Boogie Down Productions (Criminal Minded)

[Slim Zaddy]

Released March 3, 1987 (1987-03-03)
Recorded 1986
Genre Golden age hip hop, East Coast hip-hop hardcore hip-hop
Length 46:36
Label B-Boy Records
Producer Ced-Gee
Scott La Rock
KRS-One

Overview
Criminal Minded by Boogie Down Productions is a highly influential[1] hip hop album. Production on the LP is credited to 'Blastmaster' KRS-One (Lawrence Krisna Parker) and DJ Scott La Rock (Scott Sterling), but in future interviews it has been revealed that an uncredited Ced-Gee (Cedric Miller) of The Ultramagnetic MCs had a key role in crafting the sound of the LP. The introduction of the single "Criminal Minded", contained a sample of Hey Jude

Background
Released in early 1987, the album sampled records from James Brown and AC/DC, and also flaunted a dancehall reggae influence. The songs “South Bronx” and “The Bridge is Over” (a reference to the Queensbridge Housing Projects) ignited a famous rivalry with the Queens-bred emcee MC Shan (see the The Bridge Wars).

The album is also credited with providing a prototype for East Coast gangsta rap from which to develop. For instance, the cover, which showcases Parker and Sterling surrounded by an arsenal of weapons, was hip-hop’s first major release to feature members brandishing firearms. The album also contained several seminal hardcore songs such as “9mm Goes Bang,” one of the first hip-hop songs to be based around a first-person crime narrative, and "P Is Free," which details an encounter with a drug-abusing prostitute for perhaps the first time on record.

The liner notes of Criminal Minded read, "peace to Ron Nelson and the Toronto posse". This statement is evidence of BDP's involvement with Toronto's underground hip hop scene in the late 80s, which produced artists such as Michie Mee, Dream Warriors and Maestro Fresh Wes.[2]

Controversy
Initially, the album sold at least several hundred thousand copies; however, the relationship between the group and B-Boy Records quickly deteriorated when the label (headed by Jack Allen and Bill Kamarra) was allegedly slow to pay royalties. A lawsuit was launched, which was eventually settled out-of-court. Having left B-Boy Records, new friend Ice-T introduced them to a Warner Bros. A&R exec, who promptly signed them to a new record deal. The deal was short-lived, however.

By this time, Sterling had befriended a neighborhood teenager, Derek "D-Nice" Jones, who did a human beatbox routine for the group. One evening, Jones was assaulted by some local hoodlums and he later called Sterling to run interference. The next day, Sterling and a group of others came to the stoop where the offending parties lived. Sterling’s intention was to try and mediate things, but one of the hoods pulled out a gun and began shooting at random. In the ensuing confusion, Sterling was hit in the neck. Critically wounded, he died an hour later in hospital, leaving behind an infant son.

Warner Bros. reneged on the new deal in the aftermath of Sterling’s death. Parker, however, decided that the group should continue. A handful of friends were brought into the collective, including Parker’s new wife Ms. Melodie and brother Kenny Parker, with whom he had just recently reunited. Signing with Jive/RCA Records, Parker recorded eight albums for that label in a 10-year period, eventually dropping the Boogie Down Productions moniker and billing himself as a solo performer. REM and others recruited him for collaborations, and he was among the few hip-hop acts at the Beastie Boys’ Tibetan Freedom Concerts.

Meanwhile, Criminal Minded has been notoriously hard to find, falling in and out of print every few years, surfacing with a different distributor every time. Currently, the Boston-based independent label LandSpeed Records has landed the distribution rights to Criminal Minded, hence re-release in 2002. An expanded re-release titled The Best of B-Boy Records: Boogie Down Productions includes longer versions of the albums tracks and several 12-inch singles that didn't make Criminal Minded's original pressing. The album was rereleased again in 2006—original art intact—when LandSpeed became Traffic Entertainment Group.

Reception
In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums
In 2003, the album was ranked number 444 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Vibe (12/99, p.157) - Included in Vibe's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century.
Vibe (6/02, p.108) - Ranked #3 in Vibe's "Top 10 rap albums."


Track listing
1 "Poetry" L. Parker, S. LaRock Ced Gee, DJ Scott La Rock, KRS-One KRS-One
2 "South Bronx" L. Parker, S. LaRock DJ Scott La Rock, KRS-One D-Nice, DJ Scott La Rock, KRS-One
3 "9mm Goes Bang" L. Parker, S. LaRock DJ Scott La Rock, KRS-One KRS-One
4 "Word From Our Sponsor" L. Parker, S. LaRock Ced Gee, DJ Scott La Rock, KRS-One KRS-One
5 "Elementary" L. Parker, S. LaRock DJ Scott La Rock, KRS-One DJ Scott La Rock, KRS-One
6 "Dope Beat" L. Parker, S. LaRock Ced Gee, DJ Scott La Rock, KRS-One KRS-One
7 "Remix For P Is Free" L. Parker, S. LaRock Ced Gee, DJ Scott La Rock, KRS-One KRS-One
8 "The Bridge Is Over" L. Parker, S. LaRock Ced Gee, DJ Scott La Rock, KRS-One KRS-One
9 "Super-Hoe" L. Parker, S. LaRock Ced Gee, DJ Scott La Rock, KRS-One DJ Scott La Rock, KRS-One
10 "Criminal Minded" L. Parker, S. LaRock DJ Scott La Rock, KRS-One KRS-One
11 "Scott LaRock Mega-mix (Bonus)" S. LaRock DJ Scott La Rock DJ Scott La Rock

Credits:
KRS-One Rap
scott La Rock Rap

Album Chart Positions
Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums
1987 Criminal Minded #73

My Review:
This is held as a classic so you can imagine many a BDP virgin's confusion upon first listen. This is not mind-blowing or really all that great upon first listen. Let the beats take over yer soul, and you will see a true hardcore rap group at work and an MC that knows exactly what he's doing. The beats are subject to being called simplistic and cheesy by haters, they are wrong. 9mm Goes Bang is an all time great cut that showcases talent and chemistry that only Run DMC can match. This is advanced. Did I mention it's entertaining as hell?