Jonah Kirsten Sorrentino, or KJ-52, is a well-known Christian rapper. He has been actively releasing music since 1993. Throughout his career, KJ-52 has managed to release 15 albums. But still, the rapper is most notably famous due to his feud with Eminem.
In addition to his musical career, Jonah is also a minister. So today, let's look into Christian rapper KJ-52 or Jonah Kirsten Sorrentino's biography and know more about him.
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Early Life, Family, And Education
KJ-52 was born Jonah Kirsten Sorrentino on June 26, 1975, in Tampa Bay, Florida. The rapper was raised in a tumultuous household, and his parents divorced when he was still a child. Sorrentino's mom and dad are said to have been hippie artists. Jonah was raised in the "ghetto" area of Ybor City. The place had primarily African-American and Cuban residents who influenced young Jonah to become interested in rap culture.
Although the names of Jonah Kirsten Sorrentino's parents are not known to the public, the Christian rapper posts pictures of his mother sometimes. This shows that the two are still close to one another. But, the relationship between KJ-52 and his father is unknown.
Jonah Kirsten Sorrentino attended two different high schools; Tarpon Springs High School and Mariner High School. He graduated from the latter. The rapper then attended Edison Community College in Florida, but his degree is unknown.
Rapper KJ-52 is a born again Christian who turned to faith after a hard life as a child. Photo Source: Jonah's Facebook.
KJ-52 is a born-again Christian who got baptized after a family member dared him to. This changed his way of life. Before becoming a Christian, the musician used to be involved in alcohol and drugs. Moreover, as he already knew how to rap, Jonah Sorrentino took an interest in making Christian hip-hop music.
In his early days as a rapper, KJ-52 adopted the alias "King J. Mac." However, the rapper soon changed his name to an abbreviated form of the former name "KJ-52". He took this step because he found his previous name "too cheesy." His name is pronounced Five-Two and not Fifty-two.
KJ-52 Net Worth And Career
KJ-52 has been actively releasing music since he started his career in 1993. He has had several hit songs and has released a multitude of albums. Over the course of his career, he has been through many hardships and some controversies. But still, the rapper has kept to his faith and worked hard to release music.
One can buy the CDs of KJ-52's albums and songs on his official website. On the website, his fans can buy his songs for $0.99 each, and his albums and other merch, alongside their prices, are listed below.
| Name of the item | Price |
| One Year Ago (album) | $9.99 |
| What Happened Was (album) | $7.99 |
| One Year Ago CD + Victory Lap Book | $25.00 |
| Jonah Part two | $9.99 |
| One Year Ago CD + kj52 graff hat | $30.00 |
Unfortunately, there are no proper estimates made of Jonah Kirsten Sorrentino's net worth. But one can say he has been living a comfortable life with his wife and children. The rapper is also a full-time minister since 2020.
In 2016, KJ-52 pleaded with his fans to buy his music rather than only stream it because he received almost no money from streams. The rapper showed that he received only $30 from a year's worth of streaming in a Facebook post. He stated that even though streaming helps introduce his music to a newer audience, the only way to support him would be to buy his albums.
Jonah also stated that his record label had paid him almost no royalties. So he asked his fans to buy his CDs only from his website as it directly supported him.
His label dropped KJ-52, so he has been releasing music on his own. He constantly gets support from his fans to help him make new music. The rapper had a Kickstarter campaign for his 2021 album "One Year Ago" that collected over $14 thousand.
In 2019, Jonah had announced that he would be retiring from music after his album "Victory Lap." He stated that he wanted to leave music to focus on his ministership and his family. As he was constantly touring, he could never be there for his children. However, the rapper changed his mind about leaving music and released another album, "One Year Ago," in 2021.
So one can assume KJ-52's net worth to be of a considerable sum thanks to his career.
Like Jonah, singer-songwriter, Matt Birkenfeld has also found success in the Christian music scene.
The "Dear Slim" Controversy
Rapper KJ-52 was always compared to famous American rapper Eminem. So, in an attempt to reach Eminem and draw him towards Christianity, KJ-52 wrote the song "Dear Slim." However, the song was not well received by Eminem's fans, and Jonah received many backlashes.
The Christian rapper was receiving hate mail and even death threats from Eminem's fans. So, to address the situation and explain his experience, Jonah wrote another song, "Dear Slim Pt. 2". To this day, Jonah claims that he was not disrespectful to the popular rapper in any manner.
Awards
Many audiences have well-received Christian Hip-Hop artist KJ-52's art. His songs are immensely popular in the Christian music community. Jonah has been decorated with multiple awards by the Gospel Music Association's Dove Awards to recognize him for his contributions.
| Name of the Album or Song | Award | Year |
| It's Pronounced Five Two | Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song of the Year | 2004 |
| Behind the Musik (A Boy Named Jonah) | Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year | 2006 |
| Never Look Away | Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song of the Year | 2007 |
| KJ-52 Remixed | Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year | 2007 |
| Do Yo Thang | Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song of the Year | 2009 |
| Five-Two Television | Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year | 2010 |
Gospel Music Association was started in 1964 and is an NGO. It recognizes achievements made by the Christian Music Industry. GMA recognizes all gospel music genres, including Hip-Hop and rap, pop, country, rock, and urban.
Jonah Kirsten Sorrentino's Wife And Kids
Jonah Kirsten Sorrentino is a man of faith and has vowed to spend his life with only one woman. KJ-52 married his long-time girlfriend, Christa Sorrentino, in June of 1998. They lead a comfortable life together in Cape Coral, Florida, with their children.
The lovely couple share three sons. Christa and Jonah Kirsten Sorrentino's eldest son is Jacob Sorrentino, and their second child is Isaiah Sorrentino. The pair's youngest son is Jamey Sorrentino. The family enjoys spending time with one another, and KJ-52's wife Christa also constantly posts lovely photos of her son with their father.
Jonah Kirsten Sorrentino leads a private and happy life with his wife Christa and their three children. Image Source: Christa's Facebook.
Since KJ-52 works as a pastor at the Christian Life Fellowship, he is allowed to baptize people. He also baptized his son Isaiah and welcomed him to Christianity. The rapper says it was a surreal experience, and he is fortunate to have been able to baptize his own son.
Even though he had plans to retire from music and have a quiet life with his family, the Hip-Hop artist decided against it and is working on his music again. With a career spanning over two decades, his fame is only set to grow in the upcoming future.
Trivia And Facts
- KJ-52 has been writing rap music since he was 12 years old.
- Jonah Kirsten Sorrentino has a world record in the longest freestyle rap by a team. The rap lasted for 12 hours and 2 minutes, as recorded by the Guinness World Records on January 12, 2014.
- The rapper used to work as a flower delivery guy to support himself.
