Within the limited annals of Christian hip-hop, The Cross Movement may not possess the name recognition and marquee value of, say, GRITS or L.A. Symphony, but their contributions to this still-growing genre are undeniable. Over the course of nine years and five albums, the rap conglomerate has amassed more club-worthy material than those two groups combined, all the while never compromising on street cred, deft lyricism, or their unabashed stance on gospel truth.

To commemorate this continuous marriage of faith, rhythm and rhyme, The Cross Movement has issued Chronicles: Greatest Hits, Vol. 1, an anthology that's both an intermission and an introduction—an intermission because it's the group's first greatest-hits bookend before an actual studio album; an introduction because it's the ideal set to initiate new listeners to the groundbreaking hip-hop crew. Although unusually titled—radio hits are quite elusive in the realm of Christian hip-hop—these are without a doubt some of the group's biggest jams.

All of the songs are presented chronologically, which aids in tracing the squad's progression from an underground, Golden Era rap collective to a crew that grew more and more hardcore and commercial in sound as the years went by. It's indeed an interesting metamorphosis—from such indie-rap gems as "Cypha' the Next Day" and "Eyes off Me (Rophi)" to the party-rap vibe of anthems "Know Me (Huh, What?)" and "It's Going Down," it's almost as if we're listening to two different groups.

It's too bad the compilers chose remixes over originals for such classics as "Know Me," "C to the R" and "Forever," but in these incarnations these tracks are still hot—maybe not as sizzling as when they first surfaced, but blazing nonetheless. The only major omission would the iconic fist-pumper "I Am That I Am," but other than that, Chronicles is still a near-perfect collection of hits from one of music's most underrated Christian hip-hop crews.

© Andree Farias, subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

Click here to view our music review archives.

Visit the artist pages for related interviews and reviews.

				Try an Issue of Today's Christian Woman Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. Click here for International orders. If you decide you want to keep Today's Christian Woman coming, honor your invoice for just $17.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless. Give Today's Christian Woman as a gift Buy 1 gift subscription, get 1 FREE!

FREE Newsletter Sign up now for the Christian Music Today weekly newsletter:    RSS Feed   RSS Help