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CURRENTLY IN MUSIC
Ministering to inner-city youth

Derek van Nes

7th Avenue
KJ-52. Essential Records, 2000.

You’re so Phat! Unless you are from the inner city, you’d probably think that I’m referring to the result of eating too many vereniki and not how “cool” you are. 7th Avenue by artist KJ-52 is a Christian hip-hop album that springs from an inner-city climate. KJ-52 grew up in a ghetto in Tampa, Fla., learning bitterness and anger as well as the uniquely inner-city sound of hip hop. For those unfamiliar with hip hop, it is “a style of popular music of US black origin, featuring frequently politically inspired raps delivered above spare, electronic backing” (The Canadian Oxford Dictionary). According to a release by Essential Records, hip hop is a growing music genre.

KJ-52, a pseudonym of Jonah Sorrentino, is an ordained youth pastor. He said of his conversion at age 15: “Christ changed my life . . . and gave me a purpose.” That purpose is to use hip hop to reach the people on the streets of ghettos.

The sound of 7th Avenue is reminiscent of the Beastie Boys, albeit less rap and more hip hop. Even though I don’t naturally gravitate towards hip hop, 7th Avenue is a very listenable album, containing a smattering of old-school rap, reggae and R & B produced in the east coast style. It is well produced and sounds authentic, reminding me of a summer missions trip I took to the ghettos of New York City.

Hip hop may not be your piece of pie. It is not usually mine. However, 7th Avenue is a good album for those who want to try out authentic hip hop, who enjoy hip hop and are looking for a solidly Christian alternative, or who are interested in studying the linguistic peculiarities of the inner-city ghetto.

Derek van Nes has completed his second year of civil engineering at the University of Saskatchewan and is proud to say that he passed his last calculus course . . . barely.

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Last modified June 17, 2000.

© 2000 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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