KJ-52

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KJ-52 (born Jonah Sorrentino, June 26, 1975) is a Christian rapper, known for two songs addressed to another rapper, Eminem. The name stems from "KJ," which was an abbreviation of his old rap name and according to KJ, also stands for "knowledge and justification. "52" (pronounced "five-two") represents the miracle of the five loaves and two fish as told in the Bible. KJ-52 feels he is spreading the word of the Lord in much the same way Jesus shared the food in the story.

Biography

Raised in the ghetto of Tampa, Florida, KJ-52 was the product of a broken home, and eventually found himself mixed up in drugs and alcohol. At fifteen KJ became a born again Christian. While a teenager, KJ began working in youth ministry at a Florida inner-city church. He also recorded a demo, but it was largely ignored. It wasn't until KJ met a young, likeminded rapper named Golden Child, the two formed the Sons of Intellect and began performing throughout Florida. Soon Golden Child moved on and the Sons dissolved. But that brief bit of success in Christian rap had whet KJ's appetite, and in the summer of 1998 he stepped down from his youth minister position to pursue his Christian rap dream full-time. KJ-52 and many others would still consider him to be in the field of youth ministry, however, as the main consumers of rap/hip-hop music would fall into the category of "youth". KJ fills a significant portion of his songs with messages intended for the current generation of youth, addressing a multitude of issues regarding the church, and Christians in general.

A relationship with Gotee Records' Todd Collins led to a deal with Nashville CCM label Essential, who released 7th Avenue, in April 2000. The LP featured collaborations with the Cross Movement and Knowdaverbs.

In 2002, KJ-52 released his second album Collaborations. The album's title referred to the numerous contributions made to the album by guest artists, including Ill Harmonics, Pillar, and Thousand Foot Krutch. Collaborations contained a title called "Dear Slim." The track presented an open letter to Eminem, taking issue with the song, "Stan.” KJ-52's song "Dear Slim" depicts his conversational style, willingness to speak out, and his desire to share the need of God in everyone's life with the world. The song was premiered on the popular MTV countdown show Total Request Live, but was cut short as is common for the show. The cutting short of the song upset KJ-52 and his fans by portraying the song as an open attack on Eminem. According to KJ-52, the song was not intended to be controversial or as an open "diss" on Eminem. His song, "Dear Slim Part 2," addresses these issues.

Discography

7th Avenue (2000, Review: [The Phantom Tollbooth])
Collaborations (2002)
It's Pronounced Five-Two (2003)
7th Avenue (2004, re-release, Review: [The Phantom Tollbooth])
Soul Purpose (2004, Review: [The Phantom Tollbooth])
Behind the Musik (A Boy Named Jonah) (2005)
Behind the Musik (A Boy Named Jonah) - Bonus Disc Re-Release Edition (2005)
KJ-52 Remixed (2006) Released in 2/05/06

External links

[KJ-52] Official Website
[KJ-52 Interview] with Rapzilla.com
[KJ-52 Remixed Album Review]
[KJ-52 Videos]
[KJ-52 Lyrics]

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