An introspective Kirk Franklin is no longer apologizing with ‘I Am What I Am' album

Gospel legend Kirk Franklin is getting tired of defending his musical decisions.

He isn’t apologetic for praying with Chris Brown and Usher before a recent concert, a moment that drew social media criticism.

He isn’t sorry for teaming up with GloRilla for his 14th studio album, “I Am What I Am,” despite the explicit content of her music catalog.

What Franklin is is a 56-year-old, 20-time Grammy winner who overcame a tumultuous childhood in Fort Worth after his great-aunt adopted him at 4, then achieved rarefied fame in music and collaborated with a mix of artists—whether they’re associated with piety or not.

“Why do you think historically there’s always this challenge with what I do and who I am?” asked Franklin, questioning what he describes as an elitist, holier-than-thou attitude among some gospel music fans. “It’s far beyond my understanding.”

Franklin said his decision to pray for Usher and Brown, R&B megastars known for their sexually charged music and performances, was a simple one: because they asked him to.

“We as believers sometimes become judge and jury,” the “He’s Able” artist told The Associated Press. “The decision to determine what needs to have the harder penance is where we find ourselves lost in how we miss reaching those that need us.”

That message permeates throughout “I Am What I Am,” Franklin’s first double album, out Friday. Its 14 tracks are divided between contemporary songs and live-recorded traditional selections.

Karen Clark Sheard of the legendary Clark Sisters is featured, along with popular mainstream artists like Afrobeats superstar Davido, Jelly Roll, and GloRilla, who’s on “This Time.” That single extended Franklin’s record-holding mark to 10 No. 1s on Billboard’s hot gospel songs chart.

Franklin’s secular collaborations have earned frequent criticism

Franklin’s musical relationship with rappers has always ruffled feathers, resurfacing a debate about working with artists whose music frequently comes with parental advisory labels.

“You start trying to play in other people’s sandboxes, it is going to come with scrutiny,” said Franklin, who’s worked with rappers like Ye (the artist formerly known as Kanye West) and Lil Baby. “There’s no way I can pay these artists what they normally get in these mainstream spaces, so why are they doing it? There’s a deeper reason that they feel pulled and called to want to do it.”

“I Am What I Am” is among the most introspective works from Franklin, who’s not a traditional lead vocalist, but mainly a songwriter, producer and musician. Honored with the icon award by the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective last year alongside Pharrell Williams and Brandy, album standouts include “Hope in You” with Davido and “Welcome In — Live,” which finds him feeling forgotten by God at times, but expressing gratitude for God’s steadfast presence.

But the most compelling song may be “Free Me Tonight” with Jelly Roll, referencing Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight.” Performing spoken word, Franklin reflects introspectively while acknowledging his imperfections and public criticisms. He even mentions his 2021 controversy in which his estranged son Kerrion leaked a recording of his father threatening him and cursing.

“The Bible is a collection of these horrible, beautiful, painful, inspiring, challenging stories of people’s lives and journeys,” said Franklin, who found creating the song cathartic, once worrying the recording would end his career. “Gospel music is able to handle the raw, unfiltered truth about how ugly and difficult life can be.”

Franklin’s mainstream success has put him in rarefied air

The Texas native is known for gospel classics like “Melodies From Heaven” and “Something About the Name Jesus,” along with crossover hits like “I Smile” and “Looking For You.” But it was 1997’s “Stomp (Remix)” featuring Salt of the legendary rap duo Salt-N-Pepa that catapulted him into the mainstream. The smash found heavy rotation on radio and music video networks, propelling the “God’s Property from Kirk Franklin’s Nu Nation” album to No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and topping the R&B albums chart — a first for a gospel project.

Franklin, once a rebellious high school dropout and teen father, has no plans to slow down. Within the industry’s atmosphere of glitz and glamour, he says his art is not just entertainment, but a lifelong calling.

“The hole that I came from was so deep that whenever I’m around light, I never get tired of feeling the sunlight,” said Franklin. “That makes me very proud that when the question or the conversation of the bigger purpose of life, and does God really exist, I’ve been able to be included somewhere in keeping that a relevant conversation.”