KRS-One Drops ‘Return of The Boom Bap’ Album: Today in Hip-Hop

On this day, Sept. 28, in hip-hop history...

1993: From transformative perspective, the death of Scott La Rock was in many ways the beginning of Kris Parker's solo career. KRS-One did not decide to strike out without the Boogie Down Productions' name until his 1993 solo debut, Return Of The Boom Bap, generally considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time.

Taking a break from the production duties that he held on the majority of BDP's LPs, KRS-One stepped aside and invited rising beat-makers DJ Premier, Showbiz and Kid Capri to produce the majority of the album, giving Return Of The Boom Bap a modern flavor that updated KRS-One for the 1990s. Lyrically, it might be KRS's finest performances as the songwriting on tracks like "I Can't Wake Up" and "Outta Here" are as sharp as ever.

As typical of KRS-One's discography, the album deals with many social and political themes and also contains some of the KRS-One's most memorable songs including the fiery "Sound Of Da Police" and fierce "Black Cop," two songs that tackle the intersection of law enforcement and institutionalized racism in the country. In the 24 years since the album's release, Return Of The Boom Bap, is often considered one of KRS-One's greatest achievements and an integral piece of the hip-hop canon.

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