By All Means Necessary is the second studio album by American hip hop group Boogie Down Productions, released on April 12, 1988[1], by 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's debut album, Criminal Minded, and began writing socially conscious songs using the moniker the Teacher.[2]
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]
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.
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".
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