Boogie Down Productions: By All Means Necessary [MUSIC ON VINYL]

Why you'll love it

Music On Vinyl presses it on 180g audiophile vinyl with an insert. The album went gold in 1989, and "My Philosophy" later placed No. 49 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.

This edition

• 180g vinyl
• Insert included
• Pressed in the EU

About the album

KRS-One started calling himself the Teacher on this album, and he meant it. After the loss of DJ and producer Scott La Rock in 1987, he steered Boogie Down Productions away from the street tales of Criminal Minded and toward socially conscious songs, and Jive put the result out in April 1988. The cover and title both nod to a famous photograph of Malcolm X.

KRS-One wrote, produced and mixed it, keeping the beats minimal and the drums hard so every line lands. "Stop The Violence" takes on violence in hip hop, "Illegal Business" looks at corruption and the drug trade, and "I'm Still #1" and "Necessary" show he hadn't lost his edge on the mic. Rolling Stone's Anthony DeCurtis praised its social commentary over irresistible beats.

It's widely seen as one of the first politically conscious albums in hip hop. AllMusic's Steve Huey called it a landmark of political hip hop, and The Source put it on its 100 Best Albums list in 1998. Few records have taught as many lessons per minute, and none of them came with homework.

Also at Kops: more Boogie Down Productions on vinyl · browse Hip Hop / R&B

Tracklist

Listen

On Music On Vinyl / Jive (cat# MOVLP1460), a reissue of the 1988 album.