By All Means Necessary....

One of the most important and influential hip-hop groups of the latter half of the 1980s was undoubtedly Boogie Down Productions.

Led by the often brilliant and incendiary MC KRS-One, B.D.P. were pioneers of both hardcore and political rap and were also among the very first hip-hop artists to incorporate elements of Jamaican ragga and dancehall into their style.

In the time between their debut album 1987's Criminal Minded and the follow up, By All Means Necessary, founding member DJ Scott La Rock was tragically murdered and this had a profound effect on KRS-One, which is very apparent in the lyrics on By All Means... where he makes social commentary on the state of rap music and on American society in general. The first track "My Philosophy" is an example of what hip-hop was meant to be about, not what it has evolved into. KRS-One had a vision of entertaining as well as educating his audience and on By All Means... he emerges more as a teacher with some of his most intelligent and conscious lyrics.

By All Means Necessary is up there with the best work in hip hop and can be purchased here .

Boogie Down Productions - My Philosophy