Joshua Jefferson has waited a long time to perform in live in front of an audience, and this Saturday he’ll get that chance.
Jefferson, a Destrehan High alum and rising Christian musician who performs under the moniker LJ4 (a reference to his full name of Lloyd John Joshua Jefferson IV) is set to open for a couple of established names at a concert that will be held at Vida Church in Metairie hosted by Lifesong Radio (noon to 4 p.m.). Jefferson will be the opening act for a show headlined by fellow Christian rappers Bryann Trejo and Young Bro on the Lift His Name tour.
It comes on the heels of Jefferson’s new song release, “What I’m Pleading,” which is about the idea of God coming through to lead people through their most difficult trials and tribulations – “Life can really make you utterly paralyzed, making all this ‘bout the maker to clarify.” It is the fifth song of Jefferson’s to be released on Apple Music, and his songs can be found on any music streaming service like Spotify, Google Play, iTunes and YouTube. Another song, Favor, will be released Jan. 1.
The concert, he said, is something he’s very much looking forward to, as it will be his first live performance in nearly two years and only his second one ever. The first was a single song performance, but this time he’ll have about 10 minutes and with it a bit more exposure.
“This time I’m opening up for two bigger artists … I’m really excited about it,” Jefferson said. “I’m hoping there will be many more to come.”
The wait was a little longer than perhaps expected due to the complications presented by COVID-19 in the performance world. Jefferson said some talks he was having with studios was put on hold due to the pandemic, and he said performances everywhere were cancelled.
“Everyone’s trying to find places to go perform. It set everyone and everything back a couple of months,” he said.
It’s the latest step in what’s been a little more than a two year journey Jefferson, who meshed his love of rap with his strong Christian faith and will to spread a positive message to create the LJ4 persona.
“I just liked rap, and had for a long time … then I got saved,” Jefferson said. “I got saved, God came into my life … I started writing some lyrics. People started liking it, and down the road I started making more. I realized it made me happy and that God gave me the talent to do this, so I wanted to keep going with it.
“LJ4, it’s simple. It’s easy to remember.”
The launch point for him came as his cousin was writing a musical. Jefferson wrote a song for that, and it got strong and positive feedback.
“That was about two and a half years ago, and I’ve been at it since,” Jefferson said.
While he’s entered the Christian music world, he says his music will tackle several topics.
“I want to make music about a bunch of things, but God is at the center of everything,” Jefferson said. “Whether it’s about relationships, money, the world … whatever it’s about, He is the answer to all.”
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