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Sound of da Police

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"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)
Genre
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"
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]

"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.

Content

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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

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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

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[9] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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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[10] and in the 2016 published The Angry Birds Movie soundtrack. It has appeared in the TV show Brooklyn Nine-Nine.[11] 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",[12] by Body Count on their song "Black Hoodie" and in metal band Skindred on the title track of their 2002 debut album Babylon. The song plays over the final scenes and closing credits of season 3, episode 2 of Sex Education.[13] 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").[14] A remix of the song by DJ Cut Killer was featured in the soundtrack of the film La Haine.[15] The hip hop duo Suprême NTM later sampled the chorus on their album Live.[14]

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.[16]

References

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  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.
  2. ^ "Sound of Da Police [LP EP] - KRS-One | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  3. ^ Zaru, Deena (25 November 2015). "KRS-One gets political: What's fake and what's real in politics?". CNN. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  4. ^ Nestruck, J. Kelly (19 April 2017). "Sound of the Beast is an unusual, disarming display of poetic justice". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Direct Sample of Multiple Elements". whosampled.com. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  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. ^ "British single certifications – Krs-One – Sound Of Da Police". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  10. ^ "IMDB - Ride Along 2 - Soundtracks". IMDb.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "Piggy In The Middle Lyrics by Sonic Boom Six - Lyrics On Demand". Lyrics On Demand. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  13. ^ Hunt, James (September 17, 2021). "Every Song In Sex Education Season 3". Screen Rant. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  14. ^ a b Leprince, Chloé (10 December 2018). ""Assassins de la police" : histoire d'un slogan né d'une hallucination collective". France Culture (in French). Radio France. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  15. ^ Green, Steph (8 September 2020). "The sound and the fury: rap, reggae and resistance in La Haine". Sight & Sound. BFI. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  16. ^ 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.
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