''Criminal Minded'' is the debut studio album by American

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

group

Boogie Down Productions Boogie Down Productions (BDP) was an American hip-hop group formed in the Bronx, New York City, in 1986. It originally consisted of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, five months after the ...

. It was released in 1987 through B-Boy Records. It is considered a highly influential hip hop album and one of the first in the

gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of rap music that conveys the culture, values, and experiences of urban gangs and street hustlers, frequently discussing unpleasant realities of the world in general th ...

genre. Since its release, the album has been sampled, interpolated and paraphrased. Its 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 James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

) to

rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

artists such as

AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

and

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...

. The album was eventually certified Gold by the RIAA. The songs "

South Bronx The South Bronx is an area of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Bronx, Concourse, Mott Haven, Bronx, Mott Haven, Melrose, B ...

" and " The Bridge Is Over" ignited the rivalry with the Brooklyn-bred but Queens resident emcee

MC Shan Shawn Moltke (born September 6, 1965), better known by his stage name MC Shan, is an American rapper, singer and record producer from New York City. He is best known for his guest appearance and production on Canadian singer Snow's 1992 single " ...

and the Juice Crew. Throughout the album,

KRS-One Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from the Bronx. He rose to prominence as part of the ...

gives honor and praise to Scott La Rock for producing the album and he mostly goes on about the importance of originality and being "real" instead of a "Sucker MC". In 2003, the album was ranked number 444 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

''s list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", and was later ranked number 239 in the 2020 edition.

Background

Production on the LP is credited to Blastmaster'

(Lawrence Krisna Parker) and DJ Scott La Rock (Scott Sterling), with a special thanks to Ced-Gee (Cedric Miller) of The Ultramagnetic MCs on the back cover. The cover, which showcases Parker and Sterling surrounded by an arsenal of weapons, was hip-hop's first major release to feature members brandishing

firearm A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originate ...

s. The album also contained several seminal hardcore songs such as "9mm Goes Bang", one of the first hip-hop songs to be based around a first-person crime narrative, and "P Is Free", which details an encounter with a drug-abusing

prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...

. The

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...

of ''Criminal Minded'' read, "Peace to Ron Nelson and the

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

posse." This statement is evidence of BDP's involvement with Toronto's hip hop scene in the 1980s, which produced artists such as

Michie Mee Michelle Ann Camille McCullock (born November 1, 1970), better known by her stage name Michie Mee, is a Canadian rapper and actress. Canada's first notable female Master of Ceremonies, MC, she is considered a national hip hop music, hip-hop pionee ...

, Dream Warriors, and Maestro Fresh Wes.

Controversy

Initially, the album sold at least several hundred thousand copies; however, the relationship between the group and B-Boy Records quickly deteriorated when the label, headed by Jack Allen and Bill Kamarra, was allegedly slow to pay royalties. A lawsuit was launched, which was eventually settled out-of-court. Having left B-Boy Records, new friend

Ice-T Tracy Lauren Marrow (born February 16, 1958), known professionally as Ice-T (or Ice T), is an American rapper and actor. He is active in both hip hop music, hip hop and heavy metal music, heavy metal. Ice-T began his career as an underground r ...

introduced BDP to Warner Bros. Records' Benny Medina, head of the label's Black-music division, who promptly agreed to sign the duo in principle to a new record deal. However, the Warner Brothers deal was later rescinded after Scott La Rock's murder. By this time, Sterling had befriended a neighborhood teenager named Derrick "D-Nice" Jones, who did a human beatboxing routine for the group. One evening, Jones was assaulted by some local hoodlums and he later called Sterling to run interference. The next day, Sterling and a group of others came to the stoop where the offending parties lived. Sterling's intention was to try and mediate things, but one of the hoods pulled out a gun and began shooting at random. In the ensuing confusion, Sterling was hit in the neck. Critically wounded, he died an hour later in hospital, leaving behind an infant son. Warner Bros. reneged on the new deal in the aftermath of Sterling's death. Parker, however, decided that the group should continue. A handful of friends were brought into the collective, including Parker's new wife Ms. Melodie and brother Kenny Parker, with whom he had just recently reunited. Original member and ''Criminal Minded'' co-producer Lee Smith was dropped by Parker in pursuit of a deal. Signing with Jive/

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

, Parker recorded eight albums for that label in a 10-year period, eventually dropping the Boogie Down Productions moniker and billing himself as a solo performer. R.E.M. and others recruited him for collaborations, and he was among the few hip-hop acts at the

Beastie Boys The Beastie Boys were an American Hip-hop, hip hop and Rap rock, rap rock group formed in New York City in 1979. They were composed of Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Mike D, ...

