Boogie Down Productions

Released: March 3, 1987

Songwriter: DJ Scott La Rock KRS-One

Producer: Boogie Down Productions

[Intro]
Yes Scott La Rock you know you rule hip-hop
Yes Mr. Lee you can rule hip-hop
357 you can rule hip-hop
But, KRS-One rule it non-stop
When I'm in Brooklyn, yes, me ruling hip-hop
When I'm in Manhattan, me ruling hip-hop
When I'm in Queens, me ruling hip-hop
And when in Staten Island me ruling hip-hop
But in the Bronx, me ruling y'all tonight
But in the Bronx, me ruling y'all tonight
We come to rock you whether you're black or you're white
Cause KRS-One you know I'm never fright
Come catch this, star

[Hook]
The girlies is free cause the crack costs money
Oh yeah!
I say the girlies is free cause the crack costs money
Oh yeah!

[Verse 1]
Riding one day on my freestyle fix
Jamming to a tape Scott La Rock had mixed
I said to myself "This tape sound funky"
Riding past a 116th Street junkie
Thought I saw Denise but I was only assuming
Took another look and that butt was booming
Did a little trick on my freestyle fix
And I was right beside the girl, she was all on the tip
She said "Hi, DJ KRS"
She kissed me on my neck so I gave her a peck
She said "I'm really in a hurry so I cannot wait
If you give me a lift, while we ride we'll debate"
She jumped on my bike, I said "Huh, what's your stop?"
She said "Right around the corner to the crack spot
If you buy me a crack I'll know how to act
But if you don't, you might as well step back"
I said "Now how the hell we jump off to this?
I'm doing you a favor, I'm giving you a lift"
She said "KRS, you know how it go"
I said "Yeah, you little... it seems that you're a ho"
I did a little trick on my freestyle fix
And she was right on the ground looking after it
Because...

[Hook]

[Verse 2]
A girl tried to take me out one day
For a play, not your everyday trey
We walked to the spot, she says she want a rock
I looked in my pocket, didn't have a lot
I said... "You better get yourself a job"
She tried to tell me that times were hard
I told the ho, I said "Yo, that's not my fault
You need a vault", I'm out to assault
Any girl I find who try to take me for mine
I'm gonna have to finish this another time
But...

[Hook]

Coming from and named after the “Boogie Down” Bronx, BDP originally consisted of rapper KRS-One (the “Blastmaster”), DJ Scott La Rock, and the “human TR-808”, beat-boxer D-Nice (all pictured above). The personnel and subject matter would change over the years of the group’s existence. They would move from being gangster rap pioneers with their classic debut album, 1987’s Criminal Minded to a more positive and Afrocentric focus on later albums like the 1990 release Edutainment.

While BDP is no longer extant, group leader KRS-One continues to release albums, perform, and even write books.

more tracks from the album

Criminal Minded

From the albums

Criminal Minded (1987)
Best Rap Songs of 1987 (2021)

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