Customer Reviews

Behind the Musik

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

While Eminem's newest album "ENCORE" was a huge disappointment, KJ-52 manages to completely surpass his secular counterpart in EVERY way. It's wonderful to FINALLY hear a Christian hip-hop album that doesn't end up CORNY.

I'm a HUGE fan of artists like Immortal Technique, Kanye West, Common Sense, Nas, Blackstar, Dead Prez, Jin, and KRS-One. They're all DEFINITELY talented, but sometimes it feels nice to listen to CLEAN, Christ influenced hip-hop.

KJ-52 EVOLVES greatly from his past albums by mixing a HUGE variety of Hip-Hop styles, from oldschool to Rap/Rock Collabos. He's a wonderful performer LIVE, but i've NEVER been able to sit through one of his albums UNTIL NOW.

"FIVE TWEEZY" 5/5
if you enjoyed the goofy song "KJ FIVE TWO" on his last album, you'll LOVE this. It's alot better, with an extremely catchy hook!

"ARE YOU REAL?" 4/5
Reminds me of a Linkin Park song. Great intensity and features Micah from Kutless!

"ROCK WITH IT" 3/5
If you're a fan of OLDSCHOOL Hip-Hop, you'll absolutely adore this song.

"GOD" 4/5
The lyrics and verses are PERFECT. What kills the song is the awkward Chorus by Rebecca St. James. It jus' doesn't seem to fit right. The beat is reminiscent of "THE BOY IS MINE" by Brandy and Monica.

"BEHIND THE MUZIK" 3/5
Has a westcoast feel. Sounds like Nate Dog could've done the hook!

"THANK YOU" 3/5
This is the heartfelt "gitty" track you'd expect on ANY Hip-Hop CD. It's nice, but not unique.

"JESUS" 2/5
Another oldschool style song. Not as good as "ROCK WITH IT" tho'.

"RIGHT HERE" 5/5
This song grew on me pretty easily. Great message, and a WONDERFUL mix of Jeremy Camp's original version!

"VIDEO GAMES" 4/5
Not the greatest beat, but it's such a fun song. KJ will probably never top the oldschool masterpiece "47 EMCEES," but it's always fun listening to him use pop culture references to the "CARTOON NETWORK" and "47 POP STARS."

"PLAIN WHITE RAPPER" 2/5
Another mediocre song that never really had my interest. Funny title tho'.

"THINGS I LIKE" 3/5
i didn't like this song at first, until i really understood the message. Typical Chorus, with highly formulated verses.

"LIFE AFTER DEATH" 5/5
intense song. Serious tone with an eye opening message.

"NEVER LOOK AWAY" 4/5
A nice listen. Brynn Sanchez's voice is SoOoOoOthing. =)

"FOR THE LADIES" 2/5
Hate the beat and chorus, but it's still a great message for ladies. But i'd recommend "PRINCES AND FROGS" by Superchic[k] to girls i meet.

"I CAN CALL ON YOU" 4/5
if you listen carefully to KJ's verses, you can feel the passion in his flow. This is definitely a heartfelt song.

"CRY NO MORE" 5/5
An important song for anyone who's ever been molested or raped. A song that can heal and mend broken hearts.

"ONE" 4/5
This is a song MEANT to be heard LIVE. What makes this song great is the END. KJ preaches an incredible message.

"HE IS ALL" 4/5
A great closer to an already well-crafted album.

ALBUM RATING: 5/5
So far, this is the best Hip-Hop album i've heard this year. Every true hip-hop fan needs this album in their collection. And if you minister to youth who listen to alot of rap garbage like 50 Cent, Chingy, and Nelly... BUY THEM THIS ALBUM. "The Message is in the Music."

This Cd regardless of any review that speaks negative it is in my opinion a step up from other music out there that does not glorify Jesus. Yes there r 1 or 2 songs that I was not really feeling but all in all this cd made me crack up with Fivetweezy, Rock With It, Plain White Rapper and For The Ladies. Plus several others that really ministered to me.

You can hear longer snippets of his songs by going to his webpage that is kj52 . com. Wonderful for youth fans that need godly fresh hip hop. If you love hip hop and Christ I don't think that you will be disappointed with this Cd. Truly for all ages. A must get!!

When this album is hot, it is -hot-.
When it isn't, then it really isn't.

