Boogie Down Productions – “Man & His Music” – [B-Boy Records]

abacus   8/19/2013   12-inch, Hip Hop

On August 27, 1987 BDP founder/producer DJ Scott “La Rock” Sterling was shot after intervening in an altercation between BDP associate D-Nice and some folks he may have cuckolded. About a year later, BDP frontman KRS-One and B-Boy Records put together this tribute album of remixes to carry on Sterling’s legacy and released it in limited press. Classic boom-bap beats cut up into collages of all sorts of early BDP tracks including many familiars like South Bronx, The Bridge is Over and of course Criminal Minded. Remixes and medleys with production ranging from early hip-hop breaks minimalism to cluttered and chaotic samplage and some scratch happy antics thrown in for good measure. With KRS-One heading the project you can expect lyrical confidence, consciousness and confrontation; calling out fake rap, street violence and pushing for social awareness (La Rock’s death was a big influence on the Stop The Violence Movement). An awesome collection of busy cut-ups of these early hip-hop pioneers. Turn up the boombox and bump it!