Boogie Down Productions ‘Criminal Minded’ 30th Anniversary
Release date: 3rd March 1987
Label: B-Boy Records
Producers: Scott La Rock, KRS-One, Ced-Gee
Profile (courtesy of Wikipedia):
“Criminal Minded is the debut album by Boogie Down Productions, released on March 3, 1987 on B-Boy Records. Considered a highly influentialhip hop album, it is also credited with providing a prototype for the East Coast gangsta rap which emerged in the following decades. The album’s samples and direct influences were unusual at the time, ranging from liberal use of dancehall reggae (as well as the more commonly used James Brown) to rock music artists such as AC/DC, The Beatles and Billy Joel. The album was eventually certified Gold by the RIAA.The songs “South Bronx” and “The Bridge Is Over” ignited the rivalry with the Queens-bred emcee MC Shan and the Juice Crew. These songs and others on the album spoke of the role the South Bronx area of New York City played in hip hop’s early history.Other songs told streetwise tales of the evils of drugs and prostitution. In 2003, the album was ranked number 444 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.”
Additional info:
- The singles ‘The Bridge Is Over’ and ‘Poetry’ come in at #3 and #24 respectively in Ego Trip’s Top 40 Rap Singles of 1987.
- The tracks ‘Criminal Minded’ and ‘South Bronx’ appear on our Classic Material 1984-1987 Mixtape.
- Listen to samples used in the making of the album on WhoSampled.
- DJ Bobafatt looks back on 30 years of the classic album.
Purchase: Discogs