Boogie Down Productions was one of the most important and influential hip-hop groups in the latter half of the '80s. Led by the often brilliant and incendiary MC KRS-One, BDP were pioneers of both hardcore and political (or "conscious") rap -- and if that seems contradictory, it also illustrates the scope of KRS-One's talent for chronicling and even shaping his culture. Musically, BDP usually employed spare, minimal backdrops that accentuated KRS-One's booming delivery, and the group were also among the very first hip-hop artists to incorporate elements of Jamaican ragga and d...