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Above,
The Cross Movement with DJ Official
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Once
Upon a time in 1995,
there was a group of men who loved both God & Hip Hop
Culture. They shared a common desire to reach out to
persons who were apart of Hip Hop Culture like themselves but
did not know God. It also became apparent that churches
worldwide were not effective in using traditional methods to
present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those in Hip Hop
Culture. This group of men, all who happen to be solo
rap artists, put together a collection of rap songs that
reflected skill in free-styling, lyrical flow, story-telling, and
making beats, but also reflected the heart of men who loved
their God and wanted others to know about Him. This
collection of rap songs formed "Heaven's Mentality,"
the first rap album released by this group of men who became
known as
The Cross Movement.
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Time
marches ahead
and two of the members of The Cross Movement, The Ambassador
and The Phanatik, teamed up to spark a 501(c)3 non-profit
organization known today as
Cross Movement Ministries,
separate
from the rap group. The mission of the ministry is to relevantly
communicate biblical truth to Hip Hop Culture, while teaching
& resourcing Christians in the Culture and also those who
are compelled to reach all who are in it. This also includes erecting an Urban Learning Center
in Philadelphia. The ministry staff consists of The
Ambassador, Phanatik, Tony, Kim, June, Melissa, and
Shera. Various supporters & partners also are a
vital part of Cross Movement Ministries, Inc.
At
around the same time two
other members of The Cross Movement, Tonic and EarthQuake,
teamed up to spark an independent record label known today as
Cross Movement Records. An independent record label is
key in maintaining creative control; for example, so that no one could ever
ask an artist signed with the label to "water down the
Gospel." The Cross Movement is the only group
signed with Cross Movement Records to-date, but that will be
changing very soon. The label is also currently in
co-label partnership with Tooth & Nail Records/BEC.
The label staff consists of Tonic, Quake, and various
other staff, contractors, and investors.
The
label office and ministry office
are not not in the same building; the label office is in Deptford,
NJ, and the ministry office is in Philadelphia, PA. They are
two legally separate entities run by entirely different
personnel. And both entities have separate visions,
missions, and agendas, yet the common thread being that both
the ministry and the label have executive officers who are members of the rap group called The Cross Movement.
And another common thread is that both entities are playing
key roles in furthering Kingdom work!
Because
the public
understandably lumps the group, label, and ministry into one
big blob (although no parent organization exists that combines
these three entities in any way), it has been decided to use this
domain name of crossmovement.org as a portal site to link you
to the three different and separate "CM entities:" the
group's website (The Cross Movement), the label's website
(Cross Movement Records), and the ministry's website (Cross Movement Ministries).
[Scroll
down for entrance links.] |
