Boogie Down Productions – Criminal Minded album art
Before hip-hop became the world’s most consumed genre, it was a regional musical subculture brewing in the Bronx, NY. Almost a decade past its disco roots, Boogie Down Productions (with others such as Rakim, N.W.A, etc.) began a funk-driven, noisy, brash style of production and highly political style of lyricism. Albums like Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and Tragedy Khadafi’s Intelligent Hoodlum highlight this cultural shift well.
Criminal Minded garnered controversy at the time of release due to the brandished guns on the cover, contributing to a larger controversy of the early ’90s: “Reality Rap”, with violence as a large selling point. However, BDP’s intent was to evoke militant imagery to pair with the political subject matter. Artists from Tupac Shakur to Kendrick Lamar and countless others can trace their political rap lineage to pioneers like Scott LaRock, KRS-One, and others of this historic era in music.
The small “Boogie Down Productions” text on the bottom is Helvetica Compressed. The “Criminal” in the title is Compacta, and “Minded” is Eurostile Extended.
The back cover combines the band name in Compacta with track names and credits set in Helvetica Condensed and Helvetica.
