Criminal Minded

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Criminal Minded is the debut album by Boogie Down Productions, the South Bronx crew of KRS-One and DJ Scott La Rock, released in 1987 on the independent B-Boy Records. Raw, confrontational and deeply local, it is one of the most influential independent rap records ever made.

The story

The album is inseparable from the Bridge Wars. “South Bronx” and “The Bridge Is Over” were BDP’s answer to MC Shan and the Queensbridge-based Juice Crew in a dispute over where hip hop began. Months after release, Scott La Rock was shot and killed, and a planned major-label deal for the group fell through.

Sound and production

Scott La Rock, KRS-One and Ced-Gee built the beats from James Brown breaks alongside blues and even heavy metal samples, with sparse drum programming that left KRS-One’s commanding voice front and center. The cover, showing the duo surrounded by firearms, was the first of its kind on a major hip hop release.

Charts and certifications

Released through an indie with little marketing, Criminal Minded did not chart on the Billboard 200 but reached No. 73 on the R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart. Its influence far outran its chart numbers.

Legacy

Often cited as one of the first gangsta rap albums, Criminal Minded ranks No. 239 on Rolling Stone’s 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.