Sound of da Police

"Sound of da Police" is a song by American rapper KRS-One. Recorded at D&D Studios in New York City with production handled 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.

"Sound of da Police"
Single by KRS-One
from the album Return of the Boom Bap
B-side"Hip Hop vs. Rap"
ReleasedDecember 6, 1993 (1993-12-06)
Recorded1993
StudioD&D Studios (New York, NY)
GenreConscious hip hop[1]
Length4:18
LabelJive
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Showbiz
KRS-One singles chronology
"Outta Here"
(1993)		 "Sound of da Police"
(1993)		 "MC's Act Like They Don't Know"
(1995)
Music video
"Sound of da Police" on YouTube
Audio sample
"Sound of da Police"
  • file
  • help
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]

Content

The song criticizes police brutality and systemic racism.[3][4] 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.[5] Part of the drum track is taken from "Sing a Simple Song" by Sly and the Family Stone.[5]

The music video was directed by Michael Lucero.

Charts
Chart (1994) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[6] 89
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[7] 79
US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[8] 17

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[9] and in the 2016 published The Angry Birds Movie soundtrack. It has appeared in the TV show Brooklyn Nine-Nine.[10] The 'Whoop whoop, sound of da police' hook has been referenced by ska punk band Sonic Boom Six on their track "Piggy in the Middle",[11] by Body Count on their song "Black Hoodie" and in metal band Skindred on the title track of their 2002 debut album Babylon. It was also featured in French movie La Haine. The song plays over the final scenes and closing credits of season 3, episode 2 of Sex Education.[12]

On February 3, 2012, infamous hacker group Anonymous took over the Boston Police Department's web page and replaced it with a message and an embedded version of KRS-One's "Sound of da Police" music video.[13] The message was the following:

Do you remember a few months ago when #antisec attaked [sic] the Boston Police and released hundred of passwords in retaliation for the brutality against Occupy Boston? They clearly ignored our warnings, because not only did they raid the camp again and kicked protesters off of public parks, but they also sent undercover TSA agents to assualt [sic] and attempt to steal from some organizers. So you get your kicks beating protesters? That’s OK; we get kicks defacing and rm’n your websites – again. BDNNews.com, the ‘Boston Poice [sic] Department Virtual Community’ also fell to the swift merciless veangeance [sic] of the hive. Do you really want to step to this??[13]

References
  1. Zaru, Deena; Lee, Alex (August 16, 2017). "KRS-One gets political: What's fake and what's real in politics?". CNN. Retrieved August 22, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. "Sound of Da Police [LP EP] - KRS-One | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved May 18, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. Zaru, Deena. "KRS-One gets political: What's fake and what's real in politics?". CNN. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  4. Nestruck, J. Kelly. "Sound of the Beast is an unusual, disarming display of poetic justice". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  5. "Direct Sample of Multiple Elements". whosampled.com. Retrieved August 22, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. "KRS-One Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  7. "KRS-One Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  8. "KRS-One Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard.
  9. "IMDB - Ride Along 2 - Soundtracks".
  10. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (November 28, 2017). "Best of Hitchcock and Scully". youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  11. "Piggy In The Middle Lyrics by Sonic Boom Six - Lyrics On Demand". Lyrics On Demand. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  12. Hunt, James (September 17, 2021). "Every Song In Sex Education Season 3". Screen Rant. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  13. Cooper, Roman; Kuperstein, Slava (February 4, 2012). "KRS-One's "Sound Of Da Police" Video Used In Hacked Boston Police Department's Website". HipHopDX. Retrieved May 18, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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