Criminal Minded Smith, Maureen Margaret, and Becky Beal. 2007. “‘So You Can contributed to the inspiration behind the Stop the See How the Other Half Lives’: MTV Cribs’ Use of ‘the Violence Movement, which fielded such posse raps as Other’ in Framing Successful Athletic Masculinities.” Journal “Self Destruction” in 1989. of Sport and Social Issues 31 (2): 103–127. THE BDP POSSE Andrew Mannheimer Drawing its name from the group members’ hometown borough’s nickname, “Boogie Down Bronx,” Boogie Down Productions was founded by KRS-One, Scott La Rock, and Smith in 1985. KRS-One and Scott La Rock CRIMINAL MINDED met at a Bronx shelter where KRS-One lived and Scott La Criminal Minded is the March 1987 studio album release Rock worked as a social worker. Throughout the span of from Boogie Down Productions (BDP) recorded on BDP, KRS-One was the only consistent member of the B-Boy Records. It is the first and only album to feature group. While Criminal Minded is the sole album that all founding principal members of BDP: KRS-One features all of the original members, the BDP posse (Lawrence Kris Parker, 1965–), DJ Scott La Rock (Scott expanded over the years to include several more official Monroe Sterling, 1962–1987), D-Nice (Derrick Jones, members, some of whom were featured on Criminal 1970–), and producer Lee Smith. The album features ten Minded, including DJ, rapper, producer, and beatboxer tracks that explore topics such as prostitution, homicide, D-Nice. guns, drugs, social activism, and historical references. The The expansion of the BDP posse included KRS- songs cross over the genres of rap, dancehall reggae, One’s younger brother, Kenny Parker, as well as Ms. poetry, and rock and roll. Criminal Minded also features Melodie (Ramona Scott, 1969–2012), DJ Red Alert two parts of the first-known recorded rap battle, between (Frederick Crute, 1956–), DJ Premier (Christopher BDP and the Juice Crew. Edward Martin, 1966–), Mad Lion (Dallion Priest), and Although the album is now wholly categorized as Heather B. (Heather B. Gardner, 1971–), among others. gangsta rap, at the time of its release, this subgenre did not The posse diminished in 1992, when KRS-One declared exist. Roughly six months after the release of Criminal himself a solo act with the 1993 album Return of the Boom Minded, DJ Scott La Rock was killed. His death Bap. The MC upheld the legacy of BDP with his eleventh solo album, titled The BDP Album, in 2012. BDP VS. THE JUICE CREW In 1986 rapper MC Shan (Shawn Moltke, 1965–)ofthe Juice Crew and DJ Marley Marl (Marlon Williams, 1962–) released “Beat Biters”—adissrecordforLLCoolJ(James Todd Smith, 1968–) referencing his 1984 song “I Need a Beat.” TheB-sidesinglewasasongcalled“The Bridge,” which referenced MC Shan’s Queens, New York, upbringing and hip hop influencers. However, KRS-One took “The Bridge” as a shot at the Bronx, which has long been hailed the birthplace of rap music and hip hop culture. This began the Bridge Wars between BDP and the Juice Crew, which, along with MC Shan and Marley Marl, included Kool G Rap (Nathaniel Thomas Wilson, 1968–), Biz Markie (Marcel Theo Hall, 1964–), Masta Ace (Duval Clear, 1966–), Roxanne Shanté (Lolita Shanté Gooden, 1969–), Craig G (Craig Curry, 1973–), Mr. Magic (John Rivas, 1956–2009), and Tragedy Khadafi (Percy Chapman, 1971–). In MC Shan’s “The Bridge,” the opening bars appear to question the founding of rap music in the South Bronx, Criminal Minded (1987) is often hailed as one of the greatest rap instead suggesting the genre began in Queensbridge: “You albums of all time. Its songs cross over the genres of rap, dancehall love to hear the story again and again / of how it all got reggae, poetry, and rock and roll. The album also features two started way back when / The monument is right in your parts of the first-known recorded rap battle, between Boogie Down face / Sit and listen for a while to the name of the place / Productions and the Juice Crew. SOURCE: B-BOY RECORDS The Bridge (scratched three times) / Queensbridge.” ST. JAMES ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HIP HOP CULTURE 99 COPYRIGHT 2018 Gale, a Cengage Company WCN 02-200-210 Criminal Minded Boogie Down Productions members KRS-One and Scott La Rock in the Bronx, 1987, just months before La Rock was shot dead. JANETTE BECKMAN/PREMIUM ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES KRS-One responded on Criminal Minded with two including Roxanne Shanté. The battle ended in 1987 after songs, “The Bridge Is Over” and “South Bronx.”