Kirk Franklin
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Kirk Franklin is a Grammy Award winning, platinum-selling African American musician who blends gospel, hip-hop, and R&B. He has been called the architect for a new American musical genre. He spawned many albums like, The Nu Nation Project.
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About
Kirk Franklin was born on January 26, 1970 in Riverside, Texas. Abandoned by his teenage mother and father at the age of three, the orphaned Kirk was adopted by a distant sixty-four year old aunt, Gertrude Franklin. He started playing piano at the age of four. At the age of seven he was offered a recording contract. Thinking that he was too young, his aunt declined the offer. He was leading the Mt. Rose Baptist Church adult choir near Dallas by the age of 11.
Despite his strong background in the church, Franklin turned rebellious in his teens, trading in the values and morals on which he had been weaned for a life of violence, intimidation and larceny. It took the shooting death of a close friend to when Kirk realizes his error, and back into the safe fold of the church where he began composing songs and recording demo tapes with a passion.
Kirk formed a 17-member vocal ensemble of neighborhood friends and associates in the early 90's. In 1993, he signed a recording contract under GospoCentric Records. GospoCentric was named the #1 Gospel label in the country, fielding five artists and eight albums in the top 20. He released his debut album, Kirk Frankin & The Family in that same year. The album chartered #1 in the Top Gospel Albums Chart and Top Contemporary Christian Chart. It spent almost 2 years on the gospel charts, also charted on the R&B charts. His debut album established Kirk as the leader of a new gospel music renaissance. His next album, Whatcha Lookin' 4 was released in 1996. It chartered #23 on Billboards Top 200 and #3 on the R&B Charts, #1 on the Contemporary Christian Chart and #1 on the Gospel Charts. The album was certified platinum in June, 1997, selling over 1,000,000 copies.
His next album, God's Property was released in 1997. His album, The Nu Nation Project was released in 1998. The album chartered 31 both on Top Gospel Album and Top Christian Charts. The album includes the single, "Lean on Me" which features R. Kelly, Mary J. Blige, "Bono" of U2 and Crystal Lewis. It was followed by the song, "Revolution". In 2002, his compilation album, he Rebirth of Kirk Franklin chartered The Gospel Albums for 29 weeks. His next album, Hero was released in 2005. It landed #1 on both The Top Christian Charts and Top Gospel Albums and features the singles, "Looking For You" which was a big hit and "Imagine Me". His latest album, The Fight Of My Life was released last December 2007.
Awards & Certifications
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Grammy Awards | Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album for "Whatcha Lookin' 4" |
| 1997 | Grammy Awards | Best Gospel Choir Or Chorus Album for "God's Property" |
| 1998 | Grammy Awards | Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album for "The Nu Nation Project" |
| 2000 | Stellar Awards | Artist of the Year |
| 2000 | Stellar Awards | Song of the Year for "Lean On Me" |
| 2000 | Stellar Awards | Produced of the Year for "The Nu Nation Project" |
| 2000 | Stellar Awards | Cd of The Year for "The Nu Nation Project" |
| 2000 | Stellar Awards | Contemporary CD of The Year for "The Nu Nation Project |
| 2000 | Stellar Awards | Music Video of The Year for "Lean On Me" |
| 2000 | Stellar Awards | Contemporary Choir of the Year for "The Nu Nation Project |
| 2000 | Stellar Awards | Rap Hip-Hop Gospel CD of the Year "The Nu Nation Project |
| 2002 | Stellar Awards | Urban/Inspirational Performance of the Year for Kirk Franklin and Mary Mary for "Thank You" |
| 2003 | Stellar Awards | Artist of the Year for "Rebirth of Kirk Franklin" |
| 2003 | Stellar Awards | Song of The Year for "Rebirth of Kirk Franklin" |
| 2003 | Stellar Awards | CD of The Year for "Rebirth of Kirk Franklin" |
| 2003 | Stellar Awards | Music Video of The Year for "Hosanna" |
| 2006 | Grammy Awards | Best Gospel Song for "Imagine Me" |
| 2006 | Grammy Awards | Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album for "Hero" |
| 2007 | Stellar Awards | CD Of the Year for "Hero" |
Certifications
| Year | Album | RIAA Certification |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Kirk Franklin & the Family | Certified Platinum |
| 1997 | Whatcha Lookin' 4 | Certified Platinum |
| 2001 | The Nu Nation Project | Certified 3x Platinum |
Chart Toppers
| Year | Top Gospel Albums | Top Contemporary Christian | Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 1 | 1 | 6 | Kirk Franklin & the Family |
| 1996 | 1 | 1 | 3 | Whatcha Lookin' 4 |
| 1998 | 1 | 1 | 4 | The Nu Nation Project |
| 2002 | 1 | 1 | 4 | The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin |
| 2005 | 1 | 1 | 4 | Hero |
News
Tours & Concerts
There are no current tour and concert schedules for Kirk Franklin.
Announcements
His latest album is already out in all Music Stores".
Discography
Albums
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Singles
| Date | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Looking For You | Gospocentric |
Compilations & Live Releases
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Other artists
Similar artists
Contemporaries
Influences
Trivia
- Kirk is the first gospel singer to have his music featured on a movie soundtrack.
Reviews
External Links
Categories: Artist | Gospel | R&B
