Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop

Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop
Studio album by
Boogie Down Productions
ReleasedJuly 4, 1989
Recorded1988–89
StudioPower Play Studios (New York, NY)
Genre
Length49:33
LabelJive
ProducerKRS-One
Boogie Down Productions chronology
By All Means Necessary
(1988) 		Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop
(1989) 		Edutainment
(1990)
Singles from Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop
  1. "Jack of Spades"
    Released: 1989
  2. "Why Is That?"
    Released: 1989
  3. "You Must Learn"
    Released: 1989
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideB+[2]
Los Angeles Times[3]
The New York Times(favorable)[4]
Rolling Stone[5]
Sputnikmusic5/5[6]
Trouser Press(favorable)[7]
The Washington Post(favorable)[8]

Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop is the third studio album by American hip hop group Boogie Down Productions. It was released on July 4, 1989, via Jive Records. Recording sessions took place at Power Play Studios in New York. Production was handled by member KRS-One with co-production from fellow member D-Nice, D-Square, Rebekah Foster, Sidney Mills and Spaceman Patterson.

The album peaked at number 36 on the Billboard 200 and number 7 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the United States. On September 25, 1989, it was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling 500,000 copies in the US.

The album featured three singles: "Jack of Spades", "Why Is That?" and "You Must Learn", which were later included in KRS-One's 2000 compilation album A Retrospective.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Lawrence Parker, except track 5 written with Pamela Scott

No.TitleLength
1."The Style You Haven't Done Yet"3:01
2."Why Is That?"3:57
3."The Blueprint"2:54
4."Jack of Spades"4:49
5."Jah Rulez"4:25
6."Breath Control"3:38
7."Who Protects Us from You?"2:25
8."You Must Learn"3:51
9."Hip Hop Rules"4:08
10."Bo! Bo! Bo!"5:21
11."Gimme, Dat, (Woy)"3:04
12."Ghetto Music"3:15
13."World Peace"4:45
Total length:49:33

Personnel

  • Lawrence "KRS-One" Parker – lead vocals, songwriter, producer, mixing
  • Derrick "D-Nice" Jones – beatbox (track 6), co-producer
  • Kevin Batchelor – backing vocals, trumpet
  • Pamela "Harmony" Scott – backing vocals, songwriter (track 5)
  • Shelia Pate – backing vocals
  • Sidney Mills – keyboards, co-producer
  • Val Douglas – bass
  • Anastas "Nass-T" Hackett – drums
  • Jerry Johnson – saxophone
  • Nathaniel "Afrika Baby Bam" Hall – scratches (track 5)
  • Dwayne "D-Square" Sumal – co-producer, engineering, editing
  • Rebekah Foster – co-producer, engineering
  • William "Spaceman" Patterson – co-producer
  • Peter Bodtke – photography
  • Scott "DJ Scott La Rock" Sterling – overseen by

Charts

Chart (1989) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[9] 36
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[10] 7

Singles

Year Song Chart positions
US
Rap 		US
R&B 		US
Dance
1989 "Jack of Spades" 3 — 15
1989 "Why Is That?" 5 48 20
1989 "You Must Learn" 15 — —

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[11] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b c Huey, Steve. "Boogie Down Productions - Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert (1990). "B". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved August 17, 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. ^ Marlowe, Duff (July 30, 1989). "Parker Sings of Peace : BOOGIE DOWN PRODUCTIONS "Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop." Jive/RCA *** 1/2". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  4. ^ Pareles, Jon (1989-07-23). "RECORDINGS - Street Smarts Beyond Rap's Braggadocio". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-11-18.
  5. ^ Fricke, David (1989). "Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 15, 2008. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  6. ^ "Boogie Down Productions - Ghetto Music: The Blueprint Of Hip Hop (album review ) | Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic. July 17, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  7. ^ Chang, Jeff; Wif, Stenger. "Boogie Down Productions". Trouser Press. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  8. ^ "Cap Centre Rap Attack - the Washington Post | HighBeam Research". Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2009-05-09.
  9. ^ "Boogie Down Productions Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  10. ^ "Boogie Down Productions Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
  11. ^ "American album certifications – Boogie Down Productions – Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop". Recording Industry Association of America.
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