Kirk Franklin and GloRilla: What to See Before You Judge
«This Time» samples Mandrill's «Children Of The Sun» and previews the album out October 30.
In an article on Rapzilla, Kirk Franklin and GloRilla share credits on «This Time,» the single that previews I Am What I Am, Franklin's fourteenth album, out October 30. Is it still gospel when the beat changes?
According to Rapzilla, the track runs at a fast tempo with horns and handclaps, and GloRilla drops lively bars over the gospel beat from Memphis. The single comes out on Uptown Records, the label that, according to Variety, joins Fo Yo Soul Entertainment and TRIBL Music Group.
It's not an isolated move. The same album already includes «Thank You For Everything» with Karen Clark Sheard, which became the fastest-growing record on gospel radio. Franklin performed it at the 41st Stellar Gospel Music Awards and BET Her premiered its video.
«Is it still gospel when the beat changes?»
Two worlds that fit on one album
That's what interests me about the announcement. Franklin has 20 Grammys and doesn't need a rap feature for people to listen to him. Even so, he recorded with Karen Clark Sheard, one of the most respected voices in gospel, and with GloRilla, a rapper from Memphis. He didn't pick a side.
In the United States and Mexico, a young Christian builds a playlist between reggaeton, live worship, and rap in Spanish. Nobody asks you to choose a single station. Faith music stopped living in one room years ago, and this single makes it visible again. The album title, I Am What I Am, sounds like a statement. Music also declares something, always.
Is it still gospel when the beat changes?
I think the question gets answered wrong when we ask it about the rhythm. A fast tempo doesn't make a song pagan; a slow piano doesn't make it holy. What defines gospel is the message: whom it worships, what it says about God, sin, and hope.
That's why I don't hand out verdicts on Franklin or GloRilla. I don't know their hearts and it's not my place to judge them. My task, and yours, is different: listen carefully. «Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind» (Romans 14:5, ESV). The New Testament doesn't come with a whitelist of songs. It comes with a formed conscience and personal responsibility.
Examine before sharing
«Test everything; hold fast what is good» (1 Thessalonians 5:21, ESV). That verse works as a listening method. Put the lyrics up front, not just the chorus that sticks. Ask yourself what name is exalted, what is said about the body, money, and forgiveness.
There are faith songs that will build up your week and others you'll turn off halfway. In both cases you decide, with the Bible open and without asking permission from the trend of the week. No app is going to make that decision for you. Your playlist is your choice, and also a form of worship.
Before you judge «This Time,» listen to it all the way through and read the lyrics. Then choose with conviction, not because it's trendy. Tell me in the comments what your favorite faith song of the year is.
