Editing Boogie Down Productions (section)

== Political and social activism ==
From its start, BDP affected the development of hip-hop and gave a sincere voice to the reality of life in the South Bronx, a section of New York City clouded with poverty and crime. With ''Criminal Minded'', the group combined the sounds of LaRock's harsh, spare, reggae-influenced beats and KRS-One's long-winded rhyme style on underground classics such as "9mm Goes Bang" and "South Bronx," the album's gritty portrait of life on the streets (as well as the firearms that adorned its cover) influenced the [[gangsta rap]] movement that began in earnest two years later.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oxfordaasc.com/article/opr/t0002/e2252|url-access=subscription|title=KRS-One|work=OxfordAASC.com|year=2005 |access-date=October 16, 2014|doi=10.1093/acref/9780195301731.013.42050|isbn=978-0-19-530173-1 }}</ref>

BDP's influence in the creation and development of gangsta rap highlights the cultural significance and impact of the type of music BDP and other early hip-hop artists like it created. This subgenre of hip-hop is most closely associated with hard-core hip-hop and is widely misinterpreted as promoting violence and gang activity. This misinterpretation or stigma is closely related to Boogie Down Productions and the general purpose behind their underlying themes of violence. For instance, the cover art of ''Criminal Minded'' displays the two artists in the group brandishing drawn guns and displaying other firearms.<ref name="Precise80" /> This is not an encouragement of the violence described in BDP's music, but a portrayal of the violence in the South Bronx as a means of expression, escape, and even condemnation. This album art is not meant to advocate violence but to challenge the conception of a criminal, to assert that those who are really criminally minded are those who hold power.{{Citation needed|date=February 2018}}

BDP's music became significantly more politically astute after Scott La Rock's death.<ref name="autogenerated1987">Iverem, Esther. "Violent Death Halts Rap Musician's Rise." ''[[The New York Times]]'', August 31, 1987</ref> KRS-One published four more albums under the title Boogie Down Productions, and each was increasingly innovative and expanded from the thuggish imagery of ''Criminal Minded,'' exploring themes like black-on-black crime and black radicalism, using a riff on the words of [[Malcolm X]], "by any means necessary", which became the title of the second BDP album, and remains one of the most political hip-hop albums to date.<ref name="auto" /> It was in this album that KRS defined himself as the "teacha" or "teacher", symbolizing his emphasis on educating his audience members and fans about relevant social issues surrounding the African-American experience.

During his time in association with Boogie Down Productions, KRS-One joined other rappers to create the [[Stop the Violence Movement]], which addressed many of the issues brought up in BDP's music and is the most conscious effort displayed by KRS-One and BDP of political activism and engagement. The movement created the single "Self-Destruction" in 1989 through the collaboration of BDP (KRS-One, D-Nice & Ms. Melodie), [[Stetsasonic]] (Delite, Daddy-O, Wise, and Frukwan), [[Kool Moe Dee]], [[MC Lyte]], [[Doug E. Fresh]], [[Just-Ice]], [[Heavy D]], [[Biz Markie]], and [[Public Enemy]] ([[Chuck D]] & [[Flavor Flav]]), with the aim of spreading awareness about violence in African-American and hip-hop communities.<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite journal|first=Erik|last=Nielson|title="Can't C Me": Surveillance and Rap Music.|journal=[[Journal of Black Studies]]|publisher=[[SAGE Publications]]|location=Thousand Oaks, California|volume=40|issue=6|date=July 2010|pages=1254–1274|doi=10.1177/0021934708328906 |s2cid=145713976 }}</ref> All proceeds from this effort went to the [[National Urban League]].