“The the death of Scott La Rock. However, a much cleaner Bridge Is Over” is four minutes and twenty-one seconds round of the battle was featured in a Sprite commercial in of disrespectful lines blasting the Juice Crew: “If you want 1995, and five years later MC Shan released a song called to join the crew, well, you must see me / Ya can’t sound “Da Bridge 2001” that features the line “The Bridge was like Shan or the one Marley / Because Shan and Marley never over.” Marl dem-a-rhymin like they gay / Pickin up the mic, mon, dem don’t know what to say / Saying that hip-hop started out in Queensbridge / Saying lies like that, mon, CULTURAL APPEAL you know dem can’t live.” The cover of Criminal Minded features KRS-One and To further push the message through, Criminal Scott La Rock holding guns, a first for rap music. KRS- Minded also features “South Bronx,” an ode to the One, whose stage name means “Knowledge Ranks neighborhood that KRS-One and Scott La Rock called Supreme Over Nearly Everyone,” brought about a very home done in a similar style as MC Shan’s “The Bridge.” new sound. The deepness of the MC’s voice, as well as his The song also features lines directed at the Juice Crew: use of Jamaican patois, was unique to rap music of the “Party people in the place to be, KRS-One attack / Ya got 1980s. In terms of content, Criminal Minded explores dropped off MCA cause the rhymes you wrote was wack / inner-city living as well as other social issues, with a hint So you think that hip-hop had its start out in Queens- of consciously aware rapping that showcases KRS-One’s bridge / you pop that junk up in the Bronx you might not lyricism skills and beats that display Scott La Rock’s live / Cause you’re in / South Bronx, the South South pristine DJing. Bronx.” To Scott La Rock’s credit, the beats he mixed on the As the Bridge Wars continued, other Juice Crew album feature a wide range of samples. According to the artists took shots at BDP members and the South Bronx, album’s liner notes, Criminal Minded includes samples 100 ST. JAMES ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HIP HOP CULTURE COPYRIGHT 2018 Gale, a Cengage Company WCN 02-200-210 Crossfader from the James Brown (1933–2006) recordings “Soul Rap Albums”; in 1999, Vibe named it one of the “100 Power (Pt. 1),”“Don’t Tell It,”“Get Up Offa That Essential Albums of the 21st Century”; and in 2003 Thing,” and “Get Up, Get into It, Get Involved”; AC/ Rolling Stone ranked it number 444 on its “500 Greatest DC’s “Back in Black”; Captain Sky’s “Super Sporm”; Albums of All Time” list. The track “Criminal Minded” Esther Williams’s(“Last Night Changed It All (I Really was listed ninth in Complex’s “The 50 Best Hip-Hop Had a Ball)”; Syl Johnson’s (1936–) “Different Strokes”; Diss Songs” article in 2017. Over the years the album Trouble Funk’s “Let’s Get Small”; and the Beatles’“Hey, continues to have musical influences, and samples from Jude.” KRS-One also lyrically samples the melody of Billy the songs have been featured in works from artists such Joel’s (1949–) “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me.” as MF Doom (Daniel Dumile, 1971–), Rihanna (Robyn The era of rap from which Criminal Minded emerged Rihanna Fenty, 1988–), Jennifer Lopez (1969–), Nas was an era of party and good times laid over danceable (Nasir Bin Olu Dara Jones, 1973–), Monica (Monica beats. The album does have some danceable tracks, but it Denise Brown, 1980–), Jordin Sparks (1989–), Public is mostly a mix of what is now considered conscious hip Enemy, Cypress Hill, and Michael Jackson (1958– hop, as featured in songs such as “Poetry,”“Elementary,” 2009). and “Criminal Minded,” along with what would later be SEE ALSO Battle, Battling; Conscious Hip Hop; Crew; labeled gangsta rap, as exhibited in the song “9MM Goes Drugs and Hip Hop; Gangsta Rap; Juice Crew; KRS- Bang.” Criminal Minded also discusses at length drugs, One; MCing; Mr. Magic’s Rap Attack;NewYork sexuality, prostitution, and male promiscuity on songs City; The Roxanne Wars such as “Remix for the P Is Free” and “Super Hoe.” According to a review written by Steve Huey featured on AllMusic, while BDP were far from the first rappers to BIBLIOGRAPHY mention drugs and violence, the album “greatly expanded Barber, Andrew. 2017. “The 50 Best Hip-Hop Diss Songs.” the range of subject matter that could be put on a Complex, March 16, 2017. http://www.complex.com rap record, and its grittiest moments are still unsettling /music/2017/03/the-50-best-hip-hop-diss-songs/ today.… Criminal Minded doesn’t try to deliver messages, Gray, Madison. 2011. “Top 10 Unsolved Hip-Hop Murders: make judgments, or offer solutions.” Scott La Rock.” Time, September 13, 2011. http://content .time.com/time/specials/packages/article/ 0,28804,2092656_2092485_2092479,00.html KILLING OF SCOTT LA ROCK Huey, Steve.