Kecalf Franklin is the son of famous artist Aretha Franklin. She is known as one of the greatest artists of all time. Her contributions were too big to go unnoticed.
Aretha Franklin performed in diverse genres, including R&B, Soul, Gospel, and Jazz. For an artist, it’s like a dream come true when they are featured in “100 Greatest Artists Of All Time”, a list of greatest music artists put together by Rolling Stone.
However, things are different for Aretha Franklin. She was featured at the 9th position in the 100 greatest artists of all time – not once but twice. Aretha Franklin Placed At The First Spot In The Greatest Singer Of All Time List By Rolling Stone
Along with having built a successful career, she was able to upbring four children. Kecalf Cunningham is the youngest of them all. Kecalf was born on the 28th of March 1970.
Now what we are about to tell you may come off as a surprise, but it’s a fact. Aretha’s son is a gospel rapper who made numerous appearances on stage along with his mother.
One notable appearance of the son and mother duo was on the Aretha Franklin Way, a street in Detroit named after Ms. Franklin to honor her. Now let’s take a deep dive and uncover the astounding facts about Kecalf Franklin and his relationship with Ms. Franklin.
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Kecalf Cunningham Is a Gospel Rapper – Discussing His Performances
Kecalf Cunningham is 51 years old today, and he has spent his life rapping for Christians. Kecalf’s songs are solely focused on spreading the messages that are mentioned in the Gospel.
He was brought into the limelight by his mother. Yes, he has performed on the same stage as his mother, by her side. They have made numerous appearances together.
Duo’s notable appearances include Aretha Franklin Way and the concert held at the Radio City Hall – We’ll get to that in a minute.
It wasn’t a hardcore rule for all Aretha’s children to follow in her footsteps. They were free to choose their respective fields. Aretha Franklin just wanted Kecalf Cunningham and all the kids in the family to be ready for public appearances.
As for Kecalf, he was ready to go out and perform in concerts, right beside his mother. They performed in multiple venues, including Radio City Music Hall. And New York Times seems to be depressed by Kecalf Cunningham’s performance.
In a music review published by the New York Times titled “Aretha Franklin’s Evening,” NYT described its distaste for the performance and lightly commented on Kecalf’s appearance.
You will see an excerpt from this music review all across the internet. But in most citations, it begins with “came with a backpack…”. It’s not a good start because there is more to it if you read a line or two before “came with a backpack…”
Here’s how the experts start, and you can read NYT Music Review Franklin’s Evening by clicking on the link.
“Ms. Franklin gave Mr. Woodson the bridge, the song’s lyrical and musical peak. This didn’t seem like avoidance of responsibility; it was generosity, and delegation. Those motives, among others, probably drove Mr. Franklin to what she called her next surprise: an interlude featuring her son Kecalf Cunningham, a Christian rapper, who came with a backpack, a hoodie, and some cheap-sounding recorded tracks. After what felt like ages, it was a relief to have Ms. Franklin return, energies renewed, to belt out “Chain of Fools”…”
Music Runs In Kecalf Cunningham’s Family
Kecalf Cunningham has a musical family. Even though it wasn’t made compulsory for anyone in the family, they seem to have a natural taste for it.
As we mentioned earlier, Aretha Franklin never made it compulsory for anyone in the family to follow in her footsteps. Instead, she wanted to prepare all the children for media appearances.
It was part of their upbringing. She aimed to empower them so that they could easily step in front of the camera whenever they decided to build a career in showbiz. And it certainly helped out Kecalf Cunningham too.
And just like in her work, Aretha Franklin went one step ahead to make it easy for Kecalf Cunningham to have such a career. What we are about to tell you come off as a surprise to everyone who read it, but then it’s the truth, and it must be told.
Aretha Franklin acted as a business manager to Kecalf Cunningham to support him. In this regard, Ms. Franklin was no different than any mother who wished to help her son stand on his two feet.
Aretha Franklin also helped her son Teddy. He is a guitarist who worked with Aretha’s band. Since she had a big name in the industry, she used it to promote her children, helping them have a career in the music industry.
Now let’s talk about Kecalf Cunningham’s family. His daughter Victoria is a pianist, and she has also worked with her grandmother, YES, ARETHA FRANKLIN! Victoria has worked as a background vocalist with Aretha.
Kecalf Cunningham’s Net Worth
Kecalf Cunningham is one of those celebrities who like to stay quiet about their personal life. We have seen many cases where even Oscar-winning celebrities prefer to stay silent and keep things private.
While there is no standard to measure the extent to which matters can be kept private. But in this particular case, Kecalf Cunningham has even kept most of his songs off the major music platforms.
You can find some of his songs on YouTube. But a large part is missing from the platform. So since Kecalf Cunningham prefers to stay quiet about his personal life, netizens remain unaware of his net worth.
Kecalf Cunningham Hates Some Of Aretha Franklins Biographies
We know about two biographical works featuring Aretha Franklin that her son Kecalf Cunningham hates. The sole reason behind his hatred is justified – given that the case is as he is describing.
One of Aretha Franklin’s biographical works is a film named “Respect.” Aretha was alive when the film was in progress. The film was released on the 13th of August, 2021.
However, Kecalf Franklin was extremely disappointed. And without getting into much discussion about Whys and the Whats, let’s get straight to his comment to see what he has to say about the film.
“How Can You Make A Movie About A Person And Not Talk To The Person’s Sons Or Grandchildren About The Important Information? How Can You Put A Person’s Family In A Book And Not Ask Permission? If You Are A “Real” Fan Of My Mothers… Please Do Not Support This. Ask Yourself… Would You Want This Done To You? The “Only” Person My Mother Was In Favor Of For The Movie Was Jennifer Hudson. Period. Everything Else Is Being Done Against Our Wishes.”
But on the other hand, Harvey Mason JR, the producer of Aretha Franklin’s biographical movie, said that they talked to the artist for hours discussing moments in her life that should be included in the movie.
Now let’s talk about a series named Genius: Aretha was premiered on National Geographic. This was the second work that annoyed Kecalf Cunningham. He took it to IG, saying:
“Here We Are Again!!! The Franklin Family “Is Not” In Support Of The (Aretha Franklin National Geography) “Genius” Series!!! This Series Was Pushed Through Without Our Consent!!! If You Are A True Fan, Please Do Not Support It!!! We Truly Thank You For Your Support.”
Kecalf Cunningham’s Daughter
Kecalf Cunningham’s daughter loves to play the piano! She is a pianist and has also worked as a background vocalist for her grandmother.
Aretha Franklin Children
Kecalf Cunningham is perhaps the most popular child of Aretha Franklin. He is a Christian rapper, while his biological brother happens to be a guitarist.
In The End…
Kecalf Cunningham is one of the most famous children of Ms. Franklin. She was not only one of the greatest singers of all time, but she was also a good mother and a grandmother.
As a good mother, she wanted to make it easy for her children to have a career in showbiz. That is why she used her stage as a platform to introduce her son Kecalf Cunningham to the world.
Kecalf Cunningham had an outstanding opportunity to perform beside his mother. Not only that, but Ms. Franklin also acted as a business manager to Kecalf to help him make a career.
It wasn’t compulsory for Kecalf Cunningham or any other children in the Franklin family to follow in their mother’s footsteps. But Kecalf became a Christian rapper. Today, he is about 52 years old.
