Who is Kirk Franklin?
Kirk franklin is the most successful contemporary gospel artist of his generation. He has gotten to this point by not even singing, but by playing the piano and songwriting. His songs are usually a call for action that has a way of influencing his audience to get up and praise god in a way that other gospel artists cant quite do. His high energy and stage presence has a way of capturing the crowd from the old heads to the millennials and influence them to come together and praise god to the highest point in every one of his songs. Kirk Franklin is attentive of the adversity many of his listeners face and encourages them to believe in god in order to get through any tough time they might be facing. Kirk Franklin has gotten to this point of being the most successful contemporary gospel artist of his generation by expanding the boundaries of what a gospel artist looks and sounds like.
How does Kirk Franklin expand the boundaries of gospel music?
In typical southern gospel music there is a lead singer who leads the choir through the song. While Kirk Franklin allows his choir to lead him through the song while he serves as a hype man. This way of doing gospel music is unheard of but with Kirk Franklins inability to sing he is forced to simply adlib the song or just hold the title of songwriter. Additionally, with him incorporating elements of R&B and hip hop into his gospel music he allows his sound to be different compared to other artists in gospel. His music is not slow and solemn but actually upbeat and joyful. This approach makes the audience feel a sense of joy and praise every time they hear a Kirk Franklin song. Also, his stage presence sets him apart from the rest. His ability to get up on a stage and interact with every age group in his audience withiut singing a word but by merely being a hype man and dancing. Kirk Franklin’s ability to be so different from the others im his genre make his so popular in his generation.
