Kirk Franklin: The Fight of My Life Interview- "There’s nothing about what I try to do that is religious."

Kirk Franklin took time out of his busy schedule for a brief Press Junket, to discuss his upcoming album "The Fight of My Life"; due in stores December 18th. Read excerpts from the session where Kirk talks about his personal relationship with God and his definition of religion. Kirk also discusses how his life has changed since appearing on Oprah, and
what he would say to a budding musician in the ministry.
Click Here to see Kirk's Shout Out to SpotlightGrooves.com!


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{Edited}
SDM: Hello, Kirk Franklin, how are you?

Kirk Franklin: I’m doing good, how are you doing?

SDM: I'm very good,..I have a few questions. Religion is under, I would say, attack right now, some people are upset about the commercialization of it, we’ve always had televangelism, but with the rise in the popularity of the Pastors and investigations into their finances and even your television show, 'Sunday Best', what is your take on that, on the commercialization of religion?

Kirk Franklin: Well, I feel the same way that other people feel. I don’t think that religion is even something that I’m even trying to endorse. There’s nothing about what I try to do that is religious. I’m not a religious person and you know, I’m, you know, a child of God, I’m a man who loves Jesus and that wonderful love relationship doesn’t birth anything religious inside of me, that it just develops this great relationship that I have with my heavenly father. Religion is a bunch of man made rules that kind of keeps people down, it keeps people in a prison, and so that’s not anything that I try to endorse. And trying to reach the masses in ways that they haven’t been reached before without compromising the message, I think, is very important, and I think that we all have to be very careful, including myself, that we never compromise truth for entertainment. And so, that’s why accountability is so important, to have a team of people around you that can hold your actions accountable, to make sure that the message and the integrity of the message is never lost.


SDM: That is great to hear. For your last album, 'Hero', you appeared on Oprah and I wondered, how did your life change after that? You were very open in discussing some very personal issues. People go on Oprah and apparently their lives change. Did your life change, and in what way?

Kirk Franklin: Well, I was invited to come because of several years of me sharing my story within the church community. So, for me, it was this continuation of a testimony that I’ve been giving for about 6 years. For the people that knew me, they already knew because I’d been sharing my testimony for years; for the people who didn’t know me, I think that {they} we’re so used to people being exposed because they chose to be exposed. When a person exposes himself, they don’t always know how to receive it. And so, you know, it’s always going to be people that love you for that and there’s going to be people that feel like, you know, "whatever is going on at home, stays at home", and that’s been a demise especially to the African American community. Look at how many people in our community suffer because we didn’t share those things. You know, we knew of things that were going on in our families, with our family members, but because we don’t talk and because we were taught not to talk, people died quietly. I’m just very, proud that I tried to fight it.


Writer: The title of your album is 'The Fight of My Life', so what would you say is the biggest fight of your life? And what would be your advice to someone who was going through the biggest fight of their life?

Kirk Franklin: What I would just say, man, life is going to always be a battle and there's always going to be a struggle; and so, you know, what we have to do is we have to always remember that we don’t have to fight this battle by ourselves. That the battle is not ours, it’s going to be proven that, Christ is going to give us the victory, man and we don’t have to live in fear.


Writer: Wonderful. Now, you’ve broken a lot of barriers in gospel music, but you’ve also faced criticism, because you’ve come out with more contemporary fans. What would you say would be your biggest criticism, and how did you respond to that?

Kirk Franklin: Well, you know, it’s just people questioning my motives and my heart, you know. A lot of times it’s hard when people question my motives and my heart, and whenever people do that, you know, that’s always been hurtful. I just always want to live a life that’s really honest and true. But, you know, that’s going to come and I’ve had to just accept that and just learn how to take it.


Writer: When you have a great catalog that’s kind of building – when you have done, like, six, seven, albums, how do you make it so you’re not just saying something similar . Do you kind of respond to different things your going thru during that time ; is each recording, sort of a reflection of where your walk is, at that time? How do you make it so it’s unique, so people, are not like, well he kind of said that same thing back in 95 or something?

Kirk Franklin: You know, for me, I am just a firm believer that every song and every gift is, you know, every good and perfect gift is from above, and so, if it’s from above, then all I have to do is just stay connected to him, and if I stay connected to the one who gives the gift, then I don’t have to worry about trying to figure out what to say, all I have to do is to stay connected. And as I stay connected, you know, God has promised that he’ll speak what he wants to speak through me.


Writer: What kind of advice would you give to an up and coming person who feels the call to do, sort of, what I would call, a musical ministry? Besides just obviously listening to the spirit, what would you say, in terms of how to make a difference in music, for someone, who’s maybe 20 years old, saying, "hey, I feel this calling, I’m a musician, and this is what I want to do"?

Kirk Franklin: What I would say is that the first thing that you should do is to weigh the costs and to be able to see if this is something you really can commit your life to. That there are things – so many people are so jaded that the last thing we need is another half hearted soldier. Let’s try to take another gun and try to fight a war that in the middle of it, they’re going to get tired of it and walk away from, that I think the people have to really count the costs of what this is. You know, the cross is heavy, man, and you know, trust me, man, I’d be making more money if I was like some mainstream rapper, you know. I talk about Jesus, and because I talk about Jesus, there are a lot of doors that get slammed in my face. There are a lot of opportunities, you know, that I don’t get because I’m that Jesus dude. So, if you’re not in it to win it, you’re going to walk away. I have to make a decision everyday on who do I love more, him or me?