KJ-52 (born as Jonah Kirsten Sorrentino, June 26, 1975 ) is a Christian rapper from Tampa, Florida. The "KJ" part of his name refers to his old rap alias, "King J. Mac," a name which he later described in one of his podcasts as "horribly cheesy." "52", which is pronounced "five two", not "fifty-two", is a reference to the Biblical story of Jesus feeding the multitude with five loaves and two fish, which is also sung about in his song "Push Up" from The Yearbook and in the "KJ Five Two" on It's Pronounced 'Five Two'. 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. On July 28, 2009, KJ-52 released "End of My Rope", which is the first single for his album Five-Two Television. His song "Dear Slim" is based on Eminem's song "Stan" and is a sort of personal message from KJ-52 to Eminem.

In 2002, Sorrentino released his second album, Collaborations. The album's title referred to the numerous contributions made to the album by guest artists, including Ill Harmonics, Pillar, John Reuben, Kajanan also known as MC Flurry, Predator Kid 26 and Thousand Foot Krutch. Collaborations also represented his first nomination for a Dove Award, for "Rap/Hip Hop/Dance Album of the Year" in 2003.

KJ-52 has won four Dove Awards, three in the "Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year" category. He took the 2004 award for It’s Pronounced Five Two, the 2006 award for Behind the Musik (A Boy Named Jonah), and the 2007 award for Remixed. He received an additional honor in 2007, for "Never Look Away" from Behind the Musik, in the "Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song" category. KJ never tried out for American Idol, but suggested such in his song "Fivetweezy".

On October 2008, he released his album, The Yearbook: The Missing Pages, a re-release of his album, The Yearbook. It comes with the original record with a slip over cover that has a code to download the 13 songs.

2009 Dove Awards Another productive year for KJ-52 as he was awarded with "Rap/Hip Hop Song of the Year" for “Do Yo Thang”; The Yearbook; KJ-52; Jonah Sorrentino; BEC Recordings/Uprok

In 2009, he released "Five-Two Television", and album covering a variety of themes and rap styles. It is his first album in which autotune is used, a controversial step among his fans. The album brings us the (fictitious) story of Chris Carlino, a man who has ruined his life, through a series of interludes. As usual for KJ-52, the album includes both songs with a strong Christian message and songs that are meant only to entertain.

KJ-52's song "You're Gonna Make It" appeared at the end of Cold Case Season 5 Episode 8 "It Takes a village".

KJ-52 also rapped in the Newsboys version of "Jesus Freak".

KJ-52 also rapped in the tobyMac remix of the song "One World" on the album "Hip-Hope" which also includes the KJ-52 remixed song "What You Want"

KJ-52 is currently in the early stages of developing a new record that is slated to be released in the Fall of 2011. In October 2011 he stated, via podcast, that he is working on a new album that will be released in March 2012.......

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[COMING SOON]

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Habakkuk 1:5 “Look at the nations and watch, and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”

This is the scripture that has been spoken over Saving Grace since their inception in 2005 in a small coastal beach town in one of the world’s smallest countries… New Zealand.

From starting out playing shows in a garage in front of 20... friends to signing multi-national record deals, 5 star reviews, headlining tours and festival appearances across Australasia to touring the world proclaiming the message of Christ to thousands of people… The Lord’s favor upon Saving Grace and the doors that he has opened have by far exceeded the band members’ initial visions, hopes and childhood dreams.

Since their humble beginnings Saving Grace have gone on to share stages and tour with some of the worlds finest hardcore and metal acts including Parkway Drive, Bleeding Through, As I Lay Dying, Darkest Hour, Misery Signals, Bring Me The Horizon and many more with a strong tour history across New Zealand, Australia, Mexico and the United States.

Their hard work, dedication to touring and ever-growing fan base has gained the band the reputation of the most successful spirit-filled hardcore act downunder.

Playing a brutal style of music influenced by mid 90s hardcore bands such as Arkangel, Reprisal and Earth Crisis as well as legendary extreme metal classics Slayer, Sepultura, Morbid Angel and Cannibal Corpse, Saving Grace create a blend of brutal metallic hardcore unlike many of their modern day contemporaries.

