By All Means Necessary

By All Means Necessary is the second album from American hip hop group Boogie Down Productions, released in April 12, 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 Boogie Down Productions' debut, Criminal Minded, and began writing socially conscious songs using the moniker the Teacher.[2]

By All Means Necessary
Studio album by
Boogie Down Productions
ReleasedApril 12, 1988[1]
RecordedSeptember 1987–March 1988[2]
GenreHip hop, Political hip hop
Length47:28
Label
ProducerKRS-One
Boogie Down Productions chronology
Criminal Minded
(1987)		 By All Means Necessary
(1988)		 Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop
(1989)
Singles from By All Means Necessary
  1. "Stop the Violence"
    Released: 1988
  2. "My Philosophy"
    Released: 1988

Album information

Accompanied by minimalist production and hard-hitting drum beats, KRS-One covers social issues that include government and police corruption, safe sex, government involvement in the drug trade, and violence in the hip hop community.

The album's cover art and title both make reference to Malcolm X. The cover, depicting KRS-One, references an iconic photograph of Malcolm X peering through a window while holding an M1 carbine rifle, and the title is a modification of Malcolm X's famous phrase "by any means necessary".[3]

As of September 25, 1989, the album was certified gold in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America.[4]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
NME9.9/10[6]
The Philadelphia Inquirer[7]
RapReviews9.5/10[8]
Record Mirror5/5[9]
Rolling Stone[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[11]
The Source5/5[12]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[13]
The Village VoiceB+[14]

The album is widely seen as one of, if not the first, politically conscious efforts in hip-hop. AllMusic critic Steve Huey described the album as a landmark of political hip hop that's unfairly lost in the shadow of Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.[5] Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone praised its social commentary and 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."[10]

In 1998, By All Means Necessary was included in The Source's "100 Best Albums" list.[15]

In 2008, the single "My Philosophy"[16] 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.TitleLength
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

Charts

Album

Chart (1988) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[17] 75
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[18] 18

Singles

Year Song Chart positions
US R&B
Singles
1988 "Stop the Violence" 76

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[19] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Billboard April 9, 1988, p. 84
  2. "The 20 Best Five-year Runs In Rap". Complex. 2013-10-15. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  3. Hamilton, Pierre (May 24, 2007). "Lessons From the Teacha: KRS-ONE Educates". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  4. RIAA database search item By All Means Necessary Archived June 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 22 May 2008
  5. Huey, Steve. "By All Means Necessary – Boogie Down Productions". AllMusic. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  6. Barron, Jack (April 30, 1988). "Love and Bullets". NME. London. p. 30.
  7. Tucker, Ken (June 19, 1988). "Boogie Down Productions: By All Means Necessary (Jive/RCA)". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  8. Wallace, Emanuel (April 20, 2010). "Boogie Down Productions :: By All Means Necessary :: Jive/RCA Records". RapReviews. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  9. Mellor, Chris (May 28, 1988). "Boogie Down Productions: By All Means Necessary". Record Mirror. London. p. 38.
  10. DeCurtis, Anthony (October 6, 1988). "Boogie Down Productions: By All Means Necessary". Rolling Stone. New York. Archived from the original on May 28, 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  11. Relic, Peter (2004). "Boogie Down Productions". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 94. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  12. "Boogie Down Productions: By All Means Necessary". The Source. No. 150. New York. March 2002.
  13. Hampton, Dream (1995). "Boogie Down Productions". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 51–52. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  14. Christgau, Robert (May 24, 1988). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  15. "100 Best Albums". The Source. No. 100. New York. January 1998.
  16. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Boogie Down Productions - My Philosophy. YouTube.
  17. "Boogie Down Productions Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  18. "Boogie Down Productions Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
  19. "American album certifications – Boogie Down Productions – By All Means Necessary". Recording Industry Association of America.
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