By All Means Necessary

Boogie Down Productions | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Jive
• ASIN: B0000004UM
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,069 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #24 in Music > Rap & Hip-Hop > Old School

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: BOOGIE DOWN PRODUCTIONS
Title: BY ALL MEANS NECESSARY
Street Release Date: 01/07/1989
Domestic
Genre: RAP/HIP HOP

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Class is in session. I hope you're taking notes., May 23, 2005

By 

Alan Pounds "Minnesota Hip-Hop Fiend" (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: By All Means Necessary (Audio CD)

I can't believe I slept on this record up until a week ago. The only other BDP record I had before this one was 1987's "Criminal Minded," which is one of the most brilliant, and groundbreaking albums ever made. But I'm beginning to think that KRS-One's sophomore effort "By All Means Necessary" is just as influential. The murder of DJ Scott La Rock had a profound effect on KRS-One, which is very apparent in his engrossing lyrical flow. This record feels more personal, and much more concise. And in the eyes of many critics, including myself, this is KRS-One's finest moment.

Until now, I never knew that I've heard KRS-One's vocals sampled on so many other hip-hop albums I own. Not only samples, but covered choruses, signature time flows, and of course, the beats. Every emcee has been vastly influenced by KRS-One; underground and mainstream. Check out the first song, "My Philosophy". If you're an avid hip-hop listener, you've probably heard these lines sampled many times, "Right up to your face and diss you" or "It's not about a salary, it's all about reality". Check out that cut-up Deep Purple riff ("Smoke On The Water") on "Ya Slippin", along with the familiar sample "Bring it back that old New York rap". I was also shocked by the chorus on "Stop The Violence" - "1,2,3, The crew is called BDP, and if you want to go to the tip-top, stop the violence in hip-hop, wyahhhh", or the how about the cover of that chorus by Mos Def & Talib Kweli (Black Star) - "1,2,3, Mos Def & Talib Kweli, we came to rock it on to the tip-top, best alliance in hip-hop, wyahhhh". The "Teacher" is also in full effect on songs like "Illegal Business". The often sampled "I'm Still No. 1" is also one of my favorites (It's hard to deny that he's the best). I also enjoyed "Jimmy" quite a bit, where we here a reference to one of my personal favorite Jungle Brothers tunes, "Jimbrowski".

All in all, I'm ashamed that I referred to myself as a hip-hop fan before I got a hold of this record. It's so good it's sick. You can bet that I'll be checking out his solo career after after hearing this example of hip-hop perfection.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars KRS One DEFINITELY Thinks Very Deeply. . ., August 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: By All Means Necessary (Audio CD)

Words cannot fully describe the intensity, beauty, and raw flavor of this classic from the Bronx B-Boy elite, otherwise known as KRS ONE. The album is the epitome of what makes Hip Hop music so vital today. Considering the circumstances behind the making of this particular BDP release, the crew has definitely channeled the negativity to make a positive statement for Hip Hop culture. It still sounds as fresh as it did when it was first released back in the day. Unlike many of today's Hip Hop releases (who the f**k really needs to hear a double album's worth of wack ish?), "No Means. . ." is straight to the point with consistently dope cuts. The headz should already have a copy of this album, but if you haven't heard about it. . . pick this ish up! Peace. . .

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hell I Liked It and I'm A Hillbilly White Boy!, April 21, 2006

By 

The Reverend Terry Rice "Trust Me!" - See all my reviews

This review is from: By All Means Necessary (Audio CD)

I remember gettnig a copy of this when I was a kid from a friend.. It was one of the first tastes of rap I had really gotten.. my HANK WILLIAMS culture had never really embraced anything different other than the usual STRAY CATS and the CARS of the 80s... but this was pretty damn cool..

I got copies of this cassette, THE FAT BOYS, WHODINI and then later got into TON' LOC etc...

but I remember this one was cool and easy to chill out and listen to..

so yeah.. RAP MUSIC has changed big time since what I'd call OLD SCHOOL but you still need to check this out!