He was awarded the Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year for "Never Look Away" and Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year at the GMA Dove Awards of 2007. KJ-52 also has four Dove awards to add to his 'collection.'
KJ-52's song "You're Gonna Make it" was played at the end of Cold Case Season 5 Episode 8 "It Takes a village." He rapped in the Newsboys version of Jesus Freak alongside, and had a part in TobyMac's remix of One World.
He has been rapping since 1993 (age 18), and his current label is BEC.
Rock With It
KJ-52 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just one emcee and one dj
We gonna break it on down in an old school way
So just rock with it jus trock with it just rock with it
Cmon and rock with it
Once upon a time 2000 years ago
Well there once a guy that some yall know
They came from far and wide just to hear him flow
With the crowd packed tight every single show
And they just got hype whenever he came on
They would put they hands high and just sing along
Every word every line every single song
And everywhere he'd go and everywhere he'd be
They wanted to see how he rocked on the M-I-C
And everytime when he came to rock the party
He would roll with twelve guys in his posse
He was the true old schooler microphone ruler
Fresh with the lyrics bringing it right to ya
So if ya ain't heard we came just to school ya
One DJ one emcee we came just to move ya
Just one emcee and one dj
We gonna break it on down in an old school way
So just rock with it jus trock with it just rock with it
Cmon and rock with it
Now the sucka emcees put him to the test
Used to call him names and said you ain't fresh
And they tried to throw down and they tried to mess
And plus they even tried to put him to death
See they tried and they tried just to stop this cat
He was crucified and died but it's a fact
That he was gonna rise but he came back
And that's word to the wise
Cause it be like that
And then he rose to the sky said he'll be right back
So ya better check the rhyme and be on track
If you're short or tall or skinny or fat
Or red or yellow or white or black
If you the dope on the mic or you're just plain wack
Without Christ in your life man you ain't got that
And that's the reason we had to bust this rap
One emcee on the mic and the dj on the scratch
One DJ one emcee we came just to move ya
Just one emcee and one dj
We gonna break it on down in an old school way
So just rock with it jus trock with it just rock with it
Cmon and rock with it
Now I just told you what you must do
And I tried to showed you the only way that's true
But in the end my friend now it's up to you
See there's two choices left just for you to choose
So you need to get down with the freshest crew
Cuz they been running it now since the old school
So peace I'm out is what I say to you
And I pass it down to my man just do what you do
In "Rock With It," KJ-52 and his DJ take listeners on a trip back to old-school hip hop. He starts by referencing a rapper who performed 2,000 years ago, whom people came from far and wide to hear spit mad bars. The rapper was crucified and killed, but rose from the dead and promised to return. KJ-52 links this figure with the notion that Christ is necessary to live a fulfilling life. The verse encourages listeners to accept Christ as their savior in order to be part of the "freshest crew." The message is clear: rock with the Lord, and he'll guide you down the path of righteousness.
The chorus, "One DJ, one emcee, we came just to move ya," feels like an invitation to come together and enjoy the music. The song calls back to the old school days of hip-hop, where it was all about the combination of the emcee and the DJ. The track flaunts a simplistic formula of rhymes and scratching instead of over-produced beats and heavy bass lines. "Rock With It" reminds listeners that amidst all the genres changing over time, there's always space for just the emcee and the DJ to keep things simple and keep the party going.
Line by Line Meaning
One DJ one emcee we came just to move ya
We only have one DJ and one emcee, but we're here to make you move
Just one emcee and one dj
We don't need a big crew to make great music
We gonna break it on down in an old school way
We're going to pay homage to the older, classic styles of music
So just rock with it jus trock with it just rock with it
Cmon and rock with it
We want you to enjoy the music and dance along with us
Once upon a time 2000 years ago
A long time ago, around 2000 years in the past
Well there once a guy that some yall know
You might know about a certain someone from this story
He would rock the mic everywhere he'd go
He had a talent for performing and commanding the microphone
They came from far and wide just to hear him flow
People traveled long distances just to hear him perform
With the crowd packed tight every single show
Every performance was sold out and the audience was always full
And they just got hype whenever he came on
The crowd would get excited as soon as he appeared
They would put they hands high and just sing along
They would raise their hands and sing along with the lyrics
Every word every line every single song
Every part of every song was important to the audience
And everywhere he'd go and everywhere he'd be
They wanted to see how he rocked on the M-I-C
People were always fascinated by his talent and wanted to see him perform
And everytime when he came to rock the party
He would roll with twelve guys in his posse
When he performed, he would have a group of twelve people with him to support him
He was the true old schooler microphone ruler
Fresh with the lyrics bringing it right to ya
He was a master of the old-school style of music and had great lyricism
So if ya ain't heard we came just to school ya
We're here to educate you about the classic style of music we're performing
Now the sucka emcees put him to the test
Used to call him names and said you ain't fresh
Other emcees tried to challenge him and insulted him
And they tried to throw down and they tried to mess
And plus they even tried to put him to death
They tried to physically harm him and even tried to kill him
See they tried and they tried just to stop this cat
He was crucified and died but it's a fact
They tried very hard to stop him, and even managed to kill him
That he was gonna rise but he came back
And that's word to the wise
Cause it be like that
He was resurrected after being killed, which is a wise thing to remember
And then he rose to the sky said he'll be right back
So ya better check the rhyme and be on track
He ascended to heaven but promised to return, so it's important to be prepared for his return
If you're short or tall or skinny or fat
Or red or yellow or white or black
It doesn't matter what you look like or where you come from
If you the dope on the mic or you're just plain wack
Without Christ in your life man you ain't got that
Whether or not you're good at music, without faith in God you are missing something
And that's the reason we had to bust this rap
One emcee on the mic and the dj on the scratch
We made this music to share our message, and we did it with just one emcee and one DJ
Now I just told you what you must do
And I tried to showed you the only way that's true
We gave you our advice and shared the truth with you
But in the end my friend now it's up to you
See there's two choices left just for you to choose
Ultimately, it's your decision to make regarding your faith
So you need to get down with the freshest crew
Cuz they been running it now since the old school
It's important to be with a good group of people who share the same values
So peace I'm out is what I say to you
And I pass it down to my man just do what you do
We're leaving now, and we encourage you to do what you believe is right
Contributed by Isabelle V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.