By All Means Necessary

By All Means Necessary
Studio album by Boogie Down Productions
Released	April 12, 1988
Recorded	1987–1988
Genre	Hip hop
Length	47:28
Label	Jive/RCA Records 1097-J
Producer	KRS-One
Boogie Down Productions chronology
Criminal Minded (1987)Criminal Minded1987 By All Means Necessary (1988) Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop (1989)Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop1989

By All Means Necessary is the second album from American hip hop group Boogie Down Productions, released in 1988 on Jive Records. After the 1987 murder of DJ-producer Scott La Rock, MC KRS-One moved away from the violent themes that dominated his debut, Criminal Minded, and began writing socially conscious songs using the moniker the Teacher.

Album information

Many themes, which surface a minimalist production accompanied by hard-hitting drum beats, cover social issues that include government and police corruption, safe sex, government involvement in the drug trade, and violence in the hip hop community.

As of September 25, 1989, the album was certified gold in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America. Both the album cover, depicting KRS-One, and the album title make reference to Malcolm X.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Robert Christgau	B+
The Daily Vault	B+
Rhapsody	(favorable)
Rolling Stone
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
The Source
Spin	(8/10)
Trouser Press	(favorable)
Virgin Encyclopedia

The album is widely seen as one of, if not the first, politically conscious efforts in hip-hop. Allmusic.com described the album as a landmark of political hip hop and Rolling Stone praised its social commentary. Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone 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."

In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums.

In 2008, the single "My Philosophy" 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.	Title	Length
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

• "My Philosophy" contains a sample from the Stanley Turrentine song "Sister Sanctified".
• "Ya Slippin'" contains a sample from the Deep Purple song "Smoke on the Water" and has the beat from "Poetry" from BDP's Criminal Minded.
• "Stop the Violence" contains the riddim from the Courtney Melody recording "This Sound A Dem Trouble".
• "Illegal Business" contains samples from the Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids recording "Creativity" and the Jefferson Starship recording "Rock Music".
• "Nervous" contains samples from the Rhythm Heritage recording "Sky's the Limit" and the War recording "Galaxy".
• "I'm Still #1" contains a sample from the All the People (featuring Robert Moore) recording "Cramp Your Style".
• "Part-Time Suckers" contains samples from the Smokey Robinson & the Miracles recording "Mickey's Monkey" and Stevie Wonder's hit song "Part-Time Lover".
• "Jimmy" contains the basic rhythm from the Wings song "Let 'Em In" and a sample from the Sequence song "Funk You Up."

Chart history

Album chart positions

Year	Album	Chart positions
		Billboard 200	Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums
1988	By All Means Necessary	No.75	No.18

Singles chart positions

Year	Song	Chart positions
		Billboard Hot 100	Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	Hot Rap Singles
1988	Stop the Violence	-	No.76	-