Boogie Down Productions - GHETTO MUSIC: THE BLUEPRINT OF HIP HOP (LP) M

Boogie Down Productions: KRS-One, D-Nice (vocals).
Additional personnel: Sidney (vocals, keyboards); McBooo, Ms. Melodie, Scottie Morris, Willie D., Robocop, Harmony, Red Alert, D.J. Jazzy Jay Kramer, D-Square, Rebekah, Shelia Pate, Kevin Batchelor, Pamela Scott (vocals) Jerry Johnson (saxophone); Kevin Batchelor (trumpet); Val Duglass (bass); Anastas "Nass-T" Hackett (drums); Afrika (scratches)..
Producers: KRS-One, D Nice, D-Square, Rebekah Foster, Spaceman, Sidney Mills.
In getting back to his roots, KRS-One has created a small masterpiece. GHETTO MUSIC is a successful blend of the various forms of music that inform hip-hop. Its samples successfully incorporate dub, soul, funk, jazz, and gospel elements into the musical anthropology of the hip-hop era. The rhythms are steady and the grooves fresh and organic; the lyrics are purposefully introspective and delve into both social and musical approaches to understanding the hip-hop phenomenon.
Perhaps the most sophisticated of KRS-One's early efforts, GHETTO MUSIC attests to the potential that lies within rap music as a form of expression, a potential that's often obscured by banal R&B settings and gangsta posturing. Perhaps it's time for another look at the roots of rap, to get an intelligent perspective on Boogie Down Productions' ever-fresh output and enlightening take on the hip-hop culture. Pick up GHETTO MUSIC and get back in touch.

• Genre: Rap
• Format: Vinyl