Kirk Franklin discovered a long-held secret in a recent documentary titled Father’s Day– the same as his upcoming album. The film was released to the gospel singer’s YouTube channel on Sept. 15.
Franklin decided to document the journey behind the scenes, as shared in conversation with People. However, as the recording sessions started, the songwriter discovered who he thought was his father was not. The man responsible for bringing him into the world lived relatively close to where he grew up. The “Stomp” composer detailed that he didn’t have an easy
life growing up. Adopted by an older woman in his community after his young mother struggled to raise a child, the musician believed for years that another man was his birth dad, as both parents would be inconsistent figures in his life before he became famous.Franklin inadvertently discovered his birth father after hiring a musician from his hometown. That person revealed the name of another man his mother had dated. The potential father, Richard Hubbard, was willing to submit a DNA sample to confirm the parentage and also happened to be a longtime member of the community in which the gospel singer was raised.
An on-camera reveal by a doctor confirmed that Hubbard was indeed his father, fulfilling a lifelong wish for Franklin to know his true identity.
“To live over half a century with somebody who lived in the same city
as you…” expressed Franklin, 53. “I suffered so much as a young man without guidance. I struggled with love, intimacy, faith, identity. And to know that the answer was less than 10 minutes away.”Upon meeting Hubbard, who unknowingly became a father as a young teenager, Franklin referred to his dad as a “great guy” as he navigated beginning a new relationship with his half-siblings.
The revelation led Franklin to pursue a renewed relationship with his estranged son, Kerrion. As they begin their path toward healing, the Grammy winner is happy that three generations of his family will be able to be there for one another as Black men.
“He is beginning to reveal and testify to his struggles, his own battles with certain things that have at times cost him,” shared the loving husband
and father. “I know many young Black men struggle with these same things, and as he continues to get help and healing, he’s going to help so many. He has me and now his grandfather, that will be there to help in any way we can.”To catch more glimpses of Kirk Franklin’s journey with faith, music, and parenthood, Father’s Day is available to stream now, as the accompanying album is set to be released on Oct. 6.
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