Kirk Franklin

Quick facts about Kirk Franklin

Kirk Franklin - Early Life

Kirk Franklin was abandoned by his mother as a baby because she was unable to raise him. Instead, he was raised by his aunt Gertrude, who eventually adopted him and got him involved with their local church. When Kirk was four, Gertrude would recycle aluminium cans so she could pay to give him piano lessons, where it was discovered that he had a natural talent for music. He could read, write and play it by ear with ease.

At seven, Kirk was even offered a contract, which his aunt declined. However, Kirk did become the music director for the adult choir at the Mt. Rose Baptist Church when he was 11. During his teen years, Kirk rebelled against his religious upbringing. When he wasn’t in church, Kirk spent his time fighting, hanging around the members of gangs, causing trouble in school, and smoking marijuana.

He was expelled from school due to bad behaviour, and at 15, was witness to the death of his friend in a shooting. Kirk also had to deal with his then girlfriend’s pregnancy with their son Kerrion. He realised that he didn’t want to be like his father and decided to participate in his son’s life. Kirk studied music at Oscar Dean Wyatt High School under the tutelage of Jewell Kelly and the Singing Chaparrals, where he eventually became the choir’s pianist.

Kirk Franklin's Gospel Music Career

Kirk Franklin’s music career began in 1992 after he organised his first choir with 17 of his neighbourhood friends and associates. The group was called ‘Kirk Franklin & The Family‘ and were signed to GospoCentric Records almost immediately after one of their demo tapes had been heard by the label’s co-founder. The group released their self-titled debut album in 1993 and charted incredibly well, as well as going on to become the first gospel music album that sold over a million units.

With The Family, Kirk also won his first Grammy Award with their 1996 release of ‘Watcha Lookin’ 4′ as the Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album of the year. In 1997, Kirk collaborated with a choir called God’s Property to release his fourth studio album ‘God’s Property from Kirk Franklin’s Nu Nation.’

The album earned Kirk another Grammy award and 3 Grammy nominations, as well as charting incredibly well in general. The lead single, “Stomp” featured Cheryl “Salt” James from ‘Salt-N-Pepa.’ In 1998, Kirk released ‘The Nu Nation Project’ that earned him his third Grammy award. Kirk also collaborated with the 1 Nation Crew, a group with around 10 members. Together, they released ‘Kirk Franklin Presents 1NC’ in 2000. Eventually, in 2002, Kirk Franklin began his career as a soloist with the release of ‘The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin.’ Since then, Kirk has made several new albums and singles, each to varying degrees of success in the Christian musician market.

However, Kirk’s career hasn’t always been smooth sailing. In fact, Kirk has has to deal with several struggles as he has created a career in the eye of the public. Kirk has faced lawsuits after working with some of the choirs he worked with for convincing them to sign contracts that were one-sided and burdensome to the group, as well as a multimillion-dollar lawsuit by The Family regarding royalties.

Finally, in March of 2021, Kirk faced struggles regarding the mixing of his personal life with his life of fame when his son Kerrion posted a recording of Kirk yelling some unsavoury words at him in a phone call. Kirk later apologised to the public for his actions and explained that they were said in the heat of the moment.

HERO

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Hello Fear

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The Nu Nation Project

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