The Greatest 50 Hip-hop Albums Ever - #19...

[Twentytwofifty]

Boogie Down Productions - By All Means Necessary (1988) 


    The murder of DJ Scott La Rock had a profound effect on KRS-One, resulting in a drastic rethinking of his on-record persona. He re-emerged the following year with By All Means Necessary, calling himself the Teacher and rapping mostly about issues facing the black community.  His reality rhymes were no longer morally ambiguous, and this time when he posed on the cover with a gun, he was mimicking a photo of Malcolm X. As a social commentator, this is arguably KRS-One's finest moment.  His observations are sharp, lucid, and confident, yet he doesn't fall prey to the preachiness that would mar some of his later work, and he isn't afraid to be playful or personal.  The latter is especially true on the subject of La Rock, whose memory hangs over By All Means Necessary — not just in the frequent name-checks, but in the minimalist production and hard-hitting 808 drum beats that were his stock-in-trade on Criminal Minded.  La Rock figures heavily in the album opener, "My Philosophy," which explains BDP's transition and serves as a manifesto for socially conscious hip-hop.  The high point is the impassioned "Stop The Violence", a plea for peace on the hip-hop scene that still hasn't been heeded.  Even as KRS-One denounces black-on-black crime, he refuses to allow the community to be stereotyped, criticizing the system that scoffs at that violence on the spoken recitation "Necessary". "Illegal Business" is a startlingly perceptive look at how the drug trade corrupts the police and government, appearing not long before the CIA's drug-running activities in the Iran-Contra Affair came to light.  There are also some lighter moments in the battle-rhyme tracks, and a witty safe-sex rap in "Jimmy," a close cousin to the Jungle Brothers' "Jimbrowski".  And wiith songs like "I'm Still #1", featuring the verse that buried Melle Mel, the record cememted BDP's rep as rap's most fearsome soundsystem.  Lyrics from this album have been sampled by everyone from Prince Paul to N.W.A, and it ranks not only as KRS-One's most cohesive, fully realized statement, but a landmark of political rap that's unfairly lost in the shadow of that "other" political album from 1988.  Opening with "My Philosophy" and closing with "Necessary", the LP aslo introduced us to KRS-One as the wise, peaceful Teacher and foreshadowed his gift for contradiction.  Thugging, battle-rapping and philosophizing, KRS made us believe his boasts that BDP would be here forever.


50. Dr. Dre - 2001 (1999)
49. Outkast - Southernplayalisticaddicmuzik (1994)
48. Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt (1996)
47. Kool G Rap & DJ Polo - Wanted: Dead Or Alive (1990)
46. Redman - Whut? Thee Album (1992)
45. De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead (1991)
44. Fugees - The Score (1996)
43. The D.O.C. - No One Can Do It Better (1989)
42. Common Sense - Resurrection (1994)
41. Makaveli - The Don Kiluminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996)
40. Public Enemy - Fear Of A Black Planet (1990)
39. Ice Cube - Death Certificate (1992)
38. Gza/Genius - Liquid Swords (1995)
37. N.W.A - Efil4zaggin (1991)
36. Main Source - Breaking Atoms (1991)
35. Geto Boys - Grip It! On That Other Level (1989)
34. Brand Nubian - One For All (1990)
33. Scarface - The Diary (1994)
32. Kool G Rap & DJ Polo - Road To The Riches (1989)
31. Beastie Boys - Licensed To Ill (1986)
30. Ultramagnetic MC's - Critical Beatdown (1988)
29. LL Cool J - Radio (1985)
28. 2Pac - All Eyez On Me (1996)
27. Mobb Deep - The Infamous... (1995)
26. Eric B. & Rakim - Follow The Leader (1988)
25. Big Daddy Kane - It's A Big Daddy (1989)
24. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - Mecca And The Soul Brother (1992)
23. Black Moon - Enta Da Stage (1993)
22. Outkast - Aquemini (1998)
21. A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm (1990)
20. Run-D.M.C. - Run-D.M.C. (1984)
19. Boogie Down Productions - By All Means Necessary (1988)

[Kill]

knew that would pop up, props, peace

[ecrazy]

Good pick, great album....Damn, Remember When Your Karma was -250, Dang, How Times Change

[AlerG]

props, peace.

[ABN]

this album is pretty good but i like Criminal Minded a lot more though.

[We Fly High]

^^ i'm sure criminal minded will be even higher than this.

thanks c2k

[eS El Duque]

^^ i'm sure criminal minded will be even higher than this.

thanks c2k

jup

[[sepehr]]

Fa sheez criminal minded is better but this is also really good, been like 4 this for awhile PROPS!

[Elevz]

Yeah, this is a nice one. Another nice pick. I'm waiting for Criminal Minded to pop up, but that will probably take a while...