The best rap album of the 80s in my opinion is “Criminal Minded” by Boogie Down Productions (1987). To be clear, this is not the best album of the 80s in music, that honor goes to “Thriller”, by Michael Jackson. Now, on with the review.
Backstory: BDP was formed by Laurence Parker aka KRS-One (stands for: Knowledge Reigns Supreme-Over Nearly Everybody), who does the rapping and two DJ’s named Scott La Rock and D-Nice (D-Nice is known by me as the guy who DJed his heart out during instagram live in March 2020). All three are from the Bronx. Months after this album came out, Scott La Rock died by a gunshot.
First, this album starts off with Poetry, which I know for the drum beat and scratching effects that were sampled for MF DOOM’s “Doomsday.” The rapping was good at the time, but it didn’t age well. Some as the “we are the best” type of lyrics.
Next we get into what I think is tied for the best song on the album, South Bronx. The backstory behind this song was that a rapper named MC Shan released “The Bridge”, which had a misunderstanding lyric: “You love to hear the story again and again/ Of how it all got started way back when/ The monument is right in your face/ Sit and listen for a while to the name of the place.” BDP thought it meant that Hip-Hop got started in queens, but it means that most rappers were born in queens. They took this to heart as hip-hop started from where they came from, the Bronx and they thought Shan was trying to make his hometown look better. So they talked about the story of how it actually began and also dissed Shan and his group, the Juice Crew. The production is beautiful with the awesome stabs, you just need to check the instrumentals out for yourself so you know what I mean. The chorus makes you want to yell it out all the time. Best line by a mile: “You got dropped off MCA ’cause the rhymes you wrote was wack.”
The 3rd song on the album is called 9mm Goes Bang. The song is all about KRS-One taking down anyone in his way. At the end of the song, Scott picks him up which gives us the line of the song: “But Scott is either psychic or he has a knack for trouble/ ‘Cause Scott La Rock showed up in a all-black BMW.” (If you are in all black, it causes attention) He talks about how some guy put a hit on him and tried to kill him, but he killed the people after him instead.
After that we have “Word From Our Sponsor”, which is just the classic, “this is who I am” thing all over again. I liked it definitely, but there is not much to talk about when it comes to the other songs.
Elementary is the exact same thing except KRS’ voice got a little deeper. He did make a reference to Yakety-Yak which is awesome and made me laugh when I’m now looking at the lyrics.
Now we’re the heavy hitters. From this song, “Dope Beat”, on, there is no filler for the next 4 songs. The instrumental is a sample of the guitar from Black Is Back by AC/DC, which I know as the opening song from the first Iron Man and the song in Spider-Man: Far From Home where Spidey says, “I love Led Zeppelin.” The song title is also true, it is a very dope beat. The hook is just KRS-One yelling “We got the dope beat” the whole time. My favorite line is: “I don’t wear Adidas ’cause my name ain’t Run.” The line implies Run, from RUN-DMC who’s group made a song called My Adidas the year before.
Song numero siete (which is number 7 in Spanish) is called Remix P is For Free. The original is found in one of their greatest hits compilations. The song starts of with a sound that was used in Black Star’s song “Definition” as well as a melody that goes like, “Yes, Scott La Rock, you know you rule hip-hop, and/ Yes, Mr. Lee, you can rule hip-hop, and/ 357, you can rule hip-hop. This melody has been used by Black Star on “Definition” (1998), Biggie on “Playa’s Anthem” (1995), and 2pac on “Hit em Up” (1996). The song is about Girls who want to do illegal stuff with him, which is really funny.
NOW it is time for the best song of the album. The Bridge Is Over. This song is another diss aimed at MC Shan and the Juice Crew. They do the 80s type stuff of saying very bad slurs and tearing down every rapper that ever lived in Queens in the song. That piano man, that piano makes me vibe to a level that only a few songs can do. Best line of the song and the whole album: Manhattan keeps on making it, Brooklyn keeps on taking it, Bronx keeps creating it, and Queens keeps on faking it!” If you have ever watched the rap battle parody vid from the 2000s. 1. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeB3eYk1Ze0 and 2. Skip to second 4:03. You see that, that’s how I feel whenever I hear that line. (Fun fact: that line was also used on Black Star’s Definition on the second line of the 3rd verse). Then KRS-One says “What’s the problem with your MC, Marley Marl, don’t you know that he’s out of touch.” And “Bronx Created Hip-Hop, Queens will only get dropped, and you’re still telling lies to me.” THIS MAN IS AMAZING!
9th song is called Super *** it’s a good, in fact great song, but it is very inappropriate, it is hilarious because of the inappropriateness, but you have to check it out on your own time because I can’t say that much about it.
The title track ends off the album, and it is a banger way to end it off . First though, I have to say MR. PARKER, YOU CANNOT SING, SO PLEASE DON’T TRY TO. He sings in the intro, and at the end of his verse. It is so bad and it makes me cringe. I love the rest though, as the instrumental and rapping is good.
In full: This album was a key part of how hip-hop turned violent and scared kids all over suburbia. The production aged very well and keeps that same energy I know the 80s for. Raping was the same as all albums before this with the same cadence and rhyming style. I’ll talk about how it changed in a bit.
What they did after this: After Scott LaRock died, some stars created the Stop The Violence Movement, with the hit song, “Self Destruction”. BDP created songs until 1992, with their biggest hit from that era being “My Philosophy” Boogie Down Productions – My Philosophy in 1988. KRS-One went on his own after that with classics like: “Sound of da Police” KRS-One – Sound of da Police (Official Video), “MC’s Act Like They Don’t Know” KRS-One – MC’s Act Like They Don’t Know (fun fact: MC’s Act Like They Don’t Know was one of the first rap songs I ever listened to), and “Step Into A World (Rapture’s Delight)”KRS-One – Step Into A World (Rapture’s Delight). His most recent release is the album: I M a M C R U 12.
Though this album is my favorite from the 80s, and I do have some runners-up. Check out this post to see those selections.
The Music In My Mind 
Leave a comment