Although BDP had basically been a vehicle for KRS' solo vision at least since EDUTAINMENT, RETURN OF THE BOOM BAP is the first full-length release under his own name. As such it marks a significant turning point in his career, effectively stating that even if CRIMINAL MINDED had secured him old-school legend status, KRS was in fact the first new school emcee. Along with Rakim and a handful of others, he took rap away from elaborate call-and-response delivery of fairly simple rhymes towards a soliloquy of complex rhyme schemes and original metaphors. Consistent enough that he never had to worry about whether or not to call it a come-back, KRS nevertheless covered his bets by enlisting the new school's most innovative producer (DJ Premier) to complement his own beats on this solo debut.