Fans of the Chrisian group Maverick City Music, Kirk Franklin, and other popular Christian artists are split over their recent collaboration on the debut album of secular rapper Gloria Hallelujah Woods, who goes by GloRilla. The album, entitled Glorious, includes a song entitled “Rain Down on Me,” which features Maverick City Music, Chandler Moore, Kirk Franklin, and Kierra Sheard. Woods herself was homeschooled until high school and grew up in a Christian home, and has spoken about praying with her mother and putting God first. “I always have to put God first in whatever I do,” she said on the Tamron Hall Show.

Despite her history of faith, “Rain Down on Me” finds itself as the only song on the album not slapped with an “explicit” label. The album’s song “Let Her Cook” explicitly describes sex acts, while the song “Don’t Deserve” contains 11 f-words according to Crosswalk. Nick Hancock for Loma Beat described the album as “…39 minutes of the promotion of drug use, violence, swiping credit cards and adultery, and three minutes of Glo saying sorry to God while Maverick City stands in the corner of the studio.” Reactions on social media were mixed, with one user commenting, “these ‘Christian’ gospel artist need to stop compromising. it’s PLENTY of ways to reach souls. Kirk Franklin, Kierra Sheard & Maverick City Music being on Glorilla album is wild. God come get us.” Another user, however, pointed at examples from the Bible of Jesus with sinners. “Jesus frequently ‘collaborated’ with ‘sinners’ (the woman at the well). We have no idea what God has called these artists to do. Christianity is about sharing the good news of the Savior to those who need it most.” Others were hopeful that the song could sow seeds amongst listeners who might not regularly hear gospel-driven songs.

Franklin and Maverick City have received criticism for collaborating with secular artists in the past. Franklin has collaborated with artists such as R. Kelly, Mary J. Blige, and Bono. Franklin also apologized for a profanity-laced phone call that his estranged son, Kerrion Franklin, leaked to social media in 2021. In the call, Franklin can be heard using the f-word and threatening to break Kerrion’s neck. “I felt extremely disrespected in that conversation and I lost my temper. And I said words that are not appropriate, and I am sincerely sorry to all of you,” Franklin said in his apology to fans. “I’m not perfect, I’m human and I’m going to make mistakes, and I’m trying to make it right. Please keep me and my family in your prayers.” Hancock, pushed back against Maverick City Music’s involvement on the album. “Without a doubt, Jesus ate with the tax collectors and sinners in the book of Matthew,” he wrote. “He loves the broken, imperfect souls, but he also wouldn’t let a lost soul remain lost. I didn’t have a problem with Maverick City making a song with Glo until I realized literally every other song on the album follows Glo’s typical vibe. The songs glorify everything Maverick City — as a worship group — should be against.”