By All Means Necessary
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By All Means Necessary is the second album from American hip hop group Boogie Down Productions, released on May 31, 1988[1] on Jive Records. After the 1987 murder of DJ-producer Scott La Rock, MC KRS-One moved away from the violent themes that dominated his debut, Criminal Minded, and began writing socially conscious songs using the moniker the Teacher.
Album information
Many themes, which surface a minimalist production accompanied by hard-hitting drum beats, cover social issues that include government and police corruption, safe sex, government involvement in the drug trade, and violence in the hip hop community.
As of September 25, 1989, the album was certified gold in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America.[2] Both the album cover, depicting KRS-One, and the album title make reference to Malcolm X. The album's cover art is a reference to the iconic photo of Malcolm X peering through his window while holding a M1 carbine rifle. The album title is a modification of Malcolm X's famous phrase "By Any Means Necessary."[3]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [4] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [5] |
| The Great Rock Discography | 7/10[6] |
| MusicHound | 4.5/5[6] |
| Rolling Stone | [7] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [8] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10[6] |
| The Village Voice | B+[9] |
The album is widely seen as one of, if not the first, politically conscious efforts in hip-hop. Allmusic.com described the album as a landmark of political hip hop and Rolling Stone praised its social commentary.[4] Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone wrote, "Over irresistible beats provided by his BDP cohorts, KRS delivers the word on the drug trade, AIDS and violence—three forces that threaten to destroy minority communities."[7]
In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums.[10]
In 2008, the single "My Philosophy" was ranked number 49 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
Track listing
- All songs were written, produced and performed by KRS-One.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Philosophy" | 5:41 |
| 2. | "Ya Slippin'" | 4:56 |
| 3. | "Stop the Violence" | 4:42 |
| 4. | "Illegal Business" | 5:22 |
| 5. | "Nervous" | 4:13 |
| 6. | "I'm Still #1" | 5:13 |
| 7. | "Part Time Suckers" | 5:32 |
| 8. | "Jimmy" | 4:16 |
| 9. | "T'Cha-T'Cha" | 4:35 |
| 10. | "Necessary" | 2:57 |
Samples used
- "My Philosophy" contains a sample from the Stanley Turrentine song "Sister Sanctified".
- "Ya Slippin'" contains a sample from the Deep Purple song "Smoke on the Water" and has the beat from "Poetry" from BDP's Criminal Minded.
- "Stop the Violence" contains the riddim from the Courtney Melody recording "This Sound A Dem Trouble".
- "Illegal Business" contains samples from the Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids recording "Creativity" and the Jefferson Starship recording "Rock Music".
- "Nervous" contains samples from the Rhythm Heritage recording "Sky's the Limit" and the War recording "Galaxy".
- "I'm Still #1" contains a sample from the All the People (featuring Robert Moore) recording "Cramp Your Style".
- "Part-Time Suckers" contains samples from the Smokey Robinson & the Miracles recording "Mickey's Monkey" and Stevie Wonder's hit song "Part-Time Lover".
- "Jimmy" contains the basic rhythm from the Wings song "Let 'Em In" and a sample from the Sequence song "Funk You Up."
Chart history
Album chart positions
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[11] | 75 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[12] | 18 |
Singles chart positions
| Year | Song | Chart positions | ||
| Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | ||
| 1988 | Stop the Violence | - | No.76 | - |
References
- ^ C.M., Emmanuel. "Today In Hip-Hop: Boogie Down Productions And KRS-One Releases 'By All Means Necessary'". XXL. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
- ^ RIAA database search item By All Means Necessary Archived June 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 22 May 2008
- ^ "Boogie Down Productions - By All Means Necessary - The Cover Cove - Quora". thecovercove.quora.com.
- ^ a b Huey, Steve. "By All Means Necessary — Boogie Down Productions". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 2006. ISBN 0857125958.
- ^ a b c "By All Means Necessary". AcclaimedMusic.net. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
- ^ a b DeCurtis, Anthony (1988-10-06). "Boogie Down Productions: By All Means Necessary : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2009-05-28. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 94. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (May 24, 1988). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
- ^ "100 Best Rap Albums + 100 Best Rap Singles". Rocklist.net. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
- ^ "Boogie Down Productions Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
- ^ "Boogie Down Productions Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.