KJ-52 is a rare find in today's Christian hip hop world. A Caucasian American MC who has risen to prominence in a largely black arena, he is at once a respectful student of the art form and a genuine hip hop innovator, stretching the boundaries of both its sound and shape. And regardless of where he's working- from churches and huge Christian festivals to the heart of the hip hop club scene, KJ can hold his own, with ease, against the best rappers in the business. Indeed, there's nothing that smacks of the poseur in KJ; rather, everything about his work screams "the real deal."
The special, limited-edition two-disc collection features the new songs "Napoleon Dynamite" and "Washed Up," plus an enhanced CD with music videos, behind-thescenes clips, link to audio devotionals and more.
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Stories to Tell...Through Music| Posted July 02, 2009
Hipin, hopin, grooving, rockin old school and then some. That’s KJ for you. I still remember ‘5tweezy’ winning a Dove for best hip hp song (it was hip hop, right?). A fav radio presenter of my sis and I, Tony K, grooved it on his Dove Awards program and we ‘rocked the party till the break of dawn’.
‘Behind the Music’ contains a rather wide variety of hip hop. From pure, to old school and a touch of rock, if you’re into hip hop then this cd will keep you mesmerized. A fact often seen on these type of cds are guest artists-a fact KJ stays true to. People like Brynn Sanchez, Jon Micah Sumrall (from Kutless) and Rebecca St. James (not someone I associated with hip hop) features on this album making it a high-quality arrangement of awesome tunes.
The lyrics are rather deep for a rap album and they are written and co-written by KJ. The idea of this cd is to tell the story of KJ52, or Jonah Sorrentino (his real name). These stories are honest, raw and thought-provoking and sometimes really makes you teary-eyed. To me the message behind the cd is one of hope and one inspiring the listener to be real for Jesus (listen to ‘Are You Real’ with J. M. Sumrall).
This cd (similar to tobyMac’s ‘Momentum’) has breathers between the songs in which Jonah (feels weird to call him by that name) talks to his parents about a variety of special moments in his life which enhances the ‘story-telling’ feel present in the songs. Even the booklet is a picture-book of KJ52’s life.
A funky cd with a sweet (in the rap type definition of the word) style that will either make you chill on the grooving melodies or rock on the stellar guitar riffs.
KJ-52| Posted May 11, 2008
KJ-52 is another of the few rappers I will listen to. I saw him at the Revolve tour and he was so much fun. Everyone was dancing and he interacted with the croud.
just rock wit it.| Posted April 27, 2008
of course!
ive seen him twice and both times were absolutly awesome!
hes soo funny.
i love his songs.
i love him.
lol.
he has the BEST rap music ever!
even over the main stream rap and hip-hop bands!
Historical Rapping Like You Have Never Heard It Before| Posted January 27, 2008
Through 23 tracks KJ-52 reveals his life story. A couple tracks are dedicated to KJ's mom and dad talking about how KJ grew up. It takes guts to do something like this and KJ-52 pulls it off with ease.
has done better| Posted September 01, 2007
I agree, this is a great look into his life but the wit and tempo just aren't here , like in his other works. Nice to hear once or twice but won't be a solid choice to share. Sorry KJ...but I still luv ya.
Great Christian Rap| Posted July 25, 2007
I'm not much for rap style music but I found KJ-52 once while searching CD's at a Christian bookstore. This is a great introduction to the artist. Several of the songs are autobiographical and give a sense of where KJ-52 came from. I like the interludes with people in his life. The re-mix of Jeremy Camp's "Right Here" was well done. One of my favorites on this album is "Video Games"
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