Criminal Minded [Deluxe Edition]

Artist	Boogie Down Productions
Format	CD
Genre	Rap
Label Name	B-Boy
Producer	KRS-One, Scott La Rock, Bernard Thomas, Kenny Beck, Lee Smith, Jr.
Release Date	2008 02 12
Song List	1: Poetry (5:00) 2: South Bronx (5:10) 3: 9mm Goes Bang (4:18) 4: Word from Our Sponsor (3:52) 5: Elementary (4:04) 6: Dope Beat (5:13) 7: Remix for P Is Free (4:19) 8: The Bridge Is Over (3:26) 9: Super-Hoe (5:01) 10: Criminal Mind (7:52) 11: The Bridge Is Over [*][Multimedia Track] 12: Advance [12" Vocal Version][*] (8:04) 13: $Ucce$$ I$ the Word [Original 12" Success Version] (5:17) 14: Say No Brother (Crack Attack Don't Do It) [Original 12" Vocal "Truth Mi (5:21) 15: Operating Room Interview, Pt. 1 [#][*] (4:37) 16: The Bridge Is Over [Clean "Red Alert" 12" Version] (3:24) 17: Operating Room Interview, Pt. 2 [#][*] (2:25) 18: The P Is Free [Original 12" Version][*] (3:32) 19: Elementary [Original Acetate Version] (4:05) 20: Scott La Rock Megamix [*] (6:47) 21: Stop the Violence [Original Massive 12" Extended Version] (5:18) 22: Essays on Bop-Ism [*] (5:05) 23: The Bridge Is Over [The Bladerunners Edit][*] (3:58) 24: Advance [Original 12" Instrumental Version] (4:54) 25: Say No Brother (Crack Attack Don't Do It) [Original 12" Instrumental "R (5:19) 26: Stop the Violence [Original Massive 12" Instrumental Version] (4:02) 27: Stop the Violence [Original Massive 12" a Capella Version] (2:14)
Style.Categories	Golden Age, Political Rap, East Coast Rap, Hip-Hop

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Criminal Minded is widely considered the foundation of hardcore rap, announcing its intentions with a cover photo of KRS-One and Scott La Rock (on his only album with Boogie Down Productions) posing with weapons -- an unheard-of gesture in 1987. BDP weren't the first to rap about inner-city violence and drugs, and there's no explicit mention of gangs on Criminal Minded, but it greatly expanded the range of subject matter that could be put on a rap record, and its grittiest moments are still unsettling today. Actually, that part of its reputation rests on just a handful of songs. Overall, the record made its impact through sheer force -- not only KRS-One's unvarnished depictions of his harsh urban environment, but also his booming delivery and La Rock's lean, hard backing tracks (which sound a little skeletal today, but were excellent for the time). It's important to note that KRS-One hadn't yet adopted his role as the Teacher, and while there are a few hints of an emerging social consciousness, Criminal Minded doesn't try to deliver messages, make judgments, or offer solutions. That's clear on "South Bronx" and "The Bridge Is Over," two of the most cutting -- even threatening -- dis records of the '80s, which were products of a beef with Queens-based MC Shan. They set the tone for the album, which reaches its apex on the influential, oft-sampled "9mm Goes Bang." It's startlingly violent, even if KRS-One's gunplay is all in self-defense, and it's made all the more unsettling by his singsong ragga delivery. Another seminal hardcore moment is "Remix for P Is Free," which details an encounter with a crack whore for perhaps the first time on record. Elsewhere, there are a few showcases for KRS-One's pure rhyming skill, most notably "Poetry" and the title track. Overall it's very consistent, so even if the meat of Criminal Minded is the material that lives up to the title, the raw talent on display is what cements the album's status as an all-time classic. [Traffic Ent. issued a deluxe edition in 2008.] ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide