Kirk Franklin has been under constant scrutiny as of late, largely due to recent associations with hip hop superstar Kanye West. Social media was abuzz last week of reports of Franklin being in the studio with West for an upcoming project, but everything blew up Saturday with a joint appearance on Saturday Night Live. West debuted two tracks from his new album, Life of Pablo, after performing two new tracks from the long-awaited release, one of which was “Ultralight Beam” featuring The-Dream, Kelly Price, Chance the Rapper and Franklin.
Franklin was immediately subject to criticism from his Christian followers, some of which feel his friendship with a secular artist is misguided. Others feel that the relationship is exactly what Christians are supposed to be exemplifying – reaching out to those who need “the light”.
Franklin took to Instagram to express his thoughts:
Missed the broadcast? Check out the performance (LANGUAGE WARNING):
