The Cross Movement

The Cross Movement was a Christian Hip-Hop collective based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and active between 1996 and 2008.

It was constituted by seven core members: Ambassador, Phanatik, The Tonic, T.R.U.-L.I.F.E., Cruz Cordero, Enock (who passed away in 2009) and Earthquake. Producer DJ Official was also a frequent collaborator of the group’s affiliates until his passing in 2016.

Credited as pivotal pioneers of the CHH sub-genre, the group’s main goal was to innovate religious ministry through hip-hop music, as they fused the messages of Christian theology with the sounds, the lyrical techniques and the energy of mainstream rap at the time.

To strengthen their impact on their local communities and their fan-base, they also operated through their ministry organization and their eponymous record label, which served as a fertile terrain both for their own works (as a group or as solo members) and for artists of the following generation, including Da' T.R.U.T.H., FLAME and Lecrae.

The Cross Movement first burst onto the scene in 1996, with their debut album Heaven’s Mentality, and then proceeded to release six more full-length projects during their existence, often stealing the show thanks to their innovative approach to hip-hop culture and iconic cover arts, with primary examples being House of Representatives (1999), Human Emergency (2000) and Holy Culture (2003).

After twelve years of several releases and controversies, The Cross Movement eventually disbanded in 2008, closing their chapter with their final album History: Our Place In His Story.

In the following years, the group’s members often re-united for special concerts, even though most of them had already been building their own path as artists and professional figures within the church.