"My dad put me in Catholic school as a young kid but I cannot say we went to church on a regular basis. I had a belief in God," he said of his days before he became a Christian. "A lot of me was just bouncing back and forth between two parents, trying to find some stability." Though it took years, Sorrentino found stability and peace after his parents divorced and he became a Christian.
"Honestly, what made the difference (in my relationship with my parents) was time. Time kind of heals all wounds. Part of it was prayer. Being patient and coming to an understanding -- for myself and them," he explained.
God restored a broken relationship. But, it wasn't before KJ came to the point of saying "I'm going to find out who God is for me," that he really began to see healing.
"As you get older, you never really stop wanting to have a relationship with your family, your parents," he said, quietly. I talked to my dad a few days ago and he told me he actually puts my CD on in the mornings to help him get focused. So, I thought that was cool."
His relationship with his parents isn't the only change in Sorrentino's life.
"I see myself in places I haven't been in, a hip-hop artist hasn't been in. I am selling more records than I have in any period of time. It is encouraging. I am not going to say I am there yet, but at the same token, this is the best time for me to be doing what I am doing," he explained.
While he can honestly say he is selling more albums now than ever, he still points out his music sometimes doesn't receive the warmest of welcomes -- in or outside his own camp.
"Sometimes people still expect me to still be rapping like what I was doing 10 years ago and it is insane. I have changed and grown," he said.
But even being one of Christian music's most popular artist doesn't mean he hasn't been asked to water down his Christ-centered lyrics by others inside the music business.
"I sat down with one of the biggest program directors of a station in Dallas and we went through my entire record. He said 'I would love to throw this on. This could easily go on right now, but I cannot play it.' A lot of it came down to content," the Florida rapper said. The program director had a problem playing songs about God on the radio.
But the man, known as KJ-52 on stage, doesn't apologize and has no problem continuing to sing about the someone most important to him -- God
"If my content means you cannot play it, I must be doing something right," he said.
