The Bridge Wars - Ending and Aftermath

Ending and Aftermath

In 1987, attempting to calm down an unrelated domestic dispute involving BDP colleague D-Nice, BDP's DJ Scott La Rock was shot dead. Even after La Rock's death, the feud still continued.

MC Shan's song "Juice Crew Law" contained several anonymous shots at KRS. At the same time, other rappers joined in making songs dissing Queensbridge, such as Cool C's "Juice Crew Dis" which mocked "Juice Crew Law" and attacks both Shan and Shanté, and MitchSki's "Brooklyn Blew Up the Bridge, South Bronx Helped us out", which made fun of Shan's on-stage appearances. Another rapper named Butchy B stepped in for Queensbrige, with "Go Magic", which was a promotional for Mr. Magic's WBLS radio show that begins

I heard about you suckers with your Juice Crew Dis,

you went and made a record that the people go and miss"

and adds

all you suckers with the lipstick need to get a dress;

Looking like a faggot, jocking Mr. Magic,

acting like a parasite, leach or maggot...

The lipstick reference was aimed at the rival station WRKS-FM ("Kiss-FM"), which used a pair of lips as its logo. He followed up with "Beat Down KRS", in which he among other things, mocks the "didadidadiday" chant of "The Bridge is Over". KRS took minutes to respond. He answered in 1987 on his featured appearance on "Moshitup" with Just-Ice, from the album "Kool & Deadly" . There, he states

They run they run they run they run they run their lyrics through

But when they finish rhymin you have not heard nuttin new

So this one dedicated to the one that run their rhyme-a

Time after time after time after time

I know what you will say before you jump up on the stage

But make sure you don't say "Di-di-di-dah-di-di-di-day"

Or I'll have to look for you and beat you all up

So when you see me in the street just keep your mouth shut

In 1988 DJ Rockwell Noel and the Poet followed up with Taking U Out, which was even stronger than "Beat You Down", and harshly attacked both KRS's then-wife, Ms. Melodie, and rival radio station WRKS's DJ Red Alert, who was on BDP's side of the battle. KRS responded with "Still Number 1, the Numero Uno Mix", where he calls Poet "soft" and uncreative, and accuses him of "sounding like Kane".

Ka-Re-eSe Uno es fresco (Spanish for: KRS is fresh.)

Poet is soft ya know

Do not speak when grown people are speaking

Don't interrupt the class when I'm teaching

Turn your text-books now to BDP

And see

"Criminal Minded" and "By All Means Necessary"

I'm sort of like a bounty hunter,

I search for the best and crush the mother________.

He concludes the song with the lyrics:

Your first mistake was to answer back

to the undefeated master of beating suckers silly

No, I'm not from Philly

My name isn't Magic, Poet, or Billy

It's KRS, especially if it doesn't take you too long

to find out where I shift

And shifted back

To simply say you're wack

Weak, soft and really never posed a threat

In fact, I haven't heard a decent lyric from you yet

I'll bet creativity is something hard to get

As someone does your music and lyrics you slept

So step

Because obviously you haven't heard about my rep

I am undefeated, allow me to go more in depth

Boy you know - I'm still number one ("one" echos)

Although conspicuously absent from this counterattack was any rebuttal to Poet's attack on his wife.

Rockwell Noel & the Poet never seemed to respond to this. Some have suggested that their 1989 single "Massacre" may have been a 'between the lines' response, with Poet making anoynymous references like "sucker MC's try to test me...".

In 1988, BDP and KRS-One fuels their feud with the juice crew again with "My Philosophy".

you walk down the street and get jumped

You got to have style, and learn to be original

and everybody's gonna wanna diss you

like me, we stood up for the South Bronx

and every sucka mc had a response

You think we care? I know that they are on the tip

my posse from the Bronx is thick

and we're real live, we walk correctly

a lot of suckas would like to forget me

but they can't, cause like a champ

I have got a record of knocking out the frauds in a second

on the mic, I believe that you should get loose

I haven't come to tell you I have juice

On Shan's album Play it Again, Shan, the track "Time For Us To Defend Ourselves" contains a response to "My Philosophy".

Knowledge ain't nothin but a book on your shelf

With justice in mind think deep to yourself

In 1990, Boogie Down Productions released the concept album Edutainment. It has been praised by critics for its insightfulness and hailed as BDP's most experimental album. KRS-One took on such topics as politics, racism, self-identity, slavery, black on black violence, police brutality & corruption and even the meat industry. But, even though KRS-One covered a range of subjects, he couldn't resist a Juice Crew dis. On the second track "Blackman In Effect" he states:

This is the language of the people ready to hear the truth

I've got no juice, 'cause I'm not getting juiced

To have juice means you kiss and lick a lot of booty

To have respect means you simply know or knew me

Heard what I had to say and felt as though you'd say that too

I'm not down with a juice-crew

But anyway I say today the message I create is great

I don't preach hate, I simply get the record straight