''Return of the Boom Bap'' is the debut solo studio album by American rapper

KRS-One Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from the Bronx. He rose to prominence as part of the ...

, released on September 28, 1993, by

Jive Records Jive Records (later stylized as JIVE Records) was a British-American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary of the Zomba Group of Companies, Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chic ...

. The recording sessions took place at

D&D Studios D&D Studios was a recording studio at 320 West 37th Street in the Garment District and Hudson Yards neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. Artists who recorded there included Jay-Z, Foxy Brown, The Notorious B.I.G., Fat Joe, Nas, Gang Sta ...

and at Battery Studios, in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. The album was produced by

DJ Premier Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966), known professionally as DJ Premier (also known as Preemo), is an American record producer and DJ. He has been frequently lauded as one of hip hop's greatest producers by publications such as '' ...

Kid Capri David Anthony Love Jr. (better known as Kid Capri; born February 7, 1967) is an American DJ and rapper. Early life Kid Capri was born in New York City, in Brooklyn. He spent most of his youth in the Bronx. As an 8-year-old, Capri would atte ...

, Norty Cotto, Showbiz, and KRS-One. It features guest appearances from Ill Will and Kid Capri. The album peaked at number 37 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number 5 on the

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

in the United States. The album produced two singles: "Outta Here" and "

Sound of da Police "Sound of da Police" is a song by American rapper KRS-One. Recorded at D&D Studios in New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York Sta ...

". The latter reached number 89 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The track "P Is Still Free" appeared on the '' Menace II Society (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)'' labeled as a B.D.P. track. The track "Black Cop" was originally released as a 12" single and a track for the '' CB4 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)'', thus also labeled as a B.D.P. track. In 1998, the album was selected as one of ''

The Source The Source may refer to: Film and television * ''The Source'' (1918 film), 1918 American drama directed by George Melford * ''The Source'' (1999 film), a 1999 documentary film about the Beat generation * ''The Source'' (2002 film), a 2002 scienc ...

''s "100 Best Rap Albums". According to KRS-One, the album has sold over 300,000 copies.

Critical reception

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

, in ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'', called the album "his best, because the music has finally subsumed the lyrics—with outside guidance from Gang Starr's DJ Premier and others, the rapmaster's bassy beats and monophonic hooks have never sounded more catchy or more his own... Horn blats, 'Three Blind Mice' guitar, siren imitation, human beat-box, whatever—all recur hypnotically and leave you hungry for more. Nor have the words fallen off. The history he teaches is mostly his own. And a couple of times he just kills the cops."

Track listing

;Sample credits *Track 7 contains a sample of "

Inside-Looking Out "Inside-Looking Out", often written "Inside Looking Out", is a 1966 single by the Animals, and their first for Decca Records. It was a moderate hit, reaching number 12 on the UK Singles Chart, number 23 in Canada, and number 34 in the United St ...

" written by

Eric Burdon Eric Victor Burdon (born 11 May 1941) is an English singer and songwriter. He was previously the lead vocalist of the rhythm and blues, R&B and Rock music, rock band The Animals and the funk band War (band), War. He is regarded as one of the Br ...

Chas Chandler Bryan James "Chas" Chandler (18 December 1938 – 17 July 1996) was an English musician, record producer and manager, best known as the original bassist in The Animals, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. H ...

and

Alan Lomax Alan Lomax (; January 31, 1915 – July 19, 2002) was an American ethnomusicologist, best known for his numerous field recordings of folk music during the 20th century. He was a musician, folklorist, archivist, writer, scholar, political activ ...

and performed by

Grand Funk Railroad Grand Funk Railroad (often shortened to Grand Funk) is an American rock band formed in Flint, Michigan, in 1969 by Mark Farner (vocals, guitar, keyboards, harmonica), Don Brewer (drums, vocals) and Mel Schacher (bass). The band achieved pea ...

*Track 9 contains a sample of "Kill the Bitch" written by Karen Christina Chin, Wycliffe Johnson and Cleveland Browne and performed by Sasha *Track 13 contains a sample of " Poinciana" written by

Buddy Bernier Henry 'Buddy' Bernier (April 21, 1910 – June 18, 1983) was an American lyricist born in Watertown, New York, who was mainly active during the 1940s and 1950s. He came from a show business family and had two sisters, Daisy and Peggy who were each ...

Nat Simon Nat Simon (6 August 1900 – 5 September 1979) was an American composer, pianist, bandleader and songwriter. Born in Newburgh, New York, from the 1930s to the 1950s, his songs were used in over 20 films. Between 1931 and 1940, he also took part in ...

and Frederick Russell Jones and performed by

Ahmad Jamal Ahmad Jamal (born Frederick Russell Jones; July 2, 1930 – April 16, 2023) was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, and educator. For six decades, he was one of the most successful small-group leaders in jazz. He was a NEA Jazz Ma ...

*Track 14 contains a sample of "

Blacula ''Blacula'' is a 1972 American blaxploitation horror film directed by William Crain. It stars William Marshall in the title role about an 18th-century African prince named Mamuwalde, who is turned into a vampire (and later locked in a coffin) ...

" written and performed by

Gene Page Eugene Edgar Page Jr. (September 13, 1939 – August 24, 1998) was an American conductor, composer, arranger and record producer, most active from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s. His sound can be heard in the arrangements he did for Jeffer ...

Charts

Album chart positions

Singles chart positions

References

External links

* {{Authority control KRS-One albums 1993 debut albums Jive Records albums Albums produced by KRS-One Albums produced by DJ Premier Albums produced by Showbiz (producer)