' Tibetan Freedom Concerts. Meanwhile, ''Criminal Minded'' became notoriously hard to find, falling in and out of print every few years, surfacing with a different distributor every time. Eventually, the Boston-based independent label LandSpeed Records purchased the rights of the B-Boy Records catalogue, hence a re-release in 2002. An expanded re-release titled ''The Best of B-Boy Records: Boogie Down Productions'' includes longer versions of the album's tracks and several 12-inch singles that didn't make ''Criminal Mindeds original pressing. On

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

this bumper pack is simply known as Criminal Minded (Deluxe). The album was re-released again in 2006—original art intact—when LandSpeed became Traffic Entertainment Group.

Critical reception

''Criminal Minded'' has been well received by critics. In 1988, for ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'',

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

wrote in his "Consumer Guide" column: In 1998, ''Criminal Minded'' was selected by '' The Source'' as one of the 100 Best Rap Albums. '' Vibe'' included it in its list of the 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century in 1999, and in 2002, the magazine placed it at number three on its list of the Top 10 Rap Albums. In 2003, the album was ranked number 444 on ''

'' magazine's list of

the 500 greatest albums of all time "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and indu ...

, and was later ranked 239 in the 2020 edition. ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'' named the song "South Bronx" as the ninth-best hip hop dis song of all-time. In 2017, rapper

MC Ren Lorenzo Jerald Patterson (born June 16, 1969), known professionally by his stage name MC Ren, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Compton, California. He is the founder and owner of the independent record label Villain ...

named ''Criminal Minded'' as his all-time favorite hip hop album. MC Ren also heavily sampled "The Bridge Is Over" on his 1992 single " Final Frontier". :

Track listing

Bonus track found on later pressings.

Samples

Samples appearing on the album

"Poetry" contains samples from

's " Soul Power Pt. 1", "The Boss", and "Don't Tell It" (scratches by TR Love). "South Bronx" contains samples from James Brown's " Get Up Offa That Thing" and " Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved". "Word from Our Sponsor" contains samples from First Choice's "Love Thang". "Dope Beat" contains a sample from

's " Back in Black". "Remix for P Is Free" contains a sample from Yellowman's "Zungguzungguguzungguzeng". "The Bridge Is Over" contains the kick and snare drum of the Honey Drippers' "Impeach the President", an interpolation of a bassline from Super Cat's "Boops" (played on the studio piano by

), and a short melodic and lyrical interpolation of

's " It's Still Rock and Roll to Me". "Super Hoe" contains samples from Captain Sky's "Super Sporm" and Esther Williams' "Last Night Changed It All (I Really Had a Ball)". "Criminal Minded" contains samples from Syl Johnson's "Different Strokes" and Trouble Funk's " Let's Get Small", and begins with a melodic and lyrical interpolation of

' "

Hey Jude "Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock music, rock band the Beatles that was released as a non-album single in August 1968. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The single was the Beatles' fir ...

Samples from the album by other artists

* "Poetry" ** "Doomsday" by MF Doom from the album '' Operation: Doomsday'' * "The Bridge Is Over" ** " If It's Lovin' that You Want" by

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...

from the album ''

Music of the Sun ''Music of the Sun'' is the debut studio album by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on August 29, 2005, by Def Jam Recordings. Prior to signing with Def Jam, Rihanna was discovered by record producer Evan Rogers in Barbados, who helped ...

'' ** "Destroy & Rebuild" by

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air (S ...

from the album '' Stillmatic'' ** "Final Frontier" by

from the album '' Kizz My Black Azz'' ** "Butt in the Meantime"

Black Sheep In the English language, black sheep is an idiom that describes a member of a group who is different from the rest, especially a family member who does not fit in. The term stems from sheep whose fleece is colored black rather than the more comm ...

from the album '' A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing'' ** "Brooklyn Took It" by Jeru the Damaja from the album '' The Sun Rises in the East'' * "South Bronx" ** "

Jenny from the Block "Jenny from the Block" is a song by American singer Jennifer Lopez, which features American rappers Jadakiss and Styles P, both members of the Lox. It was released by Epic Records on September 26, 2002, as the lead single from her third studio al ...

