The social worker-turned-rap producer/DJ Scott La Rock formed Boogie Down Productions with homeless teen KRS-One in the South Bronx in 1986 and the act brought the art of rap to a new level of poetry. Their first album, the proto-gangsta Criminal Minded, was a heavy blast of borough pride, battle raps, sparse and cutting funky production (inspired by James Brown and dancehall) and a gritty urban realism that has been a continuation in rap (for good or bad) ever since. They (theatrically?) initiated the "rap beef" with their battle boasts.
Scott was shot while trying to defuse a situation and died at the hospital. This incident ushered in the Stop The Violence movement in rap, led by BDP. The one album Scott made was full of educational tales about hip-hop's true origins in the Bronx. This was part of the soundtrack to my youth. BDP soldiered on for several more excellent records but Criminal Minded set a new standard at the time.