Which hip hop group released the influential 1987 debut album Criminal Minded?

Boogie Down Productions released the influential 1987 debut album Criminal Minded.

The album introduced the Bronx duo of KRS-One and DJ Scott La Rock, whose aggressive battle-rap style helped define early hardcore hip hop. It was released on B-Boy Records and included tracks such as “South Bronx” and “The Bridge Is Over.”

Criminal Minded is closely tied to the so-called Bridge Wars, a lyrical dispute involving Queens-based rapper MC Shan and the Juice Crew. KRS-One’s response helped establish Boogie Down Productions as a major force in New York rap.

Listeners sometimes confuse Criminal Minded with Boogie Down Productions’ later albums By All Means Necessary and Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop. The group’s original lineup changed after Scott La Rock was killed in 1987, shortly after the album’s release.