South Bronx

Boogie Down Productions

About South Bronx

"South Bronx" is a single by Hip hop group Boogie Down Productions from their 1987 debut album Criminal Minded. This is also the South Bronx's representative anthem. The song was produced by Ced Gee, DJ Scott La Rock and KRS-One. The song was a diss track aimed at MC Shan in response to his song "The Bridge" and is part of what became known as The Bridge Wars.


Year:
1998
5:11
112 

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Yo what's up Blastmaster KRS One, this jam is kicking
Word, yo what up D-Nice?
(Yo what's up Scott La Rock?)
Yo man we chilling just funky fresh jam
I want to tell you a little something about us
We're the Boogie Down Productions crew
And due to the fact that no-one else out there knew what time it was
We have to tell you a little story about where we we come from

South Bronx, the South South Bronx

Many people tell me this style is terrific
It is kinda different but let's get specific
KRS-One specialize in music
I'll only use this type of style when I choose it
Party people in the place to be, KRS-One attack
Ya got dropped off MCA cause the rhymes you wrote was wack
So you think that hip-hop had its start out in Queensbridge
If you pop that junk up in the Bronx you might not live
Cause you're in

South Bronx, the South South Bronx

I came with Scott La Rock to express one thing
I am a teacher and others are kings
If that's the title they earn, well it's well deserved, but
Without a crown, see, I still burn
You settle for a pebble not a stone like a rebel
KRS-One is the holder of a boulder, money folder
You want a fresh style let me show ya
Now way back in the days when hip-hop began
With Coke LaRock, Kool Herc, and then Bam
Beat boys ran to the latest jam
But when it got shot up they went home and said "Damn
There's got to be a better way to hear our music every day
B-boys getting blown away but coming outside anyway"
They tried again outside in Cedar Park
Power from a street light made the place dark
But yo, they didn't care, they turned it out
I know a few understand what I'm talking about
Remember Bronx River, rolling thick
With Kool DJ Red Alert and Chuck Chillout on the mix
When Afrika Islam was rocking the jams
And on the other side of town was a kid named Flash
Patterson and Millbrook projects
Casanova all over, ya couldn't stop it
The Nine Lives Crew, the Cypress Boys
The real Rock Steady taking out these toys
As odd as it looked, as wild as it seems
I didn't hear a peep from a place called Queens
It was seventy-six to 1980
The dreads in Brooklyn was crazy
You couldn't bring out your set with no hip-hop
Because the pistols would go
So why don't you wise up, show all the people in the place that you are wack
Instead of tryna take out LL, you need to take your homeboys off the crack
Cause if you don't, well, then their nerves will become shot
And that would leave the job up to my own Scott La Rock
And he's from

South Bronx, the South South Bronx

The human TR-808, D-Nice
The poet, the Blastmaster KRS-ONE
The Grand Incredible DJ Scott La Rock
Boogie Down Productions
Fresh for '86, you suckers!

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Boogie Down Productions

Boogie Down Productions was a hip hop group that was originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, months after the release of BDP's debut album, Criminal Minded. The name of the group, Boogie Down, derives from a nickname for the South Bronx section of The Bronx, one of the five boroughs of New York City. The group pioneered the fusion of dancehall reggae and hip hop music and their debut LP Criminal Minded contained frank descriptions of life in the South Bronx of the late 1980s thus setting the stage for what would eventually become gangsta rap. more »

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Written by: LAWRENCE KRSONE PARKER, SCOTT MONROE STERLING

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

Original Release
"South Bronx" was released in 1986 which was one of the earliest tracks produced by Boogie Down Productions and KRS-One.
Members
Boogie Down Productions was made up of three members - KRS-One, D-Nice and the late Scott La Rock.
Infamous Rivalry
The song "South Bronx" was a response to "The Bridge" by MC Shan and Marley Marl, sparking the legendary "Bridge Wars" rivalry between artists from Queensbridge and South Bronx.
Hip-Hop Importance
"South Bronx" is considered one of the definitive songs of the old-school hip-hop genre, encompassing the street-based storyline and rugged style characteristic of the era.
Dedication
KRS-One and Scott La Rock dedicated "South Bronx" to the people who live in this part of the New York City borough.
Controversy
In the song, KRS-One disputed MC Shan's claim that hip-hop originated in Queens, asserting that it in fact came from the South Bronx, leading to an ongoing dispute.
Album Success
"South Bronx" is from the album "Criminal Minded" which listed in The Source Magazine's 100 Best Rap Albums.
KRS-One’s Name
KRS-One, whose real name is Lawrence Parker, adopted the stage name KRS-One, which stands for 'Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone'.
Cultural Impact
The song "South Bronx" played a major role in establishing the reputation of the South Bronx in hip-hop culture and history.
Death of Scott La Rock
Unfortunately, Scott La Rock, one of the founding members of Boogie Down Productions, was killed in a shooting in 1987, the year after "South Bronx" was released. This tragic event led KRS-One to become a leading advocate against violence in the hip-hop community.

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