HawgWyld's Full Review: By All Means Necessary by Boogie Down Productions
Ah, good ol' KRS-One. Here's a man who pretty much educated himself by spending a lot of time in a public library. This album proves the man is both intelligent and has a lot on his mind. If you want some "classic" rap that's full of social commentary, this isn't a bad one to pick up and play.
This came out in 1988, and sounds a heck of a lot like a rap album from that era. You've got the "huge" drum machines, scratches and samples that provide for an album that's sparse in terms of music. The emphasis here is on the lyrics, and KRS-One has a lot to say, indeed. KRS-One, see, was one of a group of rap artists at the time embracing rap as a medium for social commentary. KRS-One and others started moving away from the "brag and dance" themes that dominated rap in earlier days.
Before I mention the lyrics, I should mention a couple of things about the actual music. The guitar sample in "Ya Slippin'" is nothing short of cool in that it's lifted directly from Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water." Another nice touch is the guitar sample in "Illegal Business." That one is pretty darn creepy as it was lifted from the "danger" music that played on Fat Albert whenever the hefty hero and his friends were in trouble of facing a difficult situation. If you've ever watched the Fat Albert cartoon, you know exactly what I'm talking about here. Sure, the musical atmosphere on this disc is sparse and dominated by a very loud drum machine, but there are some nice samples and scratches tossed in, too.
The thing that makes this album great is the lyrics. Hear KRS-One attack both the drug trade and the inability of the U.S. to stop it (and, indeed, sometimes profit from it) in "Illegal Business." Hear KRS-One make his plea for peace on "Stop the Violence." On "My Philosophy," the big hit from the album, KRS-One takes swipe on "sell out" rap artists, racial stereotypes and such. Indeed, this whole album is full of common sense themes from KRS-One mixed in with some toughness. Also, the "Fresh for '88, you suckas!" bit in this one is just funny to me -- rather "dates" the album, doesn't it?
Are there any downsides to the album? Well, "Jimmy" is kind of a silly song about wearing a condom. Nice message, perhaps, but KRS-One just sounds rather childish on the track.
On the balance, though, this album's got the stuff to be counted as a rap classic. Booming beats and social commentary are in there, and it's hard to not grin a bit at the bragging here as KRS-One makes himself out to be the best durn MC in the country. Here's some old school fun that's sure to satisfy.
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