Combining relentless metal-driven riffage, big breakdowns and mosh parts with the intensity and ethics of traditional hardcore, Saving Grace deliver a blistering, crowd engaging live show never failing to leave venues upturned and drenched in sweat.

The band’s songs deal with many personal and social topics including addiction, betrayal, violence and abuse, with the main lyrical focus being one of friendship, hope, faith, salvation and redemption through the Cross on which Christ was crucified before He rose from the dead.

Saving Grace released their sophomore album entitled ‘Unbreakable’ on Strike First Records in January 2010 followed by touring and festival appearances throughout the year all over Australasia.

2011 saw the band play their first appearance at the annual FACEDOWN FEST in California before embarking on the INRI Clothing Youngbloods Tour across North America alongside Sovereign Strength, Creations, The Burial and Stand Your Ground.

Saving Grace returned to Australia for their 3rd easter stint at Easterfest 2011 co-headlining the metal showcase alongside The Chariot and Oh, Sleeper.

Shortly after their return home to New Zealand Saving Grace announced their signing to Facedown Records.

The band’s highly anticipated crushing third full length album ‘The King is Coming’ is available in stores and online on November 22, 2011 on Facedown Records...............

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In the summer of 1999, the youth group led by Banning Liebscher at Bethel Church in Redding, California, launched the first Jesus Culture conference. The heart of these gatherings was to serve other churches and lead young people to experience the radical love of God. At each conference there was a strong presence of the Lord, and the youth and young adults were going back to their homes, schools, work places and churches, completely impassioned and transformed.

A few years into hosting conferences at Redding, the Lord began to speak to us about a new breed of revivalists that were emerging throughout the earth to answer the cry of God’s yearning for nations. Our mandate was defined: to raise up, mobilize, equip, encourage, resource, and send these burning ones to fulfill the call of God on their lives, and see entire cities saved, campuses revolutionized, and nations discipled. The Lord revealed they would be marked by four main characteristics:

1. They would be connected with spiritual fathers and mothers and aligned under their covering.
2. They would be passionately in love with Jesus – encountering His extravagant love for them daily.
3. They would give their lives to prayer and know how to win the war in the heavens.
4. They would walk in the supernatural – demonstrating the Kingdom of God through power.

It soon became very clear to us that worship was to be a significant part of our movement. Kim Walker-Smith, Chris Quilala, and Melissa How were worship leaders at our local youth group, and the Lord began to use them to bring an entire generation into whole-hearted worship.

Shortly after God commissioned us to mobilize this new breed of revivalists, we began taking Jesus Culture conferences to different regions, and currently hold them in Redding, Orange County, Dallas/Ft Worth, Chicago, Atlanta, and multiple cities through Australia and England. Also, in response to our mandate, Jesus Culture Music and Campus Awakening have been inspired and birthed out of Jesus Culture.

Jesus Culture Music ::
Jesus Culture Music exists to ignite revival in the nations of the earth. Our heart is to compel the Body of Christ to radically abandon itself to a lifestyle of worship, motivated by a passion to see God receive the glory that is due His name. We long for Jesus to be exalted in the nations and for His manifest presence to invade this world. Although we aspire for people to sing great worship songs, we are primarily committed to see them come into His presence through worship… to encounter His extravagant love and raw power............

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Elevation Worship is the worship team at Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC.

Elevation Church began 5 1/2 years ago with less than 20 people. In that short period of time we’ve grown to over 9000 in regular attendance, seeing thousands of lives changed along the way. Pastor Steven Furtick leads Elevation Church with a strong vision and passion to see those far from God filled with life in Christ.... It’s an explosive, phenomenal movement of God – something you have to see to believe.

The Kingdom of God is so much more than a future hope…it’s a present possibility. It’s so much bigger than any of us…but it must become the dominant pursuit for all of us. On September 7, 2010, Elevation Worship released their third studio album, "Kingdom Come."

