Kirk Franklin - I Am What I Am [2LP Red Marble]

Kirk Franklin splits the difference between studio polish and church-floor fire on I Am What I Am, his fourteenth album, set for red marble double vinyl.

The Fort Worth, Texas native has spent more than three decades reshaping gospel music, collecting 20 Grammy Awards along the way and pulling the genre into conversation with hip-hop, R&B and pop. This 2026 release, issued through Fo Yo Soul, TRIBL and Uptown Records, divides its fourteen tracks evenly across two discs, with seven studio recordings on one side of the story and seven live performances on the other.

The studio half blends gospel with Afrobeats, hip-hop and R&B, and it is packed with surprising guests. Free Me Tonight opens the album alongside Jelly Roll, Hope In You brings in Nigerian star Davido, and This Time features GloRilla while interpolating Mandrill's Children Of The Sun. On the live side, Thank You For Everything teams him with gospel royalty Karen Clark Sheard, a reminder of the congregational energy his music has always drawn on.

The split format reflects both sides of his artistry, the boundary-pushing producer and the worship leader, and gives them equal weight.

For longtime fans and curious newcomers, this red marble pressing is a joyful, genre-crossing statement from one of gospel's great innovators.