Kirk Dewayne Franklin (born January 26, 1970) is an American gospel songwriter, composer, record producer, rapper, singer, and choir director. Franklin's accolades include 20 Grammy Awards, and Variety has called him a "Reigning King of Urban Gospel", with Franklin being one of the inaugural inductees into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame. In his earlier career, his act included choirs such as the Family, God's Property, and One Nation Crew (1NC).
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Early life
A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Franklin was raised by his aunt, Gertrude, having been abandoned as a baby by his mother. Gertrude recycled aluminum cans to raise money for Kirk to take piano lessons from the age of 4. Kirk excelled and was able to read and write music while also playing by ear.
At the age of seven, Franklin received his first contract, which his aunt turned down. He did join the church choir and became music director of the Mt. Rose Baptist Church adult choir at 11 years of age.
In his teenage years, Franklin rebelled against his strict religious upbringing, and in an attempt to keep him out of trouble, his grandmother arranged an audition for him at a professional youth conservatory associated with a local university. He was accepted, but later he had to deal with a girlfriend's pregnancy and his eventual expulsion from school for bad behavior.
Franklin studied music with Jewell Kelly and the Singing Chaparrals at Oscar Dean Wyatt High School. He continued under her tutelage and ultimately became the pianist for the choir.
When he was aged 15, he witnessed the death of a friend by shooting, after which Franklin returned to the church, where he again directed the choir.
Career
After Kirk Franklin co-founded a gospel group, The Humble Hearts; it was in 1990, when one of the compositions done under Kirk Franklin, had received attention of gospel music figure Milton Biggham, who was choir director of the Georgia Mass Choir. Biggham expressed his impressment, which led to Kirk Franklin leading the DFW Mass Choir in a recording of Franklin's song "Every Day with Jesus". This also led to Biggham hiring Franklin, just 20 years old at the time, to lead the choir at the 1990 Gospel Music Workshop of America Convention, an industry gathering, and eventually an "established" career in 1991.
Signing to record label
In 1992, while still working with established choirs, Franklin sought to establish "The Family", which featured 15 to 17 in the choir, who were neighborhood friends and associates. The same year, Vicki Mack-Lataillade, the co-founder of GospoCentric Records label, heard one of their demo tapes and was so impressed she immediately signed the choir onto the label.
In 1993, the choir, billed as "Kirk Franklin & The Family", had their debut album, Kirk Franklin & The Family, to be released. It spent almost two years on the gospel music charts and charted on the R&B charts, eventually earning platinum sales status. It remained at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart for 42 weeks. It was only the third gospel music album to sell over a million units after Aretha Franklin's Amazing Grace and BeBe & CeCe Winans' Addictive Love.
In May 1994, new material was recorded "live". Nearly two full years later, after the release of a 1995 Christmas album entitled Kirk Franklin & the Family Christmas in late 1995, the delayed Whatcha Lookin' 4 was released in April 1996, with notable studio edits and few-added studio tracks. The album was certified platinum and earned Franklin his first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album.
In 1996, Franklin's song "Joy" was recorded by Whitney Houston and the Georgia Mass Choir. With production by Houston and Mervyn Warren, the composition was included on one of the best-selling gospel album of all time, soundtrack to The Preacher's Wife.
Also in 1996, GospoCentric had established its sublabel B'Rite, in partnership with Interscope Records. It was in 1997, when the collaboration with the choir God's Property, aptly named God's Property from Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation, was released. The lead single, "Stomp", appeared in its "Original Mix", alongside its widespread "remix", in which the latter of the two featured Cheryl "Salt" James (of Salt-N-Pepa). The remix was considered a crossover hit, enjoying heavy rotation on MTV and other music channels and charting at No. 1 on the R&B Singles Airplay chart for two weeks, even making it into the Top 40. God's Property from Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation was No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for five weeks, No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and went on to be certified 3× platinum by the RIAA. It also brought Franklin another Grammy for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album, as well as three Grammy nominations.
Solo artist (2000–present)
In June 2000, a live recording of new material was done at Lakewood Church, and after over a year of production, The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin was released in February 2002. It topped the Gospel Albums chart for 29 weeks, was No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and was certified Platinum. The album featured collaborations with Bishop T.D. Jakes, Shirley Caesar, Willie Neal Johnson, TobyMac, Crystal Lewis, Jaci Velasquez, Papa San, Alvin Slaughter, and Yolanda Adams. One Nation Crew sung on the record, however, with several additional background vocals in addition, which formed the billed "Vocals of Life."
In 2004, while GospoCentric had been purchased under Zomba Label, Kirk Franklin launched the new recording label, called Fo Yo Soul Entertainment, in partnership with the two labels.
On October 4, 2005, Hero was released in the United States. The album was certified Gold on December 2, 2005 (2005-12-02), and Platinum on December 14, 2006 (2006-12-14), by the Recording Industry Association of America. It reached No. 1 on both the Billboard Top Christian and Top Gospel albums. The first single, "Looking for You", was a hit, as was the follow-up "Imagine Me", which made it onto the R&B charts. At the 2007 Grammy Awards, Franklin won two Grammys for Hero. Additionally, Hero was the 2007 Stellar Awards CD of the Year. In 2005, Franklin appeared with his wife on The Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss how he ended his pornography addiction. In 2010,
Franklin's 10th album, The Fight Of My Life, was released in the United States on December 18, 2007 (2007-12-18). The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 33 with 74,000 copies sold in the first week. It reached No. 1 on both the Billboard Top Gospel and Top Christian albums charts, and also peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart. The first single, "Declaration (This is It)", was released on October 23, 2007 (2007-10-23), and peaked at No. 35 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart. The album features guest appearances from Rance Allen, Isaac Carree, TobyMac, Da' T.R.U.T.H., Doug Williams (singer) and Melvin Williams (singer).
The song "Jesus" was released as the album's second single in 2008 and was sent to Urban AC radio on July 15, 2008.
Personal life
On January 20, 1996, Franklin married long-time friend Tammy Collins. When they wed, they each had one child from previous relationships. As a couple, they have two children together.
In November 1996, Franklin had a near-death experience after accidentally falling from a stage into an orchestra pit during a concert in Memphis, he suffered a head injury that left him in critical condition; he eventually made a full recovery.
In March 2021, Franklin's oldest son, Kerrion, released an audio recording of a private conversation between him and his father in which both can be heard using profanities. Franklin subsequently said he and Kerrion had a strained relationship and were attending therapy together, and apologized for the heated conversation.
In 2023, Franklin met his biological father Richard Hubbard for the first time and reconciled with his son Kerrion in his documentary film Father's Day: A Kirk Franklin Story.
Franklin has openly discussed how his faith axed his former pornography addiction, which began when he was eight years old and continued for more than a decade.
Discography
Kirk Franklin & The Family
Kirk Franklin and the Family (1993)
Kirk Franklin & the Family Christmas (1995)
Whatcha Lookin' 4 (1996)
Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation
God's Property from Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation (1997)
The Nu Nation Project (1998)
Kirk Franklin and 1 Nation Crew
Kirk Franklin Presents 1NC (2000)
Kirk Franklin
The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin (2002)
Hero (2005)
The Fight of My Life (2007)
Hello Fear (2011)
Losing My Religion (2015)
Long, Live, Love (2019)
Father’s Day (2023)
Kirk Franklin & Maverick City Music
Kingdom Book One (2022)
Filmography
Film
Television
Awards
Franklin has received 20 Grammy Awards and 22 GMA Dove Awards. He has also received BET Awards, Soul Train Music Awards and Stellar Awards.
