Boogie Down Productions: Dedicated to Representing True Hip-Hop By All Means Necessary
Written: May 01 '01 (Updated May 11 '01)
Product Rating:
Pros: Intelligent, socially conscious lyrics. Excellent production. A classic hip-hop album.
Cons: A little short.
The Bottom Line: Forget LL Cool J. KRS-One is the Greatest Rapper of All Time! You can’t be a true hip-hop fan if you don’t own something with KRS on it somewhere.
madtheory's Full Review: By All Means Necessary by Boogie Down Productions
Blastmaster. Lyrical Superhighway. The Teacher. Say any of these monikers to any hip-hop fan and they’ll immediately think of only one person. The only man who started rocking mikes in 1986 and can still destroy any one stupid enough to raise a mic against him (even Canibus backed down). The only one known through out the world for rocking live rap shows without the aid of special effects, costumes, or booty dancers. The only man who is considered the embodiment of the true nature of hip-hop.
That man is KRS-One, in my opinion, the greatest rapper of all time.
In 1987 DJ Scott La Rock and rapper KRS-One combined forces to become the rap entity known as Boogie Down Productions. This alliance yielded Criminal Minded, one of the albums that would create the blueprint for hardcore and eventually gangsta rap. After the success of this pioneering LP, DJ Scott La Rock was murdered, leaving KRS to forge ahead without his longtime partner. Enlisting his brother Kenny Parker and rapper/producer D-Nice, KRS-ONE took Boogie Down Productions to a more positive and intellectual level with By All Means Necessary.
Track Listing
1. My Philosophy
2. Ya Slippin'
3. Stop The Violence
4. Illegal Business
5. Nervous
6. I'm Still #1
7. Part Time Suckers
8. Jimmy
9. T'Cha - T'Cha
10. Necessary
The LP starts out with “My Philosophy”, one of the singles from By All Means Necessary. On this track, KRS-ONE freestyles about his thoughts on hip-hop, politics, and life in general. For the beat, BDP uses a driving kick drum and snare, with scratching being used to provide additional percussion. The melody is provided by a wailing jazz saxophone melody. “My Philosophy” is my favorite song off this album, primarily because it’s a tight freestyle that gives insight into the living rap legend that is Kris Parker. It’s interesting to see how lyrics KRS dropped in 1988 still apply today:
“some MC's be talkin' and talkin'/
tryin' to show how Black people are walkin/
but I don't walk this way to portray/
or reinforce stereotypes of today /
like all my brothers eat chicken and watermelon/
talk broken English and drug sellin'/
See I'm tellin, and teaching real facts/
The way some act in rap is kind of wack/
and it lacks creativity and intelligence/
but they don't care cause the company is sellin' it/”
If you’ve heard Black Star’s song “DEFinition”, for the hook Mos Def sings, “1,2,3. It’s kind of dangerous to be an MC. They shot Tupac and Biggie. Too much violence in Hip-Hop. Y – O.” Mos Def borrowed that hook from track 3, “Stop the Violence” where KRS sings, “1,2,3. The crew is called BDP. And if you want to go to the tip-top, stop the violence in hip-hop. Y – O.” The purpose of this song was to encourage rappers and rap fans to abandon the negative and violent aesthetic that was overwhelming hip-hop culture back then (and hasn’t really left since). The Teacher drops fiery lyrics on the subject, while the bumping TR-808 (no, not D-Nice) provides the moderately syncopated drums.
KRS-One confirms his position as a member of hip-hop’s elite with “I’m Still #1”. For this song BDP places emphasis on a snare drum and cymbals in order to force energy into the track, while the bass line provides the simple melody. The result is an open-sounding track, which is perfect for the Blastmaster to expound on the reasons why he’s the best rapper in the industry. This is a classic track.
Legendary Hip-Hopper DJ Red Alert stops by on “Jimmy” to provide his unique voice and sense of humor to the track. With this song, KRS became one of the first artists to promote safe sex. He does this in a light-hearted way, thanks in part to Red, but the point comes through clearly. This song is also the origin of the infamous “you can’t trust a big butt and a smile” line popularized by R&B act Bel Biv Devoe.
Boogie Down Productions ends By All Means Necessary with Necessary with the poetic piece “Necessary”. Kris delivers rhymes using a slow spoken word technique. There is no beat or music; he only uses sound effects to back up even more insightful lyrics filled with social and political commentary. “Necessary” is very short, but very powerful as well. KRS speaks:
“When some get together and think of rap, they tend to think of violence/
But when they are challenged on some rock group, the result is always silence/
Even before the rock and roll era, violence played a big part in music/
It's all according to your meaning of violence and how or in which way you use it/
No, it's not violent to show in movies the destruction of the human body/
But yes, of course it's violent to protect yourself at a party/
And, oh no, it's not violent when under the Christmas tree is a look-alike gun/
But, yes, of course it's violent to have an album like KRS-One/”
Just in case you haven’t noticed, I am completely biased here. I’ve been a fan of KRS-One since Criminal Minded and I truly believe he is the greatest rapper ever to touch a microphone. However, this is because he’s had over a decade to win me over with terrific albums such as By All Means Necessary. Although the album is a little short by today’s standards, the production is revolutionary work for 1988, and the lyrics are sharp and intellectual. If you’ve never heard this Boogie Down Productions album, you’ve missed a huge chunk of hip-hop history. Go get a late pass.
Discography Criminal Minded
By All Means Necessary
Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip-Hop
Edutainment
Sex and Violence
Return of the Boom Bap
KRS-One
I Got Next
The Sneak Attack
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