting in the studio with Kirk, Kirk Franklin, and we’re just going through it, I said this is a gospel album, with a whole lot of cursing on it, but it’s still a gospel album,” West said in an interview on Big Boy Radio. “The gospel according to Ye. It’s not exactly what happened in the Bible, but it’s this story idea of Mary Magdalene becoming Mary.”
After Kanye debuted his clothing line at Madison Square Garden, he shed light on God’s grace.
“You know this album is really a gospel album and the first song ‘Ultra Light Beams’ said ‘this is a God dream’ — and this is something, like all y’all 20,000 people here right now, that couldn’t happen without God really holding me down.” “I’ll forever appreciate Jay-Z for that, I’ll forever appreciate Adidas for that, and I’ll forever appreciate my wife and her family for supporting me.”
Us Weekly reported that West made sure to thank Franklin in front of his audience.
So how do you feel about Gospel artists doing songs with secular artists? Is this going throughout the world and evangelizing like the bible commissions Christians to do? Or do you tell Kanye and Kirk Franklin what affiliation does light have with the dark?
[…] ALSO READ: Kirk Franklin Lashes out at Critics who are Outraged By New Song with Kanye West […]