 | This article contains too many or overly lengthy quotations for an encyclopedic entry.(January 2015) |
| Mental | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 21, 2014 | |||
| Genre | Christian hip hop | |||
| Length | 32:21 | |||
| Label | The Paradigm Collective | |||
| Producer | Solomon Olds | |||
| KJ-52 chronology | ||||
| ||||
Mental marks the ninth album from KJ-52. The Paradigm Collective released the project on October 21, 2014. He produced the album with Solomon Olds. Mental is KJ-52's ninth album and the follow-up to 2012's Dangerous.
CCM Magazine , "Backed by killer beats, fashionable electronics and in-vogue vocals, KJ pits his sophisticated wordplay against current cultural issues to press out a perseverant scriptural message for all people." [1] Jesus Freak Hideout, "Mental does not really sound like something I would have expected KJ to make, and it is way too easy to pin him as simply trying to morph his sound into a mold that sells better, but it would be unfair to the quality of Mental to do so." [2] New Release Tuesday, "This new KJ is no less about fun, but he has added an aggressive maturity to his music." [3] Indie Vision Music, "With Lecrae (by way of remix), Tedashii, KB, Propaganda, and Flame all showing up, Mental feels as much like a Reach Records or 116 clique album as it does a new KJ-52 joint. But, add in gratuitous use of former Family Force 5-er Soul Glo Activatur, as well as guys like Social Club and SPZRKT and a bold new experience takes shape." [4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| CCM Magazine |   [1] |
| Christian Music Review | 4.2/5 [5] |
| Christian Review Magazine | [6] |
| Indie Vision Music | [4] |
| Jesus Freak Hideout | [2] [7] |
| Jesus Wired |  [8] |
| New Release Tuesday | [3] |
Specifying in a four star out of five review by CCM Magazine , Andrew Greer recognizes, "the multi-Dove Award-winning wordsmith poises his ninth recording for the ultimate spiritual confrontation." [1] Mark Rice, agrees it is a four-star album for Jesus Freak Hideout, responds, "it is safe to call Mental one more step in the evolution of Mister Five-Tweezey, and a good step at that." [2] Signaling in another four star review from New Release Tuesday, Mark Ryan realizes, "Call it Spiritual or artistic maturity if you like, I will just call it a new attitude and a new passion ignited." [3] Lee Brown, indicating it is a four star project from Indie Vision Music, replies, "Mental brings five absolutely amazing tracks to the table, along with a couple remixes and one track that is ok, but doesn't hold its own against the weight of the rest." [4] Rating the album a 4.2 out of five for Christian Music Review, Jay Heilman says, "Mental is a great album and gives us another reason to get behind today's Christian hip-hop, which continues to pick up momentum while putting Christ atop their messages." [5] Maddy Agers, awarding the album ten stars at Jesus Wired, writes, "It's new, it's real, and it's amazing." [8] Rating the album four stars for Christian Review Magazine, Leah St. John states, the album is a progression of his "sound". [6]
| No. | Title | featured artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Gameface (1st Half Edition)" | Soul Glow Activatur, KB | 3:14 |
| 2. | "Fight Music (I Don't Do Black or White Music)" | Lecrae, Propaganda | 3:35 |
| 3. | "Island of the Misfit Toys" | Social Club Misfits, SPZRKT | 4:23 |
| 4. | "Mental" | Soul Glow Activatur, Tedashii | 3:53 |
| 5. | "Tonight" | 3:25 | |
| 6. | "Gameface (2nd Half Edition)" | Soul Glow Activatur, KB, Flame | 3:12 |
| 7. | "Fresh Kicks On" | 3:22 | |
| 8. | "It's Going Down" (remix) | Canton Jones | 3:21 |
| 9. | "Brand New Day" (remix) | Bethany Jo, Humble Tip | 3:56 |
| Total length: | 32:21 | ||
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Christian Albums (Billboard) [9] | 12 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [10] | 10 |
| US Top Rap Albums (Billboard) [11] | 21 |
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