The year was 1996. In the opinion of many “hip hop heads”, it marks the most significant turning point in the music, the culture, and the business of hip hop. That year that stood head and shoulders above others as the moment when hip hop simultaneously made artistic strides, became a viable commercial entity, and lost its innocence all at once. Artists, such as 2Pac, Nas, The Fugees, Busta Rhymes, Jay Z, UGK, Lil Kim and a host of others all made prolific statements through their art. 1996 was the first time in history that hip hop became mainstream across media outlets. It wasn’t merely radio that was given a spark by hip hop. Television, print journalism with The Source and Vibe, advertising and movies also got infected. Reflecting to some of the most popular sitcoms and dramas from 1996 and many of them had some of hip hop’s genes in them, from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and A Different World on NBC to Martin, Living Single and New York Undercover on FOX.
Yes, 1996 was a popping year for music and guess what, the gospel industry would not be left out. In between hearing 2pac’s All Eyez On Me and Tha Crossroads by Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony, you could hear a gospel song on secular radio stations called Stomp. "Stomp" is a 1996 song by gospel group God's Property featuring Salt-N-Pepa rapper Cheryl James and Christian urban singer Kirk Franklin. It was one of the most successful gospel songs of the 1990s, charting on Billboard's mainstream R&B airplay list in 1997. The song samples "One Nation Under a Groove" by Funkadelic. The young people across the globe loved the song whether Christian or not. Older, traditional church members hated it and criticized Kirk from bringing “the devil’s music” into the Lord’s house. Despite the criticism, Stomp was an unprecedented megahit, blending Christian messages with secular sounds. His collaboration with God’s Property, a youth choir comprised mostly of students and alumni of a Dallas performing arts high school was a major shift in the gospel industry. The members of God’s Property were significantly younger and more culturally aligned with Franklin with the culture he embraced instead of resisting or judging. By adopting a style that appealed to so-called “urban youth” sensibilities, Franklin gave gospel a much-needed facelift. "You know, my job is try to also create a horizontal Jesus. Most gospel music is very vertical. And there's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with, you know, ‘God, we praise you!’ and ‘Hallelujah!’” Franklin told NPR in an interview. “But I also like to do songs that are very horizontal, that kind of fit within the fabric of people's everyday life. Wanting to be happy is something that every human being aspires to have. That's a conversation that anybody can have at any time.”
Needless to say, the people have spoken, and we love Kirk Franklin. It is exciting news that the king of gospel will have his story told. Sony has announced a Kirk Franklin biopic is in the works with Devon Franklin as the producer of the project through his Franklin Entertainment banner with Kirk serving as executive producer. Brian Ivie (The Drop Box) has been tapped to write the film which will follow 14-time Grammy-winning artist from his humble beginning through his meteoric rise to fame as he changes the face of gospel music and battles his demons in the process. A release date has not been given yet, but we are waiting patiently for this one! Hey GP, are you with me?????
Comments