Boogie Down Productions

Released: July 4, 1989

Songwriter: KRS-One

Producer: KRS-One

[KRS-One]
Come again down man
This is KRS-One on to wreck RUFF RUFF RUFF stuff
So we're gonna do it like this now
Put up your hands if you love hip-hop music like I do, seen?
And we gonna do it like this now
Listen to the lyrics! Bo!

[Hook]
Me say hip-hop rule, hip-hop rule
And these other industries out here cannot take it, come again!
Hip-hop rule, hip-hop rule
And these other industries out here cannot take it, we want!
Rap music, we want the rap music, bo!
Rap music, we want the rap music, come again!
Rap music, we want the rap music, bo!
Rap music, we want the rap music

[Verse 1]
Way back in the days, 1979
Fatback Band made a record usin' rhyme
In the same year come the Sugarhill Gang
With the pow pow boogie, and the big bang bang
R&B, Disco, Pop Country Jazz
All thought Hip-Hop, was just a little fad
But here comes Grandmaster Flash nonstop
And right after Flash, Run-DMC dropped
Now, they had to pay attention to the scale
Where other music failed, hip-hop prevailed
See rap music has gone platinum from the start
So now in eighty-nine we gettin' present as an art
Me ask, is it because, we've got the eighty-nine vision?
Whoa whoa whoa!
Or is it because, it's a unanimous decision
Hey hey hey hey

[Hook]
That hip-hop rule, hip-hop rule
And these other industries out here cannot take it, come again!
Hip-hop rule, hip-hop rule
And these other industries out here cannot take it, we want!
Rap music, we want the rap music, bo!
Rap music, we want the rap music, come again!
Rap music, we want the rap music, come down!
Rap music, we want the rap music

[Verse 2]
I pick up the mic and put down crazy lyrics
I put it 'pon the phonograph so everyone can hear it
You want to sound like me bwoy, you can't come near it
'Cause when I flash a new style, the people dem a cheer it
You get so jealous 'til you just can't bear it
Jealous of Ms. Melodie, me and Derek
See Derek is D-Nice, and I'm KRS-One ah
We'll rock ya in the winter and we rocked ya last summer
You want to battle me you got to wake up in the morning
'Cause if you're still sleepin', then I'ma start yawnin'

[Hook]
Because ah hip-hop rule, hip-hop rule
And these other industries out here cannot take it, come again!
Hip-hop rule, hip-hop rule
And these other industries out here cannot take it, we want!
Rap music, we want the rap music, bo!
Rap music, we want the rap music, come again!
Rap music, we want the rap music, come down!
Rap music, we want the rap music

[Verse 3]
Just, put up your hands if you like rap music
Put up your hands if you like rap music
Ms. Melodie boy she always on the mixer
And D-Square, love rap music ah
DJ Doc boy yes he's on the mix and
KRS-One'll flash a lyric, we say
Here comes Yvette, on the lyric and
Big Kap, rockin' on the mix and
BDP boy we'll flash a lyric a
Knock the suckers down every time dem hear it, because

[Hook]
Hip-hop rule, hip-hop rule
And these other industries out here cannot take it, come down!
Come again!
We want!
Bo!
Come again!
Bo!

* dub/instrumental of first verse reprised to fade *

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.

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