Kirk Franklin draws anger over his attire and filming in Jamaica

By Leonard Blairsenior reporter Wednesday April 24, 2024

Gospel artist Kirk Franklin draws ire from Jamaica's conservative Christians for twirling and flexing his biceps while ministering in a tank top and shorts at Fun at the sona popular annual gospel concert sponsored by Best Dressed Chickena company brand Jamaican Broiler Grouprenowned for its attachment to Judeo-Christian values.

At Jamaica Broilers Group, we are committed to staying true to the basics. Our core values ​​are based on Judeo-Christian principles and form the foundation upon which our business is built and upon which we are encouraged to live our lives, the company states on its website.

This is how we determine what is expected of us in meeting our obligations to our customers, shareholders, employees, contractors and communities. Our policies and procedures reflect these principles and, as they form the foundation of our culture, it is up to us to own, protect and live by them without compromise.

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Before the Fun in the Son concert which took place on Saturday at the National Stadium of the Caribbean Islands, the company, which commits in the production and distribution of poultry, feed and agricultural products, and which has significant operations in the United States, encouraged the public to join them in celebrating 65 years of faithfulness to God, featuring Franklin, Toby Mac and several local Christian artists.

The Best Dressed Chicken celebrates 65 years of God's faithfulness to our company and in light of this, we would like to invite Jamaica to join us for a free, family-friendly festival, the company announcement.

We believe that God has blessed us, which is why we want to bless others. Our goal is to transform people's lives for Jesus Christ so that they can positively impact the future of our country. Our hope is that this gospel festival will change lives by providing spiritually uplifting, wholesome and fun activities where people can celebrate their love of God with family and friends.

Many spectators, however, did not understand this message from Franklin's performance. Reactions to viral video of Franklin performing at concert posted on by The Tropix on Sunday, and was viewed more than 947,000 times as of Wednesday, shows that some audience members were so confused and offended that they left.

I was at the concert and honestly, he confused me. I listened to the songs while the females sang but he distracted me all the time. I couldn't connect to the songs after watching it. He was dancing like I was at an Usher, Michael Jackson and Chris Brown concert, wrote a woman who described herself as a God-fearing chica on X.

I walked out during his first song! It just didn't sit right with me the way he behaved on that stage. I thought I was at an Usher concert! Tasha Brown added in response to another video of Franklin on stage dancing at the concert shared on Facebook by the Jamaica Gleaner.

Kirk Franklin performs in Jamaica ???????? pic.twitter.com/2CSFUC52Wf

The Tropix (@Tropixsofficial) April 21, 2024

Others commenting on social media, like Craig Anthony Shim, made bawdy jokes about the gospel stars' performance.

He acts like him at Diddy, Shim joked on Facebookreferring to the swarm of explosive sexual abuse allegations against music mogul Sean Diddy Combs.

Asked about concerns raised by audience members about Franklin's presentation at Fun in the Son and his apparent departure from the spirit of the company's celebration of 65 years of faithfulness to God, Jamaica Chairman and CEO Broilers Group's Christopher Levy told The Christian Post in a statement: The company expected more from Franklin.

When we hire an artist, it is with a certain level of trust that the artist will be aware and responsive to their audience. We expected more from Mr. Franklin, said Levy, who is also featured on the company website as a follower of Christ who attributes his success to a constant trust and faith in the guidance of the Lord.

We recognize that each of us is working in our relationship with the Lord and we prayerfully support their growth, Levy noted.

In addition to its Caribbean operations, Jamaica Broilers Group operates businesses in Georgia, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Florida and South Carolina, which supports farmers around the world. A subsidiary of the company, Wincorp, is described as one of the largest providers of fertile eggs in the United States.

Franklin's team did not respond to CP's questions about its performance in Jamaica. This article will be updated if a response is received.

HAS press conference Before his performance on Saturday, the 54-year-old choir director, who had previously performed at Fun in the Son, noted that ten years had passed since his last show on the island. He explained that he had a lot of life experiences, emotion, energy and passion that I'm going to bring to the stage that have been bottled over the last decade.

I just want you to know how touched and honored I was to receive an invitation to come back after 10 years. It just made me feel like this beautiful place still had a place for me. And I want to show the level of gratitude that I have by how I present tomorrow night on stage, Franklin said.

Ten years is a long time. So I have a lot to say. I have a lot to do, he said. I have a lot to express.

This is not the first time Franklin has been criticized for what was seen as an inappropriate portrayal of Christ in a performance. In 2019, a street preacher who identified himself only as Ty from a ministry called Wild truthwent viral for berating the gospel music star for not representing Gospel during a 3.5-minute performance at the BET Awards. He also accused Franklin of selling his soul to the devil.

The publicity from the video forced Franklin to meet the preacher. Tony Evans, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship and spiritual father of Franklin, was also part of that meeting.

On his arrival in Jamaica, the Hon. Olivia “Babsy” GrangeJamaica's Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, who welcomed Franklin to the country, told him: You are loved in Jamaica.

A video clip posted by the Jamaica Gleaner on Facebook shows Franklin ending his show with a drop of his mic followed by a swagger off stage and some quick waves as the crowd continued to sing the lyrics to his 1997 song “Stomp” with the evangelical group God's Property.

Whatever you do, said prophetess Sheena Williams of International Word Empowerment Ministry in Florida in apparent condition statement on Facebook to the organizers of the Jamaican Christian concert, JUST DONT BRING HIM BACK.