Seventh Day Slumber and KJ-52

Seventh Day Slumber and KJ-52

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TWO ARTISTS WITH MESSAGE OF HOPE
KJ-52, Seventh Day Slumber showcase their musical chops and poetic prowess
by Hope Andrews

Joseph Rojas knows the meaning of despair.
“I remember when I was broken and empty,” Rojas said. “. . . At the age of 12 years old, I wanted to end my life.”
Rojas was a $400 a day cocaine addict by age 14 and incarcerated more than twenty times in seven years. He can’t remember how many felonies are on his record because he was high every time he was arrested. When Rojas overdosed and lay prostrate in an ambulance, he called out to Christ for the first time in his life. After that Rojas dedicated his life to Jesus, and secondly to his music.
“Jesus offered me a cure to life that drugs couldn’t offer me,” Rojas said.
As the lead singer of the band Seventh Day Slumber, Rojas tours to share a message of hope and salvation. The band’s sophomore release “Once Upon a Shattered Life” flew off the shelves in February as they toured with KJ-52, Hawk Nelson and Falling Up.
Rojas and his band believe their ministry is to share their testimonies. Every member has a story of brokenness they desire to convey.
“Our music is a reflection of all we have been through in our lives,” said SDS guitarist Jeremy Holderfield. “Pain is universal. Everyone’s experienced it. Coming from different backgrounds, all of us have pain in our lives . . . we want to show kids we are not blind to the fact they are hurting.”
The new album deals with themes of pain some Christian bands seem to ignore. Seventh Day Slumber wants to address these issues while offering a message of hope.
“There are kids out there that are dying everyday,” said drummer Ray Fryoux. “You can talk about these things and kids want you to. Christ is the universal solution.”
Seventh Day Slumber so strongly believes Christ is a universal solution they are willing to lose everything the band owns to share that message. The group was invited to play a show in Canada after a recent teen suicide.
The group gladly accepted, but they realized passing through customs would be risky because of Roja’s criminal record. All the equipment and the tour bus could be confiscated because Roja had been convicted of theft during his stint of drug abuse. After much prayer they braved a four-hour interrogation on the border and were allowed to pass.
At the performance, more than 70 high school students turned over their lives to God. The band feels that experience happened because they didn’t hide their faith.
“So many bands wimp out,” Rojas said. “They hide the fact that they serve God because they want to play this club or that. But those kids are looking for a leader. They are looking for someone to stand up and say ‘Yes, I serve God . . . Here’s what He’s done in my life.’ How is anyone going to follow us if we don’t lead?”
Off their new album, the song “Caroline” floats at number two on the official Top 10 Christian hits songs.
“We want a radio hit. Everybody does; this is how we make a living, ya know?” Rojas said. “But we don’t write songs for radio first. We write songs first for God and the kids that need to hear this message. If you stick to that pattern you will always have a number one.”
“Behind the Musik”

Hip hop musician and rapper KJ-52 isn’t a stranger to number one hits, either. His March release “Behind the Musik” has quickly risen on Christian charts. Not unlike SDS, KJ attributes his success to meaningful lyrics that reveal heart-wrenching emotions.
“I thought I could take my audience a little more seriously [with this album],” KJ said. “People had already connected with the music . . . My responsibility as an artist is to make music that is going to changes lives, as opposed to just making good music that people go ‘oh, that’s good music’ and pat you on the back. That is the responsibility God has laid on my heart.”
“Behind the Musik” marks KJ’s third release. This album has become deeply personal for Sorrentino, as this is the first time he has revealed his past. Jonah Sorrentino (as his mother calls him) coped with a broken home and by drinking, using drugs and sleeping around. At the age of fifteen, KJ dedicated his life to God and changed his course.
As a pioneer of Christian hip hop KJ sometimes feels lonely breaking new ground. Some critics liken him to Eminem, and for that reason KJ refuses to listen to any of the other rapper’s CDs.
KJ wants his audience to understand this album is a product of pushing himself to the limit. He produced more than half of the tracks, along with writing all of the lyrics and beats. However, he feels that his talent only takes him so far and God does the rest.
“Honestly, everyday I hold that microphone I count as a privilege,” KJ said. “I should not be doing this. A white dude from Florida who does Christian rap? That’s just not the recipe for success. That just makes me appreciate God even more.”