bigd99999's Full Review: Criminal Minded [PA] by Boogie Down Productions
For this years' Hip Hop Appreciation Week, ive decided to examine an album by one of hip hop's most responsible, intelligent, and greatest rappers: KRS-One. Since his days in Boogie Down Productions, KRS-One has preached and taught in hip hop about the culture, being the first to actually recieve hip hop music As a culture. His goal is to make hip hop something beyond just a basic music form, but a way of life. He is correct in that. Hip Hop is more than just beats and rhymes, there are more things to it, but those two are the foundation. Everything from graffiti, to breakdancing, to beat-boxing, to scratching and sampling all belong within the hip hop territory. KRS-One helped create almost all genres of rap from politics, to storytelling, to narratives, to intelligent social consciousness, KRS did it all, and is responsible for influencing a whole new plethora of artists which propped up in the 90s, and many ended up being legends themselves. KRS-One takes a lot of responsiblity when he rhymes, giving us narratives of everything.
KRS-One was first introduced to the world of hip hop when he teamed up with the great DJ and beat-maker Scott LaRock to form Boogie Down Productions. Their debut album Criminal Minded has been regarded as a definitive hip hop classic and one of the greatest albums in the history of rap music. Criminal Minded is responsible for influencing tons and tons of artists and albums past it, as many albums attempted to copy its style, but never achieved the perfection and masterpiece feel of the original. The production, though simple and stripped down, was innovative at the time, using simple R&B James Brown samples, some scratching, snares, drums, and bass loops, with a bit of pianos. Criminal Minded changed many people's views of music and forever altered hip hop like very few albums after, or before it.
Track List & Rating
1. Poetry (*****)
2. South Bronx (******)
3. 9mm Goes Bang (******)
4. Word From Our Sponsor (****)
5. Elementary (*****)
6. Dope Beat (*****)
7. Remix for P is Free (*****)
8. The Bridge is Over (******)
9. Super-Hoe (****)
10. Criminal Minded (*****)
Criminal Minded has classic after classic after classic on it, giving us basically, a classic. It never ceases to amaze me whatsoever, lyrically, or beat-wise. The most famous parts of this album are undoubtebly the two songs where KRS-One stands-up for his home of the Bronx. The first of the two is "South Bronx". Featuring a nice funkish guitar, slamming bass and drum loop, and a sample from The Funky Drummer, an old James Brown track. On this track, KRS lays down some tight vocals about his territory, giving us social consciousness and responsibility, hidden beneath some very well-placed diss punchlines to his opponent MC Shan. He raps about the mentality and dangers of his home, warning those beyond its borders to beware, and shows off his responsibility, rapping about drugs and growing up in the South Bronx.
The second of these two tracks is the legendary "The Bridge is Over". Undoubtedbly, this is one of the most, if not, THE most famous diss track ever to be orchestrated and put on wax. DJ Scott LaRock gives us a simple low-key piano loop, with a simple drum loop, snare, and cymbal backing it, very simple, but good. Basically, KRS-One takes the responsibility among himself to lay disses to his rivals MC Shan and Marley Marl in this tight battle, and rips down Queens as a whole. KRS-One relies on heavily clever punchlines and narratives about these two emcees, which influenced and is responsible for many of the emcee battles that we see today. For a long time after this war, Queens was missing a lot of respect, only maintained by Run-DMC, until 1994, when Nas shook the foundation of hip hop with Illmatic, and brought Queens back in the fold. Amazing that one diss track can do that.
Besides being an incredible battle rapper and have an eye for the streets, KRS-One of BDP is also very adapt at storytelling. The first example is on the amazing "9mm goes Bang". KRS-One gives us a gripping street narrative about drugs, similar to the gangsta rhythims we hear in modern rap, but back then, it was more intelligent and more socially conscious, and responsible. KRS-One storytells about his childhood and his trouble with gunplay and violence. The beat is pretty cool, using a low-key xylophone, some syntesizers, and a hard hitting drum loop, yet another classic.
In listening to DEFinition by Black Star, you can now understand where the beat came from, as it was sampled from "Remix for P is Free" by BDP. KRS-One raps old-school style over some thumping instrumentals. The rapping is top-notch, but the instrumental is what makes it memorable, making this a head-bobbing track. Scott LaRock gives us a reggae influenced, synthesized slam down, with some drum / clap percussion, making this genius. The subject matter has been copied time and time again. BDP gives us a responsible, socially conscious track about a girl selling sex for drugs, specifically crack, which is an amazing street narrative and story. KRS displays his storytelling tactics on here perfectly.
"Words from our Sponsor" and "Elementary" both mirror each other. KRS-One raps basic old school braggadiocio over old school sounding beats, put together by DJ Scott LaRock. KRS shows us his profficience on the mic, being a smart emcee. "Dope Beat" follows the same formula, with KRS rapping braggadiocio and battle rhymes, but has a slight difference. DJ LaRock gives us a memorable instrumental, sampling "Back in Black" by the legendary AC / DC, which i enjoyed a lot, both the original and the new one. On "Super-Hoe", KRS raps about Scott LaRock's "pimp juice", as he lays down vocals about all of his sexual escapades, in a fun and light-hearted track, loaded with humor. BDP ends the album with "Criminal Minded". KRS opens the track with a sing-song intro, then the memorable and classic instrumental scratched and changed by DJ Scott LaRock hits, and KRS hits us with an amazing freestyle with awesome lyrics. This is possibly the second most famous track from Criminal Minded, as it has been copied by so many people, specially the breakdown, which was copied by Jadakiss and Bubba Sparxx "They Dont Know" from 2000. This is classic in every sense of the word.
Criminal Minded was the album that launched KRS-One's career. Since then, KRS has done his absolute best to preserve the old feel of hip hop that he helped create. He has donated a variety of money to charities, spread the message of hip hop music across the United States, appeared on countless albums and songs, television, hosted emcee battles, and has been possibly, the most responsible artist in Hip Hop History. For those looking to add a classic to their collection, there is no other place to begin than on Boogie Down Productions' Criminal Minded.
5 Stars
Click HERE for a Review of BDP's By All Means Nessessary
This is my entry into the legendary MadTheory's 3rd Annual Hip-Hop Appreciation Week Write-Off. The purpose of these write-offs is to promote unity and respect in Hip Hop Music, so that it may live for decades to come. This year's theme is Responsibility, which, as you know, ive said MANY times in this review in italics, to prove that im trying, hehe. Sometimes it didn't make sense, but WHO CARES RIGHT? Dont forget to check out the other participants in this Write-Off:
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