Who is Kecalf Cunningham?
Kecalf Cunningham was born on 28 March 1970 under the zodiac sign of Aries, in the United States. He is a 51-year-old Christian gospel rapper and hip-hop artist, but is probably best recognized for being the youngest son of the late singer and songwriter Aretha Franklin, who was considered the ‘Queen of Soul’.
How rich is he, as of now? Kecalf Cunningham Net Worth
As of late-2021, Kecalf Cunningham’s net worth is estimated at over $2 million; earned through his successful involvement in the music industry. Besides that, his late mother had an impressive fortune estimated at over $80 million at the time of her death.
Early Life, Parents, Siblings, Nationality, Ethnicity, Religion, Educational Background
Kecalf Cunningham is the son of Aretha and her road manager, Ken Cunningham; his parents weren’t married, but were in a relationship from 1968 to 1976. His two elder half-brothers Clarence Franklin and Edward Derone Franklin came from Aretha’s pre-teen romance with Edward Jordan – his mother was only 12 years old when she gave birth to Clarence. He also has another half-brother, named Ted White Jr., who came from his mother’s marriage to Theodore ‘Ted’ White. Kecalf holds American nationality, belongs to African-American ethnic group, and is a Christian. Kecalf hasn’t disclosed any details about his education.
Professional Career
Being the son of one of the most influential artist of all time, Kecalf Cunningham followed in his mother’s footsteps, and started to pursue his professional career as a Christian rapper and hip-hop artist, combining faith-based lyrics with rhythmic music. His mother helped him a lot to achieve success in his music career, and he even performed several times on the stage with her. One of their most famous performances took place at the Radio City Music Hall in 2008, and they also appeared together at the Aretha Franklin Way, a street which was renamed in her honor in 2017. Other details about his professional career remain out of the media.
Appearance and Vital Statistics
Kecalf Cunningham has short dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. He stands at a height of 5ft 11ins (1.80m), while his weight is around 128lbs (58kgs), with vital statistics of 36-28-34. Information about his biceps size and shoe size isn’t available.
Personal Life and Legal Issues
Kecalf Cunningham is a married man – the name of his wife is Kafi Franklin. The public isn’t aware of when they married, but it’s known that they have been together for a long time. They have three children, two daughters named Gracie Franklin and Victorie Franklin, and a son named Jordan Franklin. His daughter Victoria is also a singer and composer, while his son Jordan is a music producer.
Kecalf Cunningham faced some legal troubles after the death of his mother, when he was arrested for driving under the influence. After pleading guilty to the charges, he had to serve the maximum jail sentence of 93 days.
Who was his mother? Aretha Franklin Short Wiki/Bio
Aretha Louise Franklin was born on 25 March 1942 under the zodiac sign of Aries, in Memphis, Tennessee USA, and passed away on 16 August 2018 in Detroit, Michigan USA at the age of 76. She was raised by her father, Clarence LaVaughn ‘C.L.’ Franklin, who was a Baptist minister and civil rights activist, and her mother Barbara Vernice Franklin (née Siggers), an accomplished piano player and vocalist.
She had three siblings and several half-siblings from her parents’ previous relationships. At the age of two, she moved with her family to Buffalo, New York, and later to Detroit, Michigan. Her parents had a troubled marriage due to her father’s infidelities, so they eventually split in 1948; Aretha stayed to live with her father. Regarding her education, she went to Northern High School in Detroit, but dropped out as a sophomore.
Career Beginnings
Aretha Franklin started her music career as a child, singing in her father’s church. Her father began managing her when she was 12 years old, when he organized ‘gospel caravan’ tours for her to perform in various churches on the road.
She then signed her first recording deal with J.V.B. Records, and released her debut single entitled “Never Grow Old”, which was followed by her album “Spirituals”, both in 1956. She continued to perform gospel music, and spent summers on the gospel circuit in Chicago. As a 16-year-old girl, she went on tour with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but once she turned 18, Aretha moved to New York to pursue a pop music career.
Rise to Prominence
Aretha’s father supported her and helped her to produce the demo that soon led her to sign a contract with Columbia Records in 1960. Her first Columbia single, entitled “Today I Sing The Blues”, came out later that year and entered the Top 10 of the Hot Rhythm & Blues Sellers chart.
The following year, she released her first album, “Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo”, which spawned the single “Won’t Be Long”, which was her first single to chart the Billboard Hot 100. In 1962, she issued two more albums, entitled “The Electrifying Aretha Franklin” and “The Tender, The Moving, The Swinging Aretha Franklin”. She distributed several more albums with Columbia, but didn’t find real commercial success until 1966 when she signed with Atlantic Records. Her first Atlantic single, “I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)”, was released in 1967 and it became a huge commercial hit, peaking at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, then her studio album of the same title reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Her second top-10 single from the album was “Respect”, which became her signature song.
Continued Success
In 1968, Aretha Franklin launched her next studio album “Lady Soul”, with some of her biggest hit singles “Chain Of Fools”, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”, and “(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You’ve Been Gone”. She continued to record critically acclaimed albums, such as “Spirit In The Dark” (1970), “Young, Gifted And Black” (1972), “Amazing Grace” (1972) – which remains the highest-selling live gospel album of all time – and “Sparkle” (1976). After experiencing some problems with Atlantic, she left the record company and moved to Arista Records. Her next successful albums were “Jump To It” (1982), “Who’s Zoomin’ Who?” (1985), with the hit single “Freeway Of Love”, and “Aretha” (1986). Her final album that earned an RIAA certification was released in 1998 under the title “A Rose Is Still A Rose”.
Achievements and Awards
Aretha Franklin sold more than 75 million records all over the world, becoming one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She became widely regarded as the ‘Queen of Soul’ with more than 110 charted singles on Billboard. She won 18 Grammy Awards, including eight in the category of Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. She was awarded a Grammy Awards Living Legend honor as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award. Aretha was also honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Arts. Moreover, she became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, and was also inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and the UK Music Hall of Fame.
