Kirk Franklin On BET Ultimate Icon Award, Relationship With Music & God

Angie Martinez IRL

iHeartPodcasts and The Volume

Society & Culture, Personal Journals, Music

5 • 939 Ratings

🗓️ 11 June 2025

⏱️ 88 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Angie Martinez sits down with Kirk Franklin from the BET Awards in Los Angeles, where he was honored with the BET Ultimate Icon Award. The gospel musician discusses his thoughts on celebration and awards, and tells the story of being in bed when he won his first Grammy. Kirk also talks about why Christianity is hard for people to buy, leading into a deeper discussion on his own connection to God. Angie and Kirk also discuss rapper DMX, break down whether social media is evil, and share the impact God has on Kirk, his family, and his music. Angie asks some In Real Life questions that range from Kirk’s happiness on a scale from 1-10, to being a Christian that goes to therapy, and examining what is something he knew about God now that he didn’t when he was younger.

01:30 - Cold Open
02:11 - Introducing Kirk Franklin
02:47 - The story behind Kirk Franklin and green apples
03:47 - Kirk Franklin talks about his feelings towards the word “icon”
07:30 - Angie Martinez views “celebration” differently after being inducted in the Radio Hall of Fame
09:10 - Does Christianity need a rebrand?
11:41 - How is Kirk Franklin’s connection to God?
14:00 - Is there pressure to be perfect for Kirk Franklin?
16:35 - Is social media evil?
22:51 - Does your communication with God affect your connection?
26:11 - Sovereign will vs. human will
31:24 - How do you get to God coming from a tough space?
33:26 - Kirk Franklin talks fatherhood and marriage
38:23 - Kirk Franklin’s relationship with his music
41:53 - Are you always expected to be perfect as a Christian?
43:42 - What Kirk Franklin is most proud of in his career
45:00 - Kirk Franklin’s introduction to music
47:20 - Kirk Franklin’s first experience with true love
49:23 - Kirk Franklin answers a fan’s phone call
51:00 - How do you maintain a 30-year marriage?
55:30 - Kirk Franklin is a Christian that goes to therapy
59:00 - Are we concerned about the future of Christianity?
1:02:48 - How important is prayer?
1:04:30 - Kirk Franklin answers some In Real Life questions

#Volume

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This is an IHeart podcast.
0:04.2	What's up, wrestling fans?
0:05.6	Wrestling with Freddie is officially back.
0:08.2	We're coming in strong.
0:09.1	And yes, the homeboy Jeff Dye is back to,
0:11.4	which means it's going to be hilarious.
0:13.9	We'll be talking about the storylines of the wild world of wrestling,
0:16.5	making sense of it all from backstage segments to what's being said in the ring.
0:19.5	If you love wrestling, whether it's AEW or WWE, and you're looking for real talk from me
0:24.1	who lived it and a bird's eye view of the ultimate fan perspective with Jeff, this will be your one
0:29.3	and only stop.
0:30.7	Brought to you by State Farm.
0:32.2	Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.
0:34.5	This Pride Month, my culture celebrates Uruguio, Culture, and Mucha Corazon.
0:38.7	Discover Aike Pride.
0:39.9	It's a curated mix of our favorite moments
0:41.8	from your favorite My Cultura shows
0:43.5	honoring the voices that inspire, elevate, and represent us.
0:46.7	From powerful, coming out stories of queer icons
0:49.0	such as Juan Gabriel and Ricky Martin
0:50.7	to shining a light on transvisibility,
0:52.7	the nuances of sexuality,
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from iHeartPodcasts and The Volume, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of iHeartPodcasts and The Volume and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.