Since its inception, the CM has chosen to define themselves as the Christian or holy division of hip hop culture as opposed to the hip hop or rap division of Christian culture. Within the genre of rap music, there are various subgenres such as gangsta rap, Conscious rap, old school rap, crunk, and reggaeton, but all of it falls under the rubric of rap and, by extension, hip hop. In choosing to define their music as simply being another subgenre - i.e., the Christian rap subgenre - of hip hop culture, the CM attempts to "keep it real" in order to maintain the validity needed to influence members of hip hop culture who may or may not be Christians. In their 2003 release, Holy Culture, The CM stated their reasoning is based on a passage from the Bible, St. John 17:15-19 in which Jesus is reported to have said to God:
“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.”
As the word sanctified means "to set apart", the interpretation maintained by the CM is that they are instructed by Jesus to remain a part of hip hop culture while being set apart from the majority of the followers of hip hop culture in order to influence it from within to conform to the mores and moral code preached by the followers of mainstream Christianity. The acceptance of this interpretation has been mixed, however. Despite their claim to be a part of hip hop culture, the CM has slowly found more acceptance, though not total acceptance, in the Christian community than in the secular hip hop community as the majority of their concerts are held at churches or church-sponsored events as opposed to secular venues. In 2006, the CM received a Grammy nomination for “Best Rock Gospel Album,” as opposed to any of the traditional hip hop or rap categories. Additionally, the CM has generally only been recognized at Christian and Gospel awards shows such as the Dove Awards or Stellar Awards as opposed to hip hop-only award shows such as the Source Awards or the Vibe Awards.
Eternal Cypha
The Cross Movement Lyrics
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"If you love him then you got to represent him well"
(DJ Official)
What's up y'all this is DJ Official, and here it is
Eternal Cypha, reppin' the Lord Jesus Christ to the fullest
It's going down, its going down
Now first up to bat is my maaaaaaaan
(T.R.U.T.H.)
God's not arbitrary, he's always gotta a rhyme and reason
Sovereign, that's a divine line of reasonin'
He's Holy, you can catch the shekana breezing'
By whoever disses Christ than bowed and seize 'em
He's holy, man, the culture needs him
And can't define life, apart of season
This opportunity to walk in freedom
And exalt the King in his awesome kingdom!
Now put a quater in the parking meter
Many walk in dark, they walk in Egypt
But the people of God who assault the seas
And the Earth until the Church is off to see Him
(J-Silas)
Lemme jam it man, not by my own works
But he came down from Heaven and put his plow to the dirt, Our church
I'm saved already, the walk is hard
Fall down, get up, the cross, these scars (ouch) ???
Jesus justified J I'm not guilty
And he covers my sins ya'll, I'm so filthy
Gritty, grungy, God still loves me
Righteousness is the bread and I'm so hungry
Lord give me some, bid me to come
Not my will but let yours be done
I spit bars for the thugs in the cars
And the drunks in the bars
And the fakes in the closets
(DJ Official)
Phanatik, Phanatik (echoes)
(Phanatik)
I'm here, I'm in it, not of it, don't want it, don't covet
I'm covered by the blood
Broken hip, walk with a limp
God governed, even the rhyme uttered
The signs of the time coming
Keep seeking lyrics, looking to find someone
(Like surprise!) … Shakanah rap the kinda rap
That wrap around your mind, and squeeze like when pythons attack
Me and my pizzans is back
To dicape and line this track
With all these emcees breezin' by like freeano wax
It's free a no tax, what we came to offer
All swift to revert artist plus flame came to spark ya
J-Silas is stylin for God, plus Todd "bangs" with the Truth
When this unit makes movement we're here with proof
(DJ Official) (echoes)
Todd Bangz
(Todd Bangz)
Yo, I spit for Jesus, live for Jesus
Roll with a squad of believers
Believe in God, it's Jesus
And by his spirit we stay sharp as creases
Thoughts and hypothermic needles injecting the thoughts of Jesus
I walk with Jesus through the streets of Jers' City
Prayin' God is wit me cuz they don't walk with Jesus
They walk wit heaters, and spark the chieva
Quick to expire cats like parking meters
So I bring the noise like PE on my EP
Not to be considered hip-hops' MVP
But still minister world-wide through MP3.com/bangz
(DJ Official)
T.R.U.-L.I.F.E.!! (echoes)
(T.R.U.-L.I.F.E.)
