Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop
1989 studio album by Boogie Down Productions
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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.
| Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 4, 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1988–1989 | |||
| Studio | Power Play Studios (New York, NY) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 49:33 | |||
| Label | Jive | |||
| Producer | KRS-One | |||
| Boogie Down Productions chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+[2] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [3] |
| The New York Times | (favorable)[4] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
| Sputnikmusic | 5/5[6] |
| Trouser Press | (favorable)[7] |
| The Washington Post | (favorable)[8] |
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. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
