Description
Boogie Down Productions – By All Means Necessary – Compact Disc
Boogie Down Productions – By All Means Necessary, released on May 31, 1988, is one of the most important and influential albums in the history of conscious hip-hop. Created in the wake of tragedy—following the murder of DJ Scott La Rock in 1987—this sophomore album marked a profound shift in both tone and message for BDP and its frontman, KRS-One. Where their debut Criminal Minded (1987) was steeped in gritty street realism, battle rhymes, and dancehall influence, By All Means Necessary pivots toward social commentary, political awareness, and intellectual empowerment—without sacrificing the hard-hitting boom-bap energy that defined the golden era of hip-hop.
The album’s cover image is immediately striking and symbolic: a direct reference to the iconic photo of Malcolm X peering out of a window while holding a rifle. KRS-One replaces the gun with a microphone, underscoring his new philosophy: “edutainment”—using hip-hop not just for expression, but as a tool for education, revolution, and resistance. The title itself, By All Means Necessary, is borrowed from Malcolm X’s famous phrase and reflects the seriousness with which KRS approached his mission: hip-hop as a weapon for truth and change.
From the opening track, “My Philosophy,” KRS-One makes his new direction unmistakably clear. Over a stripped-down, funk-laced beat, he critiques commercialism, shallow lyricism, and violence in hip-hop, while laying out his own vision for the artform. He positions himself not just as an emcee, but as a teacher and cultural critic, challenging both fans and fellow rappers to raise their consciousness. His confidence is matched by his intellect, with lines like: “Rap is something you do, hip-hop is something you live.” That distinction would become central to KRS-One’s legacy.
The rest of the album continues in that didactic and revolutionary vein, with tracks tackling everything from institutional racism to media manipulation, Black identity, and the prison system. On “Stop the Violence,” KRS-One addresses Black-on-Black crime and calls for unity within the hip-hop community—a track that would eventually inspire the Stop the Violence Movement and the landmark 1989 posse cut “Self Destruction.” It’s a sobering, heartfelt response to the kind of street violence that claimed the life of Scott La Rock.
“Illegal Business” exposes the hypocrisy and corruption within the American criminal justice system, connecting the drug trade to political and corporate interests. It’s one of the earliest hip-hop tracks to explicitly connect capitalism, race, and incarceration in such a direct way. Meanwhile, songs like “Bo! Bo! Bo!” and “T’Cha-T’Cha” retain some of the reggae-inflected, battle-rap flavor from Criminal Minded, showing that KRS hadn’t lost his edge—he had simply refocused it.
The production—handled by KRS-One and engineer D-Nice—is sparser and more refined than the debut. The beats are sample-heavy, drawing from James Brown, Funkadelic, and jazz-funk breaks, but arranged with a tighter, more deliberate approach. The minimalism of tracks like “My Philosophy” and “Ya Slippin’” actually enhances the lyrical delivery, letting KRS-One’s voice carry the full weight of the message. The beats nod to the street, but the lyrics look toward the classroom, the community center, and the political rally.
What sets By All Means Necessary apart is its clarity of purpose. KRS-One is not just rhyming—he’s challenging systems, offering solutions, and pushing hip-hop into new territory. In a year when rap was diversifying rapidly—with Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, N.W.A’s Straight Outta Compton, and Eric B. & Rakim’s Follow the Leader—this album holds its own by asserting that knowledge is as powerful as rebellion, and that the emcee could be both a warrior and a philosopher.
By All Means Necessary is seen as a turning point in hip-hop. It helped define the era of conscious rap and proved that socially aware music could be commercially viable and artistically potent. It reached #75 on the Billboard 200 and #18 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart—solid performance for a politically charged album in the late ’80s—and it continues to appear on “best of” lists for its lyrical vision and impact.
In retrospect, this album represents KRS-One’s transformation from street poet to philosopher-emcee, and it set a high bar for lyrical depth in hip-hop. It’s a record that doesn’t just demand to be heard—it demands to be understood, studied, and passed on.
Track Listing
My Philosophy
Ya Slippin’
Stop The Violence
Illegal Business
Nervous
I’m Still #1
Part Time Suckers
Jimmy
T’Cha – T’Cha
Necessary