I live and die for the King of the universe
I spit a dudes, to keep you in tune cuz I don't want you to hurt
Life is work and nothing is free but death
Except the One who gave life its' breath
So expect the One who gave L.I.F.E. his breath
To inspect ya steeps, but don't be mad is he says
"Who's next? You can't do it!"
Cuz in order to step to the level of next
You gotta beat with Son, escape the hot of the death
He can put in perspect' everything from right to left
Top to bottom, if you got him, then you outa debt
Reject and you've claimed your set
So get prepped cuz this earth
Is the only heaven that you'll ever get
(Chorus)
"If you live him then you gotta represent him well"
(DJ Official)
That was fire! I mean…
Five emcess reppin' the Lord, and we still got three minuets left
Here he is baby…R-Swift
(R-Swift)
Supreme bearer of the cross who paid the cost
So all man can be able to excape sin's hualocuast
And twisted the call wit no report, like we ball wit dogs
That's what he was slaughtered for
It couldn't be us, we couldn't face the hell
We run from grace, but Christ embraced the wrath
Yet its life Gees said it, the street are embedded with
Thieves with speech impediments who don't believe they're dead in sin
But I wreck ya men, the chief rhetoric
Christ Jesus the president of this fleet of regiments
Who torch mics to the degree of the third
And you'll never hear us spit unless we're speaking his Word
(DJ Official)
The Ambassador (echoes)
(The Ambassador)
Don't mean to bore with you math, but I'm sure you add
But only Jesus' plus zero equals life or you get wrath
I saw you in class, there's no way with that score you can pass
In this court you can bet that there's no way your lawyer could last
In fact your lawyer needs a lawyer cause your lawyer is bad
You're ignoring this, DAG, I better bring the cure for this fast
I can prove that God rules, of course all of us bad
As the Jews that used to have to slaughter a calf
There was a vale but Christ' death tore it in half
No more walls so we all are calling him "Dad"
We saw in the past how he got raw with his staff
We thought about craft to make this God Lord of our raft
(Flame)
I come to preach Christ, mean to brings the Good News
I'm not from the old school like Crush Groove
But who would have knew
These young dudes who used to be fools
Were moved by the wickedness of the world and no clues
Now taking up they cross and following Jesus' shoes
The strife of this life, I consider it payin' dues
And when the rapture, you want it to be you, instead of doom
I representin Jesus my respect is bein used
I would move anyone who would loose
Much more rather choose
A life of death, short of breath, singing the blues
Like a tool kit with nails missing and screws
And you're fine with your integrity
(DJ Official)
OK…The Tonic (echoes)
(The Tonic)
OK let's do it, drop the Truth to it
Many, want us to stop we can't do it
Hot divine fluid comes with a hot design
To lock more corners then a octagon
Ooo is, true is, that will unlock your mind
And uncock your nine, unconcubine
And unshine your shine and reshine your shine
Oh you like to get drunk? Then we serve genuwine
Then we genuflect, and bow at the neck
And then Jesus name, we be live and direct
When we're live on the set
We hope people can tell
Cuz all we wanna do is just
"Represent Him Well" (echoes)
(Chorus)
"If you love him then you gotta represent him well"
The Cross Movement's "Eternal Cypha" is a song about representing Jesus through their music. The song starts with DJ Official introducing the emcees, and each of them takes turns sharing their testimony and preaching the Gospel. TRUTH talks about God's sovereignty and holiness, J-Silas shares about his salvation and struggles, Phanatik raps about being covered by the blood and seeking God's will, Todd Bangz rhymes about walking with Jesus and ministering through music, T.R.U.-L.I.F.E. proclaims that he lives and dies for the King of the universe, R-Swift declares that only Jesus can save us from sin, The Ambassador explains why we need Jesus as our lawyer in the court of God, Flame shares his testimony of redemption, and finally The Tonic wraps up the song with a call to represent Jesus well in everything we do.
The main message of the song is that if you love Jesus, you should represent him well. This means living a life that reflects Christ's character and sharing the Gospel with others. Each emcee shares their own unique perspective on how they do this through their music and ministry.
