In "The Thesis", The Ambassador lyrically explores the concept of God as the initiator and benefactor of the Gospel in song, i.e. Holy Hip-Hop, and proposes that He is pleased when it is skillfully used by His people to reach the lost by rightly dividing His Word. He further asserts that Holy Hip-Hop is part of God's plan to reach mankind with the Gospel and that it should be used as a tool to do so.
Against the backdrop of Hip Hop's cultural significance and theology's critical
importance, The Ambassador skillfully proves the validity of Holy Hip-Hop as a God given tool of the urban missionary. In "The Thesis" he summarizes Holy Hip-Hop's origins, past, present and future as a mechanism for communicating a biblical worldview and employs all that Hip-Hop has to offer from head-bangin' beats to lyrical mastery. The result is a compelling example of theologically correct Hip-Hop that is an undeniably powerful tool for fulfilling God's cultural mandate.
In 1999 The Ambassador released "Christology: In Laymen's Terms", an album that instantly became a Holy Hip-Hop classic and today is considered a standard of the genre. After four Cross Movement albums (Human Emergency, Holy Culture, Higher Definition, Gift Rap) and an international tour, The Ambassador is once again spearheading the charge to evangelize and disciple, while challenging God's people to "come out the closet" and engage the Hip-Hop culture without compromising the truth of God's Word.
William "Duce" Branch aka "The Ambassador" is co-founder and spokesperson for The Cross Movement, President of the non-profit organization Cross Movement Ministries, and also speaks and preaches nationally at churches and events across the country. Duce has devoted himself to urban ministry for nearly 14 years, with a particular focus on reaching the Hip-Hop culture for Christ. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Bible from Lancaster Bible College as well as a Master's degree in Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. His master's thesis, Theological Implications of Hip-Hop Culture serves as both the inspiration for the album and prelude to a book further exploring the issues.