Boogie Down Productions

Boogie Down Productions was a hip hop group originally comprised of KRS-One, D Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, months after the release of BDP's debut album Criminal Minded. The name of the group, Boogie Down, derives from an alternative name for The Bronx, one of the five boroughs of New York City. The group pioneered the fusion of dancehall reggae and hip hop music and their debut LP Criminal Minded contained frank descriptions of life in the South Bronx of the late 80s thus setting the stage for what would eventually become gangsta rap.

History

While the origins of hip-hop are believed to be from The Bronx, rival hip-hop group Juice Crew's lyrics was misunderstood to contain a claim in the song The Bridge that hip-hop was directly a result of artists originating from Queensbridge. Boogie Down and KRS retorted angrily with songs like The Bridge is Over and South Bronx, which started one of the first notable Hip-Hop wars as MC Shan, Marley Marl and Roxanne Shanté all released songs featuring verses personally attacking KRS and Scott La Rock. The Bridge Wars, however, were only short-lived and after the death of Scott La Rock prior to the group's second album, KRS began to concentrate on consciously focused music.

While Criminal Minded contained vivid descriptions of South Bronx street life, BDP changed after Scott's death. KRS-One adopted "The Teacha" moniker and made a deliberate attempt at creating politically and socially conscious Hip-Hop. BDP were hugely influential in provoking political and social consciousness in Hip-Hop however they were sometimes overshadowed by the political Hip-Hop supergroup Public Enemy.

The membership of BDP changed continuously throughout its existence, the only constant being KRS-One. BDP members and collaborators included Mad Lion, Channel Live, Run, Keith Murray, McBoo, Ms. Melodie, Scottie Morris, Tony Rahsan, Willie D., RoboCop, Harmony, DJ Red Alert, Jay Kramer, D-Square, Rebekah Foster, and Sidney Mills. BDP as a group essentially ended because KRS-One began recording and performing under his own name rather than the group name.

Up until and throughout the 1970’s, within the black community there was a stigma attached to being from Jamaica. There were many lower-class Jamaican immigrants coming into the United States at the time, and it was not considered cool to be from Jamaica. In fact, even once reggae successfully spread to America, it was first adopted by young white listeners, while many black Americans initially resisted the music. DJ Kool Herc, the legendary DJ who is often times contributed with being the originator of Hip Hop, consciously tried to mask his Jamaican accent befor