Did Kirk Franklin just shade DJ Luke Nasty? Gospel icon won't accept any other version of 'Melodies From Heaven'
Gospel icon Kirk Franklin has taken to his social media to declare there's "only one" version of his famous hit song 'Melodies From Heaven' that's worthy of attention.
His latest post on Twitter comes after DJ Luke Nasty took a sample from the famous gospel track for his own upcoming single 'Rain'. Nasty teased the song on Twitter on November 18 with a clip captioned, “I have to chill lmao #SAMPLEKING." According to reports, many fans questioned whether or not Kirk Franklin approved of the track or its sampling. Furthermore, the teaser clip featured a still image of a half-naked woman showcasing her butt and holding an umbrella with dollar bills raining on it, which is the type of imagery that would undoubtedly offend religious or gospel listeners.
I have to chill lmao #SAMPLEKING pic.twitter.com/fsetPkQVVk
— LUKE NASTY (@djlukenastyy) November 18, 2020
Now, Franklin has made his thoughts clear with his new post. "The only one," he wrote on Twitter alongside a video of his own performance of 'Melodies From Heaven' during a practice session. In the clip, Franklin paused during the practice to state, "Y'all know me. Y'all been know me for a long time. Y'all know I do some crazy stuff, but I have not cleared any other version but this version. This is the only version. A'ight? You got that? You got that?" He then continued with the song and the video ended with a cheeky stare into the camera by the gospel singer. Check out the video below.
Fans are now predicting a lawsuit in the foreseeable future. "Sue his butt," said a fan while another wrote, "welp, someone gettin sued lmaooo." "I smell a lawsuit," added one fan to which another replied, "I think the other guys song is just a mixtape. If so, that lawsuit won’t go far. We’ll see." One fan asked, "But who owns the rights to the song?"
I think the other guys song is just a mixtape. If so, that lawsuit won’t go far. We’ll see
— mavsfan (@mavsfan8) November 19, 2020
For those unfamiliar with 'Melodies From Heaven', Kirk Franklin released the song in 1996, along with the Family, for the album 'Whatcha Lookin' 4' on GospoCentric Records. Along with hits like 'Stomp', 'Lean On Me', 'Imagine Me' and more, 'Melodies From Heaven' has been a longtime fan-favorite and commercial success. 'Whatcha Lookin' 4' was certified Gold on August 16, 1996, and Platinum on May 28, 1997. The LP also impacted several charts, reaching No. 1 on both the Billboard Top Gospel Albums Chart and Top Contemporary Christian Chart in 1996. In that same year, the album landed a No. 3 spot on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart and a No. 23 on the Billboard 200 Chart. Meanwhile, a remix version by Skate for 'Melodies From Heaven' is also in existence.