Scott "La Rock" Sterling's day job was social work, but he moonlighted as a club DJ. With a popular reputation, he needed a rapper to complement his skills. By accident, he met Lawrence "Krisna" Parker, a graffiti artist who was staying at the Bronx shelter where he worked, and the pair formed a group called Scott La Rock and the Celebrity Three. Later, Sterling and Parker (also known as KRS-One), along with Derrick "D-Nice" Jones, formed Boogie Down Productions and released a 1987 debut LP called Criminal Minded. With hits like "South Bronx" and the title track, the trio soon caught the eye of Jive Records execs who signed them to their label. But the success was short-lived. On Aug. 27, 1987, as he attempted to squash a fight between Jones and an enemy, Sterling was mortally wounded in a Jeep outside the Bronx's Highbridge projects and died hours later. The next year, Cory Bayne and Kendall Newland were arrested for the crime, but as the case had no willing witnesses to testify, they were acquitted.