Kirk Franklin In Instagram Photo With Kanye West And 2 Chainz In The Studio — West Says ‘Waves’ Will Be A Gospel Album

Well, Twitter is going crazy over Kirk Franklin’s name right now. Twitter reports that Kirk’s name is a trending topic, all because he was spotted in the studio with Kanye West and 2 Chainz in photos that are circulating around the web with plenty of commentary. Kirk is no stranger to the cutting edge of the Christian music and Gospel scene, with his “Stomp” breaking all kinds of new ground for its sound back in 1997. Kirk would continue to distinguish himself as more than your average “lift those dirty hands and give Him some praise” types of Christian artists, when Franklin would appear on Oprah, talking about his addiction to porn — a confession not prompted by getting caught.

Franklin’s “Let it Go” further delved into his sin-filled past and pain, coupled with being a “church boy” who tried to numb that pain by getting high in the parking lot after church.

Kanye West is no stranger to spiritual matters. West’s “Jesus Walks” (off 2004’s College Dropout) introduced a larger portion of the world to Kanye, after he rapped “Through the Wire” with his jaw wired shut from the aftermath of a car accident in 2002. Perhaps the accident had Kanye waxing honestly about the lessons learned from his now deceased mother, Donda West, about faith.

“My mama used to say only Jesus can save us…”

People are calling it some kind of miracle to see Kanye and 2 Chainz in the studio, even if they did collaborate on “Mercy” together. The real surprise seems to be Kirk Franklin showing up in the mix, even if he has used a tactic undertaken by Christian singers like Mary Mary, who pulled in David Banner for their “Superfriend” song. In the song, Banner rapped about being looked at by church folks as Satan because he curses in his music, but confessed that he was trying to do better — and that’s what hurt him about the rejection from the sanctified crowd.

Yet, Kanye’s WAVES might really be a Gospel album, as reported by Complex. It was the below photo posted to 2 Chainz’ “Hair Weave Killer” Instagram account that swelled to more than 11,500 likes in two hours, and got people talking on Instagram and Twitter and elsewhere. It’s not every day that you see Kanye and Kirk together.

As for reactions on Twitter, one need only scroll through the photos to see how people feel about Kanye and Kirk getting together to make music. However, the Gospel roots shouldn’t necessarily be such a foreign idea, given West’s experiences on becoming a father, and that haunting line — like an edict from heaven via his late mother to “tell Nori about me,” in Kanye’s “Only One” lyrics with Sir Paul McCartney. Nori is North West’s nickname.

If WAVES really is a Gospel album, it’ll certainly be an interesting one, with the three acts spelled out in scribbles that 2 Chainz also shared in another Instagram post. It shows a song seemingly titled “Father (or Faith) Stretch My Hands,” as well as one called “FML,” usually short for f*** my life, but with West can mean anything.

Folks who signed the studio notepad include Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian (who wrote that she never left), and Kourtney Kardashian. Something about 1977 is really big for the person who scribbled it over and over again.

More reactions from folks on Twitter prove the excitement for the new album.

KANYE and Kirk Franklin!!! YES GAAAWD!!!

Kirk Franklin in the studio with ‘Ye and 2 Chainz looking like he either wanna catch the holy ghost or a felony

Oh, LORD! Gotta be the yams! Kanye & Kirk Franklin

Oh, LORD! Gotta be the yams! Kanye & Kirk Franklin pic.twitter.com/awAI0meWbN

— tv-ma (@tvtothema) January 30, 2016

[Photo by Cheryl Gerber/Invision/AP]