by Steve HueyBoogie Down Productions was one of the most important and influential hip-hop groups of the latter half of the 80s. Led by the often brilliant and incendiary MC KRS-One, BDP were pioneers of both hardcore and political (or conscious) rap — and if that seems contradictory, it also illustrates the scope of KRS-Ones talent for chronicling and even shaping his culture. Musically, BDP usually employed spare, minimal backdrops that accentuated KRS-Ones booming delivery, and they were also among the very first hip-hop artists to incorporate elements of Jamaican ragga and dancehall into their style. Early on, BDP devoted itself to brash but realistic narratives of ghetto life, which made them a street-level sensation; however, after the murder of original DJ Scott La Rock, KRS-One — who now essentially was BDP — devoted himself to socially and politically conscious material that earned him the nickname the Teacher. In t...