That's the way I saw KJ's "7th Avenue" CD, and it is more apparent here. When I first listened to this album, I was absolutely blown away. It is introspective, unique, and very fresh. However, when you listen to it for a week, you start to notice stuff. The biggest thing you notice is that you don't want to hear about KJ's childhood repeatedly. Then, you start to skip some other tracks. Eventually, I found myself sticking with six songs:

- "Fivetweezy" is amusing and very catchy, even though I don't like the name.
- "Are You Real?" is one of the strongest tracks, but that's probably because I'm partial to Kutless.
- "Rock With It" has one of the catchiest beats.
- "God" is neat, because I would never have expected Rebecca St. James and KJ-52 to do a song together.
- "Video Games" is a bit corny, but I think the beat is one of the most unique things I've ever heard
- "Life After Death" has the best message, and -really- made me think.

Some of the other ones have forgettable lyrics, but most of the others just don't have a memorable beat that I can crank up in the dorm.

Bottom line: Those six songs make the album worth it, and I'm sure that most will find other songs that speak to them and that they'll like. But there is a lot of filler that makes you skip a lot of tracks, and that is why KJ only earns four stars from me.

First of all, here's a little background on KJ-52:
Jonah, aka KJ-52, although commonly believed, is not a rip-off of Eminem. He recorded his first album (7th Avenue) in 1998, before Eminem even came onto the scene (he speaks of this on his "Ask KJ" podcast from May 23, 2005. You can find it on the iTunes podcast page by searching for "KJ-52" or "KJ52"). I won't get into this here, but let you hear KJ's side of the story.

As to the album:

Jonah brought back his trademark craziness, as well as his deep and serious material in this album. He did a great job of combining the two, making this an above-average album. I wouldn't call this "the best album ever" in the history of white rappers, but I do believe it is his best work so far. As he says in the back of the insert, this album came from many years of hard work and is the most rewarding for him to date.

Although there are a couple of problems on the disc (such as lyrics not synching perfectly to the beat), they are greatly outweighed by the variation of material on this disc, both lyrically and musically. Jonah included some deep, deep stuff (Life After Death, a more rap-core song), and some more funky stuff (Video Games, throwing in everything from John Madden to Dig Dug), making it a very balanced album.

Overall, I give it 4 Stars. Good job, KJ!

God bless, y'all.

Wow...what can I say. I become a fan of KJ after album one. He is a phenomenal story teller which is what makes is his witnessing so powerful. Clever lyrics and beats to bounce to make every single track he does playable again and again.

He is able to take complexity of life and weave stories with the simplicity of faith and salvation in ways that just ministers to the heart but delivers a good time all at that the same time.

What really comes across is the relationship he has with Jesus. It clearly translates well. This young man is speaking from his relationship with God. He is very much in touch with heart for reaching the lost and serving his Lord.

KJ, you go son...you inspire me. Thank you for delivering such quality music for everyone.

My God continue to bless you and may also experience the financial (yes...I said money...money is not evil and christians should have plenty of too!) success from your projects that you so deserve. Just don't forget to tithe! :-)

I definitely recommend this if they want the real Christian side of the Eminem not the one that's talks real wild and dirty which ya'll mean. I think he's such a genius and such a spirit-filled Christian with a lot of sense of being the best Gospel rapper out there. You gotta check him out man! 'Cuz he representing Christ than Em himself. Everybody should put down Eminem 4 a minute and into KJ-52. 'Cuz KJ-52 would change your spirit. I luv u Pastor KJ-52, u're da man. Keep up the good spirit and may God lead u.

For those of you who don't know, one day on MTV, Eminem was asked if he was concerned about a certain "KJ-52" ruining his career (since the two are practically the same in the way they rap). Eminem didn't recall at first but then said "Oh, that 'Five-Tweezy'? I ain't worried.". KJ-52 then comes up with a song entitled Five-Tweezy which, I think, is one of the catchiest songs in the album. Go KJ. I also think that the price for the album is great considering few albums have more than 23 songs unless it is a compilation. Overall, very good album, with good morals in the songs...

I think this album is by far the best material from KJ. But I guess that's just coming from me. In this album though, there are more diverse beats and music, a little more edgier. And it features some of the greatest christian artists we hear on the radio today. Like all his other albums there can be silliness, but there's a lot more seriousness and goes in depth and I think thats what we need in music today. KJ really laid it down in this one.

I wasn't a rap type person at all, so I requested that our library purchase this so I could check it out first. Well, they bought it, I listened to it, and loved it so much that I bought my own copy. The cool thing is now other people at the library can check it out, too.

I love how he brings Christ's message to this type of music, proving that worship doesn't have to be any particular type of music. Spreading the truth is what really matters : )

I loved the story of his life! It just shows how any situation can be turned around at any age. Love it, love it, love it!!!

This cd has given my nephews alternative Christian rap music to listen to rather than the harsh rap that's out there now! Thanks KJ, may God continue to bless all you touch!!!!