The rapper who cut his penis off and jumped off his balcony is Christ Bearer — aka Andre Johnson —  a member of the rap group Northstar.  Members of the group who also live in the apartment building tell TMZ … they were there early this morning when Christ Bearer suddenly — without warning — cut his penis off and jumped off the balcony.  They say they were not on “any hard drugs that would cause him to do such a thing.”

They add it all happened in a matter of seconds.  But by the time they raced downstairs, Christ Bearer was already up and running around screaming incoherently.

A rapper affiliated with Wu-Tang Clan was rushed to the hospital early Wednesday after he cut off his penis and then jumped off a second story balcony in what police believe is a suicide attempt … law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

Our sources say … they were called to an apartment building in North Hollywood at around 1:00 AM and found Andre Johnson on the sidewalk critically injured.

Johnson was rushed by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.  It’s unclear if doctor’s are attempting to reattach Johnson’s penis.

Johnson is a rapper who was in a group founded by members of Wu-Tang Clan.