From the streets of Philly comes one of the most respected groups in holy hip hop today —The Cross Movement.

For nearly 7 years, this iconoclastic group has braved new territories and set the bar in hip hop. With four successful albums as a group and a record label under their belt, what's next?

Never fear, The Cross Movement's got you covered with their brand new concert DVD. Titled Holy Culture Live, it is the accompanying DVD to their latest release of the same name (see album review).

Recorded live at Philadelphia's Calvary Chapel, this one captures the album release concert for Holy Culture and easily furthers The Cross Movement's groundbreaking legacy (check out interview with the crew).

The project starts with a review of the history of hip hop music. With Rasool Berry serving as live narrator, the journey begins with a look at the four elements of hip hop. For each element, there is a live demonstration of the power and impact it has had on the evolution of hip hop.

The first element, the DJ, sees The Cross Movement favorite DJ Official representin' on the wheels of steel. Element two, the Breaker, sees a dance group actually go totally old school and breakdance on stage, complete with the windmill and all.

In the third element of graffiti, the emphasis is placed on the stage's backdrop which is filled with powerful and impactful displays of colorful graf. With the fourth and final element being the MC, the stage is now set for the entrance of The Cross Movement.

CM takes the stage and continues the trip down memory lane as they begin their set performing several songs from their debut release Heaven's Mentality. As they perform tracks like "Who's the Man", "Shock", and "Blood Spilla", you can't help but notice that the emcees are backed by a live band.

With Kevin Authur (bass), Jermaine Jones (keyboard), and Julian Brown (drums) backing the crew, The Cross Movement flowed effortlessly, keeping the crowd of over 3500 hyped as they moved from one song to the next. From there, they move to their set to 1999's House of Representatives project.

A definite highlight comes as they end "Think on These Things". Tonic shows his humorous side as the band covers the Michael Jackson cut "Don't Stop" and Tonic leads with a complete Michael Jackson impersonation. It's humorous, musically ingenious, and totally unexpected. Yet from there, CM goes straight into "I Am", which totally rocks the house.

Following this set, the emcees move to the 2000 release Human Emergency, performing several cuts from this release including "Agua", "Hold It Down", and "C to the R". They invite labelmate Da' T.R.U.T.H. to accompany them on "The Light" and naturally, they rock the house.

At this point, The Cross Movement leaves the stage and makes way for several new acts on their label, Cross Movement Records. Da' T.R.U.T.H. dropped some serious flow on the crowd and made a big time impact. This setting also introduced a new Midwest artist on the label named Flame who brought his own flava to the concert.

From there, Berry returns and prepares to introduce the audience to the design of Holy Culture.

The Cross Movement takes the stage and performs several cuts from their most recent project. For this set, the group is backed by DJ Official, who drops the serious tracks as the backdrop for some serious lyrical heat. Several highlights include "Start Somethin'", "Holy Culture", and "Rise Up".

This DVD is unique in its presentation in that its production literally draws you into the concert environment by way of several cameras set up smack dab in the middle of the crowd. Filmed with the vibe of a proverbial "professional home video", both the audio and video components accurately capture the energy and excitement found at Calvary Chapel that evening.

The celebration for The Cross Movement continues as they introduce yet another signee to Cross Movement Records, named J.R. Again, out of the norm, this artist is a young R&B crooner whose soulful vocals were showcased in his worshipful offering. He then laced the hooks and performed with The Cross Movement on the slick "Closer To You" and "Cry No More".

In addition to the powerful message of "Cry No More", Cross Movement utilized the video wall and showed pictures from the 9/11 tragedy to enhance the message that one day tragedies of that nature won't occur.

The Cross Movement made some big time noise with "Forever", which kept the crowd moving. They then brought several friends to the stage including R-Swift, J-Silas (from RockSoul Entertainment), and labelmates Flame and Da' T.R.U.T.H. for "Eternal Cypha". The showing of unity amongst the emcees was exciting and showed the love that The Cross Movement has for each other.

The DVD ends with a thought-provoking invitation given by The Ambassador that saw many young people give their lives to Christ. They end the concert with their smash hit from the Human Emergency project titled "Know Me (Huh, What?) which was the perfect end to an energetic and celebratory event.

As an extra, the DVD features the concept video of "When I Flow (It's Gospel)".

This DVD is definitely a keeper and a must have for any fan of holy hip-hop. With over two hours of music, this offering gives you insight to the powerful ministry of Cross Movement and shows the passion that they have for winning souls to Christ.

The project is destined to serve as a powerful witnessing tool for young people and unbelievers alike showing that it is possible to enjoy life and spark a Holy Culture.