Sound of da Police
{{Infobox song
| name = Sound of da Police
| cover = Sound Of Da Police.jpg
| alt =
| type = Single
| artist = KRS-One
| album = Return of the Boom Bap
| B-side = Hip Hop vs. Rap
| released = {{Start date|1993|12|6}}
| recorded = 1993
| studio = D&D Studios (New York, NY)
| genre = {{hlist|Boom bap|conscious hip hop{{cite web | url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/11/25/politics/krs-one-election-2016/index.html | title=KRS-One gets political: What's fake and what's real in politics? | work=CNN |last1=Zaru |first1=Deena |last2=Lee |first2=Alex |date=August 16, 2017 |access-date=August 22, 2021 }}}}
| length = {{Duration|m=4|s=18}}
| label = Jive
| writer = {{hlist|Lawrence Parker|Rodney Lemay|Eric Burdon|Chas Chandler|Alan Lomax}}
| producer = Showbiz
| prev_title = Outta Here
| prev_year = 1993
| next_title = MC's Act Like They Don't Know
| next_year = 1995
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|9ZrAYxWPN6c|"Sound of da Police"}}}}
}}
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{Cite web|title=Sound of Da Police [LP EP] - KRS-One {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits {{!}} AllMusic|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/sound-of-da-police-lp-ep-mw0000622340|access-date=May 18, 2021|website=AllMusic}}
}}
"Sound of da Police" is a song by American rapper KRS-One. Recorded at D&D Studios in New York City with production by Showbiz, it was released in December 1993 as the second and final single from KRS-One's debut solo studio album Return of the Boom Bap. It peaked at number 89 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Content
The song criticizes police brutality and systemic racism.{{cite web |last1=Zaru |first1=Deena |title=KRS-One gets political: What's fake and what's real in politics? |url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/11/25/politics/krs-one-election-2016/index.html |website=CNN |date=25 November 2015 |access-date=January 7, 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Nestruck |first1=J. Kelly |title=Sound of the Beast is an unusual, disarming display of poetic justice |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/theatre-and-performance/sound-of-the-beast-is-an-unusual-disarming-display-of-poetic-justice/article34755022/ |website=The Globe and Mail |date=19 April 2017 |access-date=January 7, 2019}} It begins with KRS-One whooping twice to evoke a police siren (the "sound of the police"); this recurs several times throughout the song. The heavy bass sample loop, and part of a guitar solo were taken from Grand Funk Railroad's cover of "Inside-Looking Out", the final track of their LP Grand Funk. Part of the drum track is taken from "Sing a Simple Song" by Sly and the Family Stone.{{cite web |url=https://www.whosampled.com/sample/20560/KRS-One-Sound-of-Da-Police-Sly-%26-the-Family-Stone-Sing-a-Simple-Song/ |title=Direct Sample of Multiple Elements |website=whosampled.com |access-date=August 22, 2021 }}
The music video was directed by Michael Lucero.
Charts
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center;" |
| scope="col"| Chart (1994)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| {{single chart|Billboardhot100|89|artist=KRS-One|rowheader=true}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardrandbhiphop|79|artist=KRS-One|rowheader=true}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardrapsongs|17|artist=KRS-One|rowheader=true}} |
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Krs-One|title=Sound Of Da Police|award=Silver|type=single|relyear=2006|certyear=2024|accessdate=August 2, 2024|id=20227-6863-1}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|nosales=true|noshipments=true}}
In popular culture
The song was featured in the American films Cop Out, Tag, Black and Blue, and the British film Attack the Block. It was featured as an in-game radio selection in the 2015 video game Battlefield Hardline (by Electronic Arts), and was used for the end credits of the 2016 movie Ride Along 2{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2869728/soundtrack?ref_=tt_trv_snd|title=IMDB - Ride Along 2 - Soundtracks|last=|first=|date=|website=IMDb|publisher=|access-date=}} and in the 2016 published The Angry Birds Movie soundtrack. It has appeared in the TV show Brooklyn Nine-Nine.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4c5gqyXQU8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/j4c5gqyXQU8| archive-date=2021-12-12|title=Best of Hitchcock and Scully |author=Brooklyn Nine-Nine |website=youtube.com |date=November 28, 2017 |access-date=August 21, 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}} The
It is the theme music for the long-running stand-up show on BBC Radio 4, ''Alfie Moore - It's a Fair Cop.
The song is well known in France, where the chorus is commonly misinterpreted as "assassins de la police" (literally "police killer").{{cite web |last1=Leprince |first1=Chloé |title="Assassins de la police" : histoire d'un slogan né d'une hallucination collective |url=https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceculture/assassins-de-la-police-histoire-d-un-slogan-ne-d-une-hallucination-collective-1220507 |website=France Culture |publisher=Radio France |access-date=14 August 2022 |language=fr |date=10 December 2018}} A remix of the song by DJ Cut Killer was featured in the soundtrack of the film La Haine.{{cite web |last1=Green |first1=Steph |title=The sound and the fury: rap, reggae and resistance in La Haine |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/features/la-haine-dj-cut-killer-krs-one-edith-piaf-rap-reggae-resistance |website=Sight & Sound |publisher=BFI |access-date=14 August 2022 |language=en |date=8 September 2020}} The hip hop duo Suprême NTM later sampled the chorus on their album Live.
On February 3, 2012, hacker group Anonymous defaced the Boston Police Department's web page, replacing it with an embedded version of KRS-One's "Sound of da Police" music video and a message criticizing the department's treatment of the Occupy Boston movement.{{Cite web|last1=Cooper|first1=Roman|last2=Kuperstein|first2=Slava|date=February 4, 2012|title=KRS-One's "Sound Of Da Police" Video Used In Hacked Boston Police Department's Website|url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.18548/title.krs-ones-sound-of-da-police-video-used-in-hacked-boston-police-departments-website|access-date=May 18, 2021|website=HipHopDX}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Discogs master|62679|Sound Of Da Police}}
{{KRS-One}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Songs written by KRS-One
Category:Songs about police officers
Category:Songs about police brutality
Category:Songs written by Eric Burdon
Category:Articles containing video clips