Criminal Minded (Another Throwback Record Review)

"Boogie Down Production will always get paid,
we'll take your wackest songs and make it better,
remember to let us in to your skin, cause then will begin
to master rhymin' rhymin' rhymin', Criminal Minded, you've been blinded -- "

Boogie Down Productions may not the first group on the East Coast to introduce "gangsta" themes with their debut disc, "Criminal Minded." That honor would probably go to Philly emcee, Schoolly D in "P.S.K." But this legendary album is a MUST for any true Hip-Hop fan. It paved the way for many of the hardcore hip-hop and lyrical albums that followed .
These Bronx-based B-Boys' first album, the only one to include the late, great DJ Scott La Rock (killed tryna squash a beef someone had with D-Nice), introduced the world to probably, one of the dopest, most confrontational emcees to ever contradicted himself with every release, The Blastmaster KRS One. In "Elementary he spit, "I don't battle with rhymes, I battle with guns -- " and then later brought hip-hop together with the release of "Self Destruction."
He was part of a dying breed of 3-dimensional characters. Now everyone is one-dimensional, everyone is just hard, but the Philosopher dropped science, educated us on Black History and gave us knowledge of self. Sure he was the ultimate battle emcee who could still entertain us with songs and took on all comers starting with the Juice Crew's MC Shan, with the battle cry of "South Bronx."
What many look back as a battle of the boroughs, both claiming to be hip-hop's Garden of Eden, some purist see as the beginning on the end for Shan's lyrical reign in the Empire State. KRS basically drops a chronological history of the New York Hip-Hop scene from the mid-to-late 70's right on up to 1987, when the single was released and rocked the radio, clubs and the parks. He gave a shout to legends from the BX like Grandmaster Flash, Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaata, and DJ Red Alert. KRS also lets it be known that he "didn't hear a peep from a place called Queens" during rap's inaugural stages.
KRS says he told Shan not to answer him back but the Queensbridge emcee's mistake as Kris put in 'was chasing the new hot kid of the block.' KRS told me years later in an interview his career could have been severely altered if Shan had never answered. This legendary battle has been recreated several times including re-enactment in the form of a Sprite commercial and will be remembered as one of the greatest battles on wax.
In KRS' second answer to Shan's "The Bridge," BDP unleashed the anti-Juice Crew creed "The Bridge Is Over" and it was pretty much a wrap from there.
"Manhattan keeps on makin' it
Brooklyn keeps on takin' it
Bronx keeps creatin' it
and Queens keeps on fakin' it."
KRS took shots at Marley Marl, Shan, Roxanne Shante, and the entire Q borough for that matter.

To this day KRS-ONE still performs most of his Criminal Minded rhymes, and even the newest hip-hop fan can recite them word for word. Once Kris takes the stage and the beat drops, he turns the hardest artist into a fan. From the ultraviolent dancehall "9mm Goes Bang," which painted a picture of street warfare which was common on that side of town in that day, to the catalog of the late Scott La Rock's condom collection on "Super-Hoe."
"If you are a guy the 9 will do the trick
But if you are a girl then you need some...flowers
I admit Scott LaRock has powers
Enticing girls in less than an hour."
Who can forget the remix of "The P Is Free" --
"The girlies are free 'cause the crack costs money"

Contrary to belief all of the beats weren't produced by Scott La Rock, Ced Gee from Ultramagnetic, got stiffed on the album credits, either way the tracks are bluntly effective and harder than hell when it came out in fresh for 87, you suckas. While Run DMC gets credit for being the first to blend rap and rock with their classic rendition of "Walk This Way," one can't dispute that the AC/DC riff used on "Dope Beat," is still one of the early classical usage of the combination of genres, and it got the party started with the first couple of riffs as with several other tracks on this album.
Unfortunately B Boy Records tried to capitalize on Scott's demise and release several versions on the album including an instrumental album with different artwork, they titled the club mix, and remix album called the Man and His Music. Don't settle for the cheap imitations.
I could go on for days about this joint but I will close by saying, to call Criminal Minded is a mere classic album (especially how easily that word is thrown around today) would be the same as just saying Ali was a great boxer. Even though the simple beat box patterned beats may sound outdated to the youth of today, this is and will go down in hip hop history as one of the Top 10 greatest hip hop albums ever made, period! You Suckaaaaaas.