Cross Movement Records has announced the upcoming release of what may be the last project for GRAMMY® and Dove Award nominated hip-hop group The Cross Movement, HIStory: Our Place In His Story, hitting Canadian Christian retail tomorrow.

Taking their cue from the writer of Hebrews who tells in chapter 11 about a host of people who faithfully played their role in the story being told by God, The Cross Movement (consisting of members The Tonic, Phanatik, T.R.U.-L.I.F.E. and The Ambassador) stands to answer the call of the 12th chapter of Hebrews which says, “having such a great cloud of witnesses that have gone before us, let us run the race that is set before us.”

Sonically, HIStory brings the hip-hop collective’s artistic sound full-circle and takes listeners back to the vibe of the earliest Cross Movement projects. Longtime fans will still find tracks featuring the layered orchestral beats that have marked the group’s recent projects, but HIStory is truly a piece of modern hip-hop. 9-10 blasts with The Tonic’s sharpest social commentary to date over hypnotic keys and jagged snare breaks. Phanatik boldly revisits an early Cross Movement hit from 1998’s Heaven’s Mentality album on Now Who’s The Man? T.R.U.-L.I.F.E. marches to the funky drum beat of Louder with the untapped confidence of a lyrical soldier. The Ambassador, the hip-hop seminarian, unhinges his praise-driven verbal gymnastics on the uptempo reggae funk jam Trust in Him.

T.R.U.-L.I.F.E. says of this final project, “We get to end by telling our place in His story, and spur and encourage others in finding their place in God’s story.”

One of the most recognized names in Christian hip-hop, The Cross Movement, based in Philadelphia, Pa., is comprised of four solo artists who share a common interest in communicating the Gospel message through hip-hop music. The members of The Cross Movement were originally members of other Christian rap groups ministering up and down the East Coast in the early 1990s. Their zeal for spreading the Gospel became their common thread, and in 1994, they formed The Cross Movement and set up Cross Movement Ministries to serve as an umbrella organization for their groups. The Cross Movement has earned a 2005 GRAMMY nomination for Best Rock/Rap Gospel Album of the Year and two GMA Dove Award nominations for Rap Album of the Year in 2003 and 2004, as well as the highest street week scans in the history of Christian hip-hop.

The Cross Movement has been featured in national media including Time Magazine, The Washington Post and The Source Magazine. Time Magazine found The Cross Movement’s lyrics to be so compelling that they referred to The Ambassador’s rap Blood Spilla as the voice to educate America on the new pop music. The Source Magazine, known in the entertainment industry as the magazine of hip-hop culture, focused on The Cross Movement for a 2001 Christian rap feature. FEED Magazine, the premier Christian hip-hop magazine, offered four different covers featuring The Cross Movement on its January 2003 issue.

The Cross Movement’s HIStory will be available at Christian retailers across Canada starting tomorrow. For more information on The Cross Movement and their new album HIStory, visit the group’s YMZ artist page.