After Scott La Rock’s murder, KRS-One didn’t soften his stance—he sharpened it. *By All Means Necessary* is the sound of a man who has watched a friend die and decided the only answer is radical self-reliance. Essential for anyone who thinks political hip-hop started with Public Enemy.
It was November 1987, and the phone call came while KRS-One was in the studio. Scott La Rock was dead. Shot in the Bronx after trying to break up a fight. Twenty-five years old. The duo that had released Criminal Minded just eight months earlier was down to one man.
What KRS-One did next tells you everything about him. He didn’t fade. He didn’t soften. He finished the album that he and Scott had started, then pushed it further — harder, stranger, more political. By All Means Necessary arrived in May 1988, its cover a deliberate echo of Malcolm X peering out a window with a gun. KRS-One holds an Uzi instead of an M1 carbine, but the message is identical: self-defense is not aggression.
The album was cut at Unique Recording Studios in New York, with engineer Tom Vercillo behind the board. Vercillo had worked on Criminal Minded and understood the sonic language KRS-One was reaching for — drums that hit like a door slamming shut, vocals that sat right in the middle of the stereo field. No reverb haze. No sweetening. This is a record that wants you to hear every syllable.
And the syllables are dense. “My Philosophy” is the head-spinning opener and maybe the most complex track on the album. KRS-One doesn’t just boast; he argues. He fires off lines about racial economics, the futility of drug dealing, and the responsibility of the MC all in the same verse. The beat is built from a loop of Quincy Jones’ “Summer in the City” — a strange, lurching horn sample that forces the listener off balance. It shouldn’t work. It works perfectly.
Then comes “Ya Slippin’,” where KRS-One takes on the drug dealers who’d killed his partner. It’s direct. Angry. And weirdly restrained — no screaming, just a controlled fury that makes it hit harder.
The production on this record is lean by design. D-Nice handled a good chunk of the programming alongside KRS-One. No session drummers, no live bass. The samples are chopped with an almost surgical precision — not for complexity, but for maximum impact. Hear the way “Illegal Business” drops into its second verse. The beat doesn’t change. The sample doesn’t change. But the energy shifts entirely because KRS-One changes his delivery from conversational to accusatory.
It’s a small move, and it’s the kind of thing that separates a good hip-hop record from a great one.
“Stop the Violence” was the single that radio picked up. It’s the most straightforward track on the album — a plea for peace within the black community. But KRS-One doesn’t let the message slip into platitudes. He gives examples. Specifics. He raps about a pregnant woman getting caught in crossfire. It’s a documentary in miniature.
The album’s second half sags a little. “Jimmy” is a cautionary tale that drags. “Necessary” recycles the Malcolm X theme without adding much. But even the lesser tracks are anchored by KRS-One’s voice — a nasal, insistent instrument that never wavers. He sounds like a man reading you your rights.
By All Means Necessary isn’t the place to start with hip-hop. But it’s the place to go when you want to understand the pivot point. Before this album, political rap in New York was P.E. and that was mostly it. After this album, the street-level intellectualism of Nas, Black Star, and even early Kendrick becomes imaginable. KRS-One didn’t invent the form. He just found a way to survive it.
🎵 Key Takeaways
- Cover deliberately echoes Malcolm X with KRS-One holding Uzi.
- Engineer Tom Vercillo gave drums like slamming doors, no reverb.
- "My Philosophy" samples Quincy Jones' lurching horn from "Summer in the City".
- "Ya Slippin'" delivers controlled fury without screaming.
- Production used only programming by D-Nice and KRS-One, no live musicians.
- Samples chopped with surgical precision for impact.
Why does the album cover show KRS-One with an Uzi?
The cover is a deliberate homage to the iconic 1964 photo of Malcolm X holding a rifle while peering out a window. KRS-One recreated the image to signal that self-defense and resistance are central themes of the album, especially after the murder of Scott La Rock.
What happened to Boogie Down Productions after this album?
KRS-One continued as the sole leader of Boogie Down Productions, releasing two more albums (Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop and Edutainment) before launching a solo career. The group formally disbanded in 1993, but KRS-One has remained a prolific artist and lecturer.
How does 'By All Means Necessary' differ from 'Criminal Minded'?
Criminal Minded was a raw street-level debut with a focus on drug tales and boastful MCing. By All Means Necessary trades that energy for a deeply political, philosophical tone — inspired by Malcolm X, aimed at systemic injustice, and stripped of any celebration of violence beyond self-defense.