Kirk Franklin was born in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1970. In a 2018 interview, he described growing up as a Black child whose musical world included his aunt's singing, church music and popular recordings. Gospel writers Andraé Crouch, Thomas Whitfield and V. Michael McKay were among the artists he remembered learning from.
In 1992, Franklin organized The Family, a seventeen-member ensemble. A demonstration recording led to a relationship with GospoCentric, and *Kirk Franklin & The Family* was released in June 1993. He wrote, arranged and directed music for a group whose singers included Tamela Mann and David Mann, and the recording's identity depended on the ensemble as well as the name that appeared first on the cover.
The next stages of his career brought several kinds of collaboration. "Stomp (Remix)," on the 1997 God's Property project, featured rapper Cheryl "Salt" James. His 2005 album *Hero* included Stevie Wonder and Marvin Winans. The record label's retrospective describes these releases as part of a catalog that combined gospel performance with elements of contemporary popular music.
Franklin's first Grammy came at the 1997 ceremony for *Whatcha Lookin' 4*, an album released the previous year. The 1998 choir-album award for *God's Property from Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation* named Franklin, Myron Butler and Robert Searight II. In 2023, *Kingdom Book One Deluxe* received gospel-album recognition shared with Maverick City Music.
Franklin's public reflections help explain the range of his musical interests. Speaking with Tidal's Adelle Platon, he discussed gospel's past and future while also describing the rhythm and blues and pop he heard growing up. His Christian faith forms part of his own account of his work.
