Sex & Violence

While the first four Boogie Down Productions albums had been marked by leanness of sound and clarity of intent, the collective’s fifth and final album—Sex & Violence, from 1992—is murkier, both musically and ideologically. Rap had changed a lot since KRS-One debuted in 1986. His inner restlessness propels songs here like “Drive & Destroy,” “Poisonous Products,” and “Questions and Answers,” all of which reinforce the rapper’s personal power even as they contradict some of his previous statements. These internal and external conflicts resulted in a roaring return to pure street rap in the form of “Duck Down,” the most gloriously vicious song he’d recorded since his debut.