Through these songs of hope and faith, we pray that the Kingdom of Jesus will come in grace and power to bless and inspire your life, your community, and the world….

Elevation Worship also has 2 previously released albums, "God With Us," and "We Are Alive."

Pastor Steven grew up in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, where at age 16 he realized God’s plan for him to start a life-changing church in a metropolitan city.

This vision became a tangible reality when Elevation was founded on the faith of eight families who risked everything. Selling their houses and quitting their jobs, they moved to Charlotte believing that God would turn this city upside down for His glory through the local church.

After nearly five years, Elevation Church has grown to more than 9,000 in attendance each week at six locations. Since our launch, we’ve seen more than 15,000 people receive Christ. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, Elevation Church was named one of the “10 fastest growing churches in America” by Outreach Magazine.

The heart of Pastor Steven’s message is audacious faith and how to approach every experience from a visionary perspective. As a young voice in the Church with wisdom beyond his years, his passion for seeing God’s purposes fulfilled is igniting a fire here in our city and beyond.

Pastor Steven attended North Greenville University, received a B.A. in communications and went on to complete a Master of Divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary............

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Michael Whitaker Smith (born October 7, 1957) is a Billboard top ten Billboard Hot 100 recording artist and Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. He is one of the best-selling and most influential artists in Contemporary Christian music. Smith also has achieved a considerable amount of success in the mainstream music industry. Smith is a three-time Grammy Award winner, and has earned 40 Dove Awards. Over the course of his career, Michael W. Smith has sold more than 13 million albums and recorded 29 No. 1 Hit songs, fourteen gold albums, and five platinum albums. Smith is an American Music Award recipient; he was also named one of People magazine's "Most Beautiful People".

Michael Whitaker Smith was born to Paul and Barbara Smith in Kenova, West Virginia. His father was an oil refinery worker at the Ashland Oil Refinery, one of the top ten largest oil refineries in the world, in nearby Catlettsburg, Kentucky and his mother was a caterer.He inherited his love of baseball from his father, who had played in the minor leagues. As a child, he developed a love of music through his church. He learned piano at an early age and sang in his church choir. At the age of 10, he had "an intense spiritual experience" that led to his becoming a devout Christian. "I wore this big cross around my neck," he would recall, "It was very real to me." He became involved in Bible study and found a group of older friends who shared his religious faith.

After his older Christian friends moved away to college, Smith began to struggle with feelings of loneliness and alienation. After graduating from high school, he gravitated toward alcohol and drugs. He attended Marshall University for a few semesters while developing his songwriting skills. He also played with various local bands around Huntington, West Virginia. During that time, his friend Shane Keister, who worked as a session musician in Nashville, encouraged him to move to Nashville, the Country Music capital, and pursue a career in music.

In 1978, Smith moved to Nashville, taking a job as a landscaper to support himself. He played with several local bands in the Nashville club scene. He also developed a problem with substance abuse.
“I really started losing touch when I moved to Nashville, around April of '78. I was smokin' marijuana, drinking, doing some other drugs; just being crazy, you know. My mom and dad knew what I was doing. But they never hassled me, they just prayed for me. And I felt convicted by God. Every time I'd wake up I knew: This isn't me. But I couldn't change myself. ”

In November 1979, Smith suffered a breakdown that led to his recommitment to Jesus Christ. The next day he auditioned for a new Christian Contemporary Music (CCM) group, Higher Ground, as a keyboardist and got the job. It was on his first tour with Higher Ground, playing mostly in churches, that Smith was finally able to put the drugs and alcohol behind him.

In 1981, Smith was signed as a writer to Meadowgreen Music, where he wrote a number of gospel hits penned for artists such as Sandi Patty, Kathy Troccoli, Bill Gaither and Amy Grant, to the effect that some of these popular worship songs can now be found in church hymnals. The following year, Smith began touring as a keyboardist for Grant on her Age to Age tour. He would eventually become Grant's opening act and recorded his first Grammy-nominated solo album The Michael W. Smith Project (which he also produced) in 1983 on the Reunion Records label, a label started by Grant's brother-in-law, Dan Harrell, along with Michael Blanton. This album contained the first recording of his hit "Friends", which he co-wrote with his wife Deborah. They wrote it one afternoon for a friend who was moving away.