Overall, "Eternal Cypha" is a powerful and inspiring song that encourages believers to boldly proclaim the name of Jesus through their talents and passions.
Line by Line Meaning
If you love him then you got to represent him well
To truly love Jesus, you must represent him well in all that you do.
God's not arbitrary, he's always gotta a rhyme and reason
God is not random, he has a purpose and plan for everything.
Sovereign, that's a divine line of reasonin'
God's sovereignty is a divine and logical reasoning.
He's Holy, you can catch the shekana breezin'
God is holy and his presence can be felt in the atmosphere.
By whoever disses Christ than bowed and seize 'em
Those who disrespect Christ will eventually be humbled and brought to their knees.
He's holy, man, the culture needs him
The culture needs the holiness and presence of God.
And can't define life, apart of season
Without God, life cannot be fully understood or defined.
This opportunity to walk in freedom
Being a follower of Christ brings the opportunity to walk in freedom.
And exalt the King in his awesome kingdom!
We have the privilege to lift up and praise the King in his glorious kingdom.
Many walk in dark, they walk in Egypt
Many people live in darkness and are enslaved like the Israelites were in Egypt.
But the people of God who assault the seas
Those who belong to God conquer and overcome the challenges of life.
And the Earth until the Church is off to see Him
The mission of the Church is to impact the world until we are united with Christ.
I'm saved already, the walk is hard
Even though we are saved, the journey can be difficult and challenging.
Fall down, get up, the cross, these scars (ouch) ???
When we fall, we get back up and lean on the cross, even though it can leave us with scars.
Not my will but let yours be done
We must surrender our will and desires to God's will.
I spit bars for the thugs in the cars
The artist creates music for those in the culture and on the streets.
I'm here, I'm in it, not of it, don't want it, don't covet
The artist is present in the culture but does not belong to it and rejects its materialism.
Broken hip, walk with a limp
The artist has been spiritually broken but continues to walk with a limp.
The signs of the time coming
The artist sees and understands the signs of the times as a follower of Christ.
Keep seeking lyrics, looking to find someone
The artist searches for meaningful lyrics to share with the world.
Not to be considered hip-hops' MVP
The artist doesn't want to be seen as the best in hip-hop but rather as a servant of Christ.
Phanatik, Phanatik
The introduction of the artist Phanatik.
Me and my pizzans is back
The artist and his team are back.
With all these emcees breezin' by like freeano wax
Many artists come and go, like the passing of air.
OK let's do it, drop the Truth to it
The artist is ready to share the truth with the audience.
Hot divine fluid comes with a hot design
The message being delivered is powerful and intentional.
That's what he was slaughtered for
Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins.
Only Jesus' plus zero equals life or you get wrath
Our salvation comes only from Jesus and our own efforts cannot save us.
No more walls so we all are calling him 'Dad'
Christ removed the barrier between us and God, so we can now have a relationship with him like a child does with their father.
I come to preach Christ, mean to brings the Good News
The artist's purpose is to spread the gospel of Christ and the good news of salvation.
Contributed by Sadie K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Seekingtruth1984
Probably the best Cross Movement song ever. The beat,the flow, the lyrics. Impeccable.
MyLifeForAuir87
Ambassador OWNS!. "Don't mean to bore you with math, and i'm sure you can add, but on JESUS + 0 = LIFE or you get wrath." Such powerfull lyrics, one of the best flows ever.
V C
Who said you can't worship with rap???! Gives me goosebumps! Praise Jesus!
Thomas Boyce
OH MY GOD THESE MEN KEEP JESUS 100% ON THE MIC!!!! LOVE LISTENING TO THE CROSS MOVEMENT! !!!
Tammie Michelle
Isn't it beautiful?! Man!!
Walrus
God Bless The Cross Movement!!!
subymanvince
Still banging after all these years! REJOICE IN PARADISE DJ OFFICIAL!
Martin Jackson
" Shekinah rap the kinda rap that wraps around your mind and squeeze like when pythons attack" This is the sickest cypha EVER!!!!!!!
tracmuzik
Bruhhhhh!!!!!!
Victor Ordu
Best song ever!!! When I first heard this I couldn't believe - seven years later I'm yet to get over it!