New Kirk Franklin Hip-Hop/Gospel Collaboration Due August 15

07/14/2000 10:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(7/14/00, 10 a.m. ET) - Hip-hop/gospel artist Kirk Franklin has teamed up with One Nation Crew (1NC)on a new project titled Kirk Franklin Presents 1NC. The album, set for release on August 15, is the recording debut of One Nation Crew, a multiracial vocal group that has performed with Franklin on such television shows as Motown Live and Good Morning America.

Franklin and 1NC seem like a perfect match. Franklin often tackles complex social issues like teen pregnancy, and he brings R&B, hip-hop, and world-music flavors to the gospel music he produces and performs. 1NC, in keeping with its multicultural outlook, also borrows from different musical traditions, often infusing its contemporary gospel with Latin and hip-hop rhythms as well as such issues as teen violence and prayer in schools. The first single from Kirk Franklin Presents 1NC is the infectious and stirring "Nobody," which has a video that has already made an impact on BET.

Franklin is one of the music world's best-known artists, and being a gospel superstar has presented him with certain challenges--namely, the struggle to keep his message at the forefront when he's in high-profile settings like television and award shows.

Franklin told LAUNCH what keeps him centered. "My fear of God just kind of saying, 'OK, I can't trust you any more because instead of giving me the credit, you're taking all the credit -- instead of doing it for me, now you're doing it for yourself because you want to be a star,'" he said. "You know, the interviews, the press-related stuff, the award shows, and TV stuff--that stuff makes it all a challenge, and you would have to monitor the stuff because you know that the press and the media can be a strong vehicle to get your message across. At the same time, a lot of times the media don't want to hear anything about, 'It's not me; it's about Jesus.' They're, like, 'Yeah, but come on. Hey, it's you, too, buddy,' so it's a major challenge for me."

-- Lucy Tauss and Elsie St. Leger, New York

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