Getting It Right
KJ-52's new CD, It's Pronounced Five Two, is about more than just the correct way to say his name. It's about meeting the man behind the moniker—and the motives behind the music.
by Mark Moring | posted 9/29/2003
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It's been a wild ride for KJ-52. His last album, 2002's Collaborations (Uprok), was one of the hottest Christian hip-hop CDs of the year, bringing him notoriety not just among the contemporary Christian music crowd, but even on MTV. One track from Collaborations, "Dear Slim," was an open letter to Eminem—an appeal for the hip-hop icon to consider Christ. When a portion of the "Dear Slim" video aired on MTV's Total Request Live (TRL), the on-air deejays said it was intended to "diss" Eminem. That sparked a bunch of activity on the MTV message boards, and quite a few e-mails to KJ himself. Some of the messages were mean-spirited, but many of them supported KJ.
Now comes "Dear Slim, Part 2," one of 20 tracks on KJ's brand-new CD, It's Pronounced Five Two (Uprok). KJ wants to set the record straight not only on the "Dear Slim" controversy, but on other things as well—including, obviously, the pronunciation of his name. But he also wants his music to touch listeners-and apparently it does. "No. 1 Fan," on the new CD, is a true story about a suicidal teen girl who turned her life around after hearing KJ's music. Another song, "Don't Go," addresses his parents' divorce. But for every serious track, there's a light one—like "Back in the Day," a hilarious look back at his high-school days, and "Gimme Dats," confessing his addiction to Mountain Dew. We recently caught up with KJ to talk about all those things, and more …
What's the best thing about being KJ-52 these days?
KJ-52: The best thing is that I've seen testimonies of how God is using
my music. It's just blowing my mind. I met a guy who said he
picked up the Collaborations CD in a mall parking lot, where
somebody dropped it. He listened to it and gave his life to
Christ because of it. He was homeless at the time. Now he's
plugged into a church, Christ is in his life, and his life is
back on track—just from somebody dropping the CD! Amazing stuff like that. E-mail after e-mail, phone call after phone call. I'm
just floored. You don't realize how big God can take something.
Let's get right to your new album title. What are some of the ways your name has been mispronounced?
KJ-52: (Laughs) "Fifty-two" is obviously the most common. One time I was "KJ and the Fifty-Twos," like a doo-wop group. I was "AJ-
Fifty-Seven," that was good. Another was "KJ-Fifty-Five," which I
thought was a nice name for an interstate highway. I've gotten so
I tune it out, but it's been funny.
And thus the new album title?
KJ-52: The title isn't so much just about getting my name right. It's
more about, "Understand me, what I'm about, what I represent." A
lot of that stems from everything that's happened within the last
year with Collaborations.
Your bio says you're more interested in writing songs that touch lives instead of just pursuing your own artistic thing. Why?
KJ-52: I think when you first start out as a musician, you just want
validation that your music's good. I've gotten past that to the
point where the thing that makes me feel like I'm doing my job is
hearing people say, "Your record changed my life. Your music
really helped me see something in a different light." I still
want to make good music, obviously, but I want to be strategic
about the songs I write—by giving people what they need to hear.
Are you trying to reach a particular demographic?
KJ-52: I used to focus on hitting teenagers, and then I started meeting
this unbelievably huge demographic of 5-year-old kids, soccer
moms, and even last night, a lady who must've been 60. She said,
"I'm an old lady, I think you're great!" (Laughs) Not that I'm
aiming for 60-year-olds! But I definitely see a bigger audience.
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