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Article: Hip deep in gospel. (American African music form continues to change)
- Article from:
- American Visions
- Article date:
- December 1, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 Heritage Information Holdings, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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"Give God the glory," sings Kirk Franklin, a sex symbol who, with his 17-member backup crew known as "the family," has touched listeners many believed unreachable. While Franklin's style is a bit much for many (he has a penchant for wearing hip-hop fashions, as well as dancing and even sometimes rapping to his audiences), his success suggests to some gospel music purists that an artist doesn't need to disguise the true purpose of gospel music--spreading the good news about Jesus--in order to "cross over."
Released over two years ago, Kirk Franklin and the Family (Gospocentric Records) has almost reached 1 million copies sold--and is still going strong. Billboard's ...