Review Summary: A forerunner to the gangsta rap movement, the influence of this album continues to be felt.
In the late eighties, hip hop had just begun to establish itself as a commercially viable music genre thanks to the success of Run DMC, a group that came to prominence after their collaboration with Aerosmith for “Walk This Way.” Run DMC became popular for their rap/rock crossover style and their fun, childish rhymes but something big was brewing in the hip hop underground scene: hardcore, gangsta rap.
Kris Parker (KRS-One) met social worker Scott Sterling (Scott La Rock ) while homeless in the Bronx (apparently, finding housing for his enormous ego was not easy) and together, they discovered their love for hip hop and named themselves Boogie Down Productions. With the help of producer Ced Gee (Ultramagnetic MCs) they crafted what is widely acknowledged as the first hardcore hip hop album, while out on the west coast, Schooly D and Ice-T were laying the foundation for gangsta rap.
The Juice Crew’s MC Shan had a successful single called “The Bridge” where he shows love to his borough Queensbridge. “South Bronx” was written by BDP as a response, it’s both a parody and a diss record which started the first major rap battle. This battle thrust BDP into the spotlight, the James Brown sampling “South Bronx” was simply KRS stating where THEY were from taking some mild shots at the Juice Crew but after a rebuttal by MC Shan “Kill That Noise,” BDP went all out with the ruthless “The Bridge is Over.” Taking aim at MC Shan, Roxanne Shante and producer Marley Marl (but avoiding the Juice Crew’s big guns: Big Daddy Kane and Kool G Rap) KRS-One’s booming voice along with his reggae-tinged delivery over an outstanding synth bass beat make this the best track on the album.
The production on this
“Criminal Minded" is relatively skeletal, placing the focus on KRS-One’s violent lyrics on tracks like “9mm Goes Bang” with it’s sing-songy chorus done in KRS-One’s reggae styling. It talks about a drug deal gone wrong where KRS had to shoot somebody but right before, this is what he says: “Wa da da dang, listen to my 9mm go bang!” For “Dope Beat,” they sample AC/DC’s “Back in Black,” done very simply by today’s standards but this was cutting edge in 1987. It has become of staple of hip hop to brag about sexual exploits and at the time it was also big to pump up the DJ, well KRS-One took care of that in one track “Super Hoe” by boasting about sexual conquests… of his DJ! [i]“Criminal Minded”[i] showed the bundle of contradictions that was KRS-One, preaching and teaching on tracks like “Poetry” then talking about crack whores on “Remix for the P is Free” and gunning people down on “9mm Goes Bang.”
Ced Gee is often cited as a “ghost producer” on this album and it is somewhat unclear just how big a part he played in the production and how much was done by Scott La Rock. Although the production was good for the time it paled in comparison to Ced Gee’s work on Ultramagnetic Mcs debut only a year later. While not a perfect album, it flows smoothly although it’s slowed a bit by weaker tracks like “Word From Our Sponsor” and “Elementary.”
The cover of
“Criminal Minded” depicted KRS and Scott La Rock with an arsenal of weapons, unheard of at the time but it let people know that this was a new era of hip hop and it would quickly leave the fun rhymes of Run DMC behind. So began the career of KRS-One, the greatest rapper to ever exist, if you don’t believe me, ask him. He will assure you that it’s true.
Recommended tracks:
The Bridge is Over
South Bronx
9mm Goes Bang
