Kirk Franklin gave Kanye West his flowers for the rapper’s recent contributions to gospel music and his Sunday Service Choir movement. The 15-time Grammy-winning gospel star was asked by TMZ where he thought the “Jesus Walks” hitmaker ranked among gospel artists, and the “Stomp” creator explained that his genre of music was open to everyone and not a competition.
“Well, first of all, anybody can do gospel music. It’s because gospel music is for any of God’s children man and anybody that thinks they have a monopoly on the gospel, that’s a very arrogant mindset,” Franklin explained to TMZ. “There should be no Mount Rushmore of gospel music because there should really only be one face on a Mount Rushmore of gospel (God). I just think he’s one of the greatest artists of all times.”
Franklin apparently also lives by his statement because he recently collaborated with Lil Baby for their duet “We Win” on the Space Jam: A New Legacy motion picture soundtrack. The song already has more than 5 million streams and hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs Chart. Franklin and Lil Baby opened the BET Awards last week performing the song. Franklin also won a 2021 BET Award for Best Gospel/Inspiration Artist and added that he likes to use his career and platform as a “light” for other emerging gospel artists.
“I’m grateful. But I also want to be a door to so many younger gospel artists,” the “Revolution” hitmaker told JaGurl TV at the 2021 BET Awards Virtual Press Room. “I want the world to see that there is so many more incredibly talented younger gospel artists that deserve this opportunity, too, so I just want to continue just to be a light and a microphone to say there’s more.”
Check out Franklin discussing West’s impact on gospel music as well as his performance with Lil Baby at the BET Awards.
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