" by

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...

from the album '' This Is Me...Then'' ** "

No One Else "No One Else" is a song by American girl group Total featuring American rapper Da Brat. It was released as the second single from Total's self-titled debut studio album on November 28, 1995, by Bad Boy and Arista Records. The song was produc ...

" by Total from the album '' Total'' ** "KRS-One Attacks" by

from the album '' Return of the Boom Bap'' ** "Can't Let Her Get Away" by

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

from the album '' Dangerous'' (uncredited) * "Dope Beat" ** "Form of Intellect" by Gang Starr from the album '' Step in the Arena'' ** " Basketball Jones" by Barry White and Chris Rock from the soundtrack to '' Space Jam'' contains an outro (sung by Rock) which is based on La Rock's outro in this song * "Remix for P Is Free" ** "

Definition A definition is a statement of the meaning of a term (a word, phrase, or other set of symbols). Definitions can be classified into two large categories: intensional definitions (which try to give the sense of a term), and extensional definitio ...

" by Black Star from the album '' Black Star''. They also paraphrased lyrics from "Stop The Violence" and "The Bridge Is Over". ** "Live & Direct" by

Sugar Ray Sugar Ray is an American rock band formed in Newport Beach, California, in 1986. Originally playing heavier funk metal and nu metal style music, the band achieved mainstream popularity in 1997 with their more pop-influenced single " Fly". Th ...

featuring

from the album '' 14:59'' ** "Lil' Putos" by

Cypress Hill Cypress Hill is an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in South Gate, California in 1988. One of the first Latin groups to gain mainstream recognition in hip hop, they have sold over 20 million albums worldwide, and have obtained multi ...

from the album '' Black Sunday'' * "Super-Hoe" ** "Superhoes" by Funkdoobiest from the album '' Brothas Doobie'' ** "Dead Bent" by MF Doom from the album '' Operation: Doomsday'' ** "Doo-Wop That Thing" by Lauryn Hill ** ''Smoove'' - ''Footprints'' * "Criminal Minded" ** Ruff Ryders interloped a line from this song in "They Ain't Ready" ** "Ex Girl to the Next Girl" by Gang Starr from the album '' Daily Operation'' * "9mm Goes Bang" ** "Uh Huh" by

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), known professionally as Method Man, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. He is a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, and is half of the hip hop duo Method Man & R ...

** "9mm" by

Freddie Gibbs Fredrick Jamel Tipton (born June 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Freddie Gibbs, is an American rapper and songwriter. He signed with Interscope Records in 2006 and recorded his debut album for the label; however, its release was cance ...

** "It's Not a Game" by Big Herk ** "Midnight" by

from the album '' O.G. Original Gangster'' ** "

Battlefield A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troop ...

" by

Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the American Idol (season 6), sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. He ...

from the album ''

'' (uncredited) ** "9mm Goes Bang" appeared in 50 Cent's film ''

Get Rich or Die Tryin' ''Get Rich or Die Tryin'' is the debut studio album by American rapper 50 Cent. It was released on February 6, 2003, by Interscope Records, Eminem's Shady Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, and 50 Cent's G-Unit Records. After si ...

'' ** "Illusions" by

from the album '' Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom'' ** " Bridging the Gap" by

from the album '' Street's Disciple'' ** " What Is It" by

Baby Bash Ronald Ray Bryant (born October 18, 1969), better known by his stage name Baby Bash (formerly Baby Beesh), is an American rapper. His first two albums, '' Savage Dreams'' (2001) and '' On Tha Cool'' (2002), were released by the independent Housto ...

featuring Sean Kingston from the album ''

Cyclone In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an ant ...

'' ** " Until It's Gone" by Monica from the album '' New Life'' ** " Big Beast" by Killer Mike featuring Bun B, T.I. and Trouble from the album '' R.A.P. Music'' ** "Boom (Wah Da Da Deng)" by Paolo Baldini Dubfiles featuring Hempress Sativa *The P Is Free ** If I Had No Loot by Tony! Toni! Toné! from '' Sons of Soul''

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1987 debut albums Boogie Down Productions albums Albums produced by KRS-One