Boogie Down Productions
By All Means Necessary (1988)

review by: Alexander Washburn
Date: 10/28/00

I use to long for the days when hip-hop meant something. Now, I just long for the days to understand what the hell DMX is saying. Yes, the Real Slim Shady should sit up and listen to this 1988 classic, which proved that education, thought and fine beats could go hand-in-hand.

From the beginning, KRS-ONE takes you through an encyclopedia of knowledge not found in the history books. KRS-ONE's lyrics are thought provoking before writing thought provoking lyrics also became a fad.

The song "Stop the Violence" which urged the hip-hop community to take some responsibility was a pre-cursor to all the anti-violence movements we see now. He preaches safe sex and AIDS education with the witty, "Jimmy," featuring DJ Red Alert and the Jungle Brothers, long before Magic Johnson bought AIDS a black face.

Listening to this album you remember that hip-hop is the music of the streets and the streets are filled with unreached potential and dreams. Somehow our current rap stars have over looked that.