#iTunesSounds: Kirk Franklin – “Losing My Religion” – February 27, 2016

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCulture

Kirk Franklin is one of the most well-known gospel artists of all time. Since introducing us to “The Family” back in the 90’s, Franklin has assisted in delivering jewels for the past three decades. His latest album, “Losing My Religion” is a combination of the soulful music and vocals that we’re accustomed to hearing from Franklin. Here’s a look at some of my favorite tracks:

1) Miracles

This is Franklin back in the “Kirk and The Family” days to me with the choir singing both the chorus and the hook. Kirk does his normal 1-2 talking at various points during the song.

FAVORITE LINE: “My Life is a miracle, can’t deny it I’m a miracle. For the price of my miracle, nailed in his hands and his feet for me.”

2) It’s Time

Gospel artists Tasha Page-Lockhart and Zacardi Cortez join Franklin for this one. The choir wasted no time hitting this one punching the opening line. It’s right behind “When” as my favorite song on the album.

FAVORITE LINE: “Giving up feels wrong when you’ve been waiting for so long, for destiny and victory to finally collide. There is no sound more sweeter than when God says it’s time.”

3) Wanna Be Happy?

The CD’s lead single delivers an upbeat vibe as the choir takes the listener from a place of struggle to a place of triumph. The key to it all, giving your life’s desires to Jesus.

FAVORITE LINE: “If you’re tired of being the same, if you’re tired of things not changing, it’s time for you to get out the way. Don’t get stuck in how you feel, say Jesus take the wheel. He knows the road that you need to take. Don’t you wanna be happy?”

4) When

Two more high profile artists, Kim Burrell and Lalah Hathaway, join Franklin on this track. This is my favorite song on the entire album. They collaborate to deliver a silky smooth sound over the laid back instrumental.

FAVORITE LINE: “When will come for your daughters and sons? We’re homesick. We try but we don’t belong. Even if that day is a million light years away, each day we’ll begin with the same question: when?”

5) Pray For Me

Franklin actually delivers the vocals on this one. For years, he’s been the MC of the show. Over this mellow instrumental, he gives us a look at where he is in his spiritual walk asking for prayer in the process.

FAVORITE LINE: “Listen close, you can hear the world crying. Pray for me. It’s saying don’t talk about me, don’t judge me just pray for me.”

Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

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#PSBPopCulture: Kendrick Lamar’s Effect on the Rap Industry – February 17, 2016

By: Donte’ Grant @DineroJones and Brandon Clay @psbpopculture

Donte’s Take on Kendrick at the Grammy’s:

Kendrick Lamar walked away last night with five Grammy Awards, one being obvious, best rap album. “To Pimp A Butterfly” is easily one the best albums of the last decade, of any genre. The Grammy’s one slip up last night was not recognizing its greatness and honoring it with Album of the year.

Brandon’s Take on Kendrick’s impact on the industry:

Lamar’s ability to win album of the year on a major stage this week without a “radio-friendly” single is validation that music content is still the most important part of the game. His style of dress, word content is very non-traditional in comparison to the status quo of the industry in 2016. Now Lamar has been on features ranging in genre as far over as Taylor Swift‘s “Bad Blood,” so it’s not as if he hasn’t built a name brand that allowed him to take a chance with his latest album. That said, Lamar represents a noticeable variation musically from some of the other mainstream A-List rap artists in Drake, Future. With samples including Lalah Hathaway on “Momma,” the album was so appealing to me that I completely skipped over “These Walls.” I just got to dive into that track during the Christmas Holidays.

Donte’s Take on To Pimp A Butterfly:

Kendrick Lamar’s critically acclaimed, instant classic plays out like a Spike Lee film in sound.  Though it doesn’t explicitly bill itself as a movie like good kid, m.A.A.d city did, but the seamless interlocking dramas contained here feels filmic nonetheless, and a variety of characters appear across the album’s soundscape.

The opener, “Wesley’s Theory”, turns the public downfall of Wesley Snipes into a kind of parable. Snoop Dogg drops by on “Institutionalized”; Dr. Dre himself phones in on “Wesley”. The mood is wry, theatrical, chaotic, ironic, and mournful, often all at once; yet it all blends together effortlessly: On “For Free? (Interlude)” an impatient woman ticks off a laundry list of demands before Kendrick snaps back that “This …. ain’t free!” and roars through a history of black oppression, spoken-word style, definitely a highlight of the album.

The album is dotted with religious moments and analogies, like modern bible passages written by an urban man. God even appears in the guise of a homeless man in “How Much a Dollar Cost”, and closer “Mortal Man” ends on a lengthy, surreal dream interview with the ghost of 2Pac and Kendrick himself. 

Screen Shot 2016-01-25 at 12.29.24 PMDonte’ Grant is a contributor to PSBPopCulture.com. He’s been a part of the team since playing pickup basketball with Clay at the Georgia Southern recreation center. Grant, a 10-year music industry veteran, a former A&R at Atlantic Records, Jeezy’s CTE label, and founder of TheOrganizedGrind. Follow him on IG @MuchoDineros and Twitter @dinerojones.

Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

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