By the time Smith's second pop album was released in 1984, he was headlining his own tours. In 1986, Smith released The Big Picture, produced by Johnny Potoker. Smith intros "Tearing Down the Walls" with an Amy Grant recording of "Emmanuel" played backwards via the CD search button. He has explained that he and Potoker were trying to come up with a different way to go into the song.

After the release of his 1988 effort, i 2 (EYE), Smith once again teamed up with Grant for her "Lead Me On World Tour". The following year, Smith recorded his first Christmas album..........

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"Mom...Spouse...Woman of Faith...Friend of Jesus and a friend of whoever has a heart for life, love, friendship and faith. If I were you, I would invite her smack dab into the heart of your family…your church…your diocese!” - Jesse Manibusan

Listening to the music of Sarah Hart is a transforming experience. Put any of her recordings on your player and you’re immediately hooked by her sweet, compelling voice. Follow the lyrics, and you become immersed in the spirituality and honesty of a seeker who helps us discover the God who walks with us in our daily lives. Sarah’s lively, contemporary blending of folk, pop and rock welcomes and delights listeners from every age and background.

A Grammy® nominated songwriter (“Better Than A Hallelujah”), Sarah is a staff songwriter for both EMI-CMG Music in Nashville, TN and Spirit And Song in Portland, OR. Her songs have been recorded by numerous artists, such as: Amy Grant, Matt Maher, Robbie Seay Band, NewSong, Sandy Patti and Audrey Assad. Her music has appeared in the television shows “Joan of Arcadia” and “Strong Medicine”, and in the film “Coyote County Loser”, and can be found in print in almost every Catholic church in the U.S. Sarah has also penned music for the musical “Bernadette of Lourdes”, and works as a songwriter and voiceover artist with the Tom Tichenor Children’s Theater in Nashville, TN. She is the recipient of nine Unity awards for her work.

Sarah’s love for music and ministry intersect in amazing ways. As an artist with Spirit and Song, Sarah travels all over the United States and the world. She is the author of three day-retreats for women (“Daughters of God”, “Sisters of Christ”, and “Blessed Are You: The Beatitude Walk”) which she facilitates all over the country, and she performs at such events as NCYC, LA Congress, and World Youth Day, as well as churches and colleges. Sarah also loves performing at such small venues as The Bitter End and The Bluebird Café.

Sarah will admit whole-heartedly that her favorite “jobs”, however, are that of wife, and mom to her two happy daughters............

[COMING SOON]

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For many in the heavy music scene, Righteous Vendetta needs little introduction. Having played more than 150 dates in the past year to support their Red Cord Records release ‘The Dawning’, Righteous Vendetta has amassed fans around the country while honing their performance skills to a fine edge. The Wyoming-based group’s tight, technical brand of metalcore has earned them a great deal of respect ...as well as publicity, with features in publications such as HM, Amp, and Hails and Horns. Their dedication to sharing the light of Jesus Christ is no less relentless than their touring schedule, bringing their music and ministry to venues across the nation. Righteous Vendetta’s newest release, ‘Lawless’, will be available on Red Cord Records November 8th, 2011........

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Ason (a.k.a. Bigsonny) is a rapper and youth speaker with pronounced song writing talent, skillful delivery, and a gift for including uplifting messages through lyrically profound holy hip-hop. His engaging live performances have earned him numerous invitations to perform throughout the United States. He has shared the stage with artists such as Ciara, Mary Mary, Fred Hammond, Israel & New Breed,... Nicole C. Mullen, Cross Movement & da' T.R.U.T.H. just to name a few.

The successful independent label owner of SonnyWorld Music, Ason's first three albums sold over 42,000 units and digital downloads, gaining profound success in the fast growing holy hip-hop underground world. Ason will debut his first major mainstream national release The Future is Now, a hip-hop and R&B styled collaboration in November 2011.

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