Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond announced for ‘Healing Verzuz’ battle
The two gospel artists will go head-to-head in a special Sunday Verzuz set.
Kirk Franklin and Fred Hammond are partnering to bring some much-needed healing to our timelines.
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The “Stomp” singer, 50, and Commissioned group member, 59, are set to battle each other for a special “Verzuz- The Healing” set on Sunday, May 31, according to an announcement. Bishop TD Jakes will also be joining the pair for the spiritual performance.
“Join Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond and Bishop TD Jakes for this Sunday’s special edition of VERZUZ – THE HEALING ?? Everyone needs a hug ??,” Verzuz TV announced in an Instagram post on Thursday. “@kirkfranklin @bishopjakes @realfredh song by @keedronbryant @timbaland this one will be special ?? Live on @verzuztv this Sunday 5PM EST.”
Franklin is known for such hits as “Revolution,” “Looking for You,” “I Smile,” “My World Needs You,” “Love Theory” and his No. 1 1997 hit, “Stomp.” Hammond, meanwhile, is famous for singles like “Celebrate (He Lives),” “Power,” “Let the Praise Begin” and more.
The “We Have Not Forgotten” singer took to Instagram on Thursday to share his excitement about the upcoming battle.
“Very important Zoom last night,” Hammond captioned a video clip of himself speaking with Franklin and Verzuz founders Timbaland and Swizz Beatz. “@kirkfranklin and I got a very important and timely call last night. ?? let’s bless as many as we can. @therealswizzz @timbaland @kirkfranklin and yours truly @realfredh.”
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“You know, me and Timbaland own an amazing platform called Verzuz, and we think that our culture needs a hug,” Swizz said in the video. “We think that we need to heal some people. … We need to help some people heal this Sunday.”
The “Ring the Alarm” producer, 41, and “”We Need a Resolution” hitmaker, 48, created Verzuz in March in response to the coronavirus pandemic quarantine.
A-list artists such as Jill Scott, Babyface, Erykah Badu, Lil Jon, Teddy Riley, Ludacris, The Dream, Mannie Fresh, T-Pain and more have graced the platform since its inception.
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