Urban/Contemporary Gospel

Urban/Contemporary Gospel is perhaps the most commercial variation of Gospel music. It modernizes traditional Gospel by building on it, rather than just rehashing its hallmark elements. With its modern R&B influences, stunt-singing vocal style and smoothly-paced rhythm tracks, Urban/Contemporary Gospel often sounds sleek. Several artists in this style reached broad audiences in the 1990s, most notably the Winans (the de facto First Family of '90s Gospel) and Kirk Franklin, whose hip patchwork of styles redefined the way Gospel is perceived.