Wikipedia

Slick Rick

Richard Martin Lloyd Walters[1](born January 14, 1965),[2]better known asSlick Rick,is an English-American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence as part ofDoug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crewin the mid-1980s. Their songs "The Show"and"La Di Da Di"are considered earlyhip hopclassics. "La Di Da Di" is one of the mostsampledsongs in history.[3]

Slick Rick
Slick Rick performing in 2009
Born
Richard Martin Lloyd Walters

(1965-01-14)January 14, 1965(age 59)
Mitcham,London, England
Other names
  • Rick the Ruler
  • MC Ricky D
Citizenship
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Years active1984–present
Spouse
Mandy Aragones
​
(m.1997)​
Children2
Musical career
OriginNew York City,U.S.
GenresHip hop
DiscographySlick Rick discography
Labels

In 1986, Slick Rick became the third artist to sign withDef Jam Recordings.[4]He has released four albums with the label:The Great Adventures of Slick Rick(1988),The Ruler's Back(1991),Behind Bars(1994) andThe Art of Storytelling(1999). His music has been sampled andinterpolatedover 1,000 times,[3][5]in songs by artists includingEminem,Beyoncé,Mariah Carey,Beastie Boys,TLC,Nas,Miley Cyrus,Kanye West,MF DOOM,Czarface,Black Star,The Notorious B.I.G.,Snoop Dogg,MC Ren,Montell Jordan,Tech N9ne,Lloyd,andColor Me Badd.In the process, Slick Rick has become one of the most-sampled hip-hop artists of all time.[6]Many of these songs based on Slick Rick samples went on to become hit singles. He was one of the first hip-hop artists to be covered, whenSnoop Dogg(then Snoop Doggy Dogg) rapped Rick's lyrics from his record "La Di Da Di" almost in their entirety on the track "Lodi Dodi" on his debut albumDoggystylein 1993. At the time, it was uncommon for rappers to record covers of each other's material.[7]

Slick Rick has been aVH1Hip Hop Honorshonoree, andAbout.comranked himNo.12 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time,[8]whileThe Sourceranked him No. 15 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time.[9]

Early life

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Walters was born in the South-West London area ofMitchamtoJamaicanparents. He was blinded in the right eye by broken glass as an infant.[10]In 1976, at the age of 11 or 12, he and his family immigrated to the United States, settling in theBaychesterarea ofthe Bronx.[11]AtFiorello H. Laguardia High School of Music & Art,where he majored in visual art, Rick metDana Dane.The pair became close friends and formed the Kangol Crew,[12]performing in school contests, parks, and small local clubs.

At a 1984 talent showcase he entered, Rick metDoug E. Fresh.[13]Impressed by Rick's talent, Doug made him a member of his Get Fresh Crew (which also included DJs Chill Will and Barry Bee). Doug's beatbox and Rick's fresh flow turned "The Show"/"La Di Da Di"into international anthems that turned rap music on its head and became the launching pad for" Hip Hop's greatest storyteller. "[14]

Career

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Initial fame

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His career began in 1985; Walters first gained success in the rap industry after joiningDoug E. Fresh's Get Fresh Crew, using the stage name MC Ricky D. He was featured on the single "The Show"and its even more popularB-side,"La Di Da Di",which featured Walters' rapping over Doug E. Fresh'sbeatbox.Both tracks gained some mainstream attention, they appeared onTop of the Pops[15]andSoul Train[16]with the Get Fresh Crew. Reflecting on the single inRolling Stonemagazine, Roots drummer andTonight Showbandleader Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson said, "Point blank: Slick Rick's voice was the most beautiful thing to happen to hip-hop culture [...] Rick is full of punchlines, wit, melody, cool cadence, confidence and style. He is the blueprint."[17]

In 1986, Slick Rick joined Russell Simmons's Rush Artist Management and became the third artist signed toDef Jam Records,[4]the leading rap/hip-hop label at the time.[18]Collaborating with his friend, DJ Vance Wright, Walters produced his solo debut,The Great Adventures of Slick Rick,which came out in 1988 on Def Jam. The album was very successful, reaching the No. 1 spot onBillboard's R&B/Hip-Hop chart. It also featured four charting singles: "Children's Story","Mona Lisa","Hey Young World",and"Teenage Love".The release is known for its storytelling and vocal characterizations." With the combination of Rick's Dick Van Dyke-on-dope accent and his unique narrative style, the record was an instant classic, "wrote critic Matt Weiner." Each of Rick's songs was an amusing, enthralling story that lasted from the first groove to the last. "[19]

Incarceration and subsequent albums

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In 1989, Walters' mother, Veronica, hired his first cousin, Mark Plummer, as his bodyguard. By 1990, Plummer had become a liability, having tried numerous times to extort money from the artist.[20]Plummer was fired and, unsatisfied with his severance package, tried to rob Walters on numerous occasions and also threatened to kill the rapper and his mother.[21]When Walters found bullet holes in his front door, he bought guns for protection. On July 3, 1990, Walters spotted Plummer in his neighborhood, and fired at least four shots. One bullet hit Plummer; another caught a passerby in the foot. Neither suffered life-threatening injuries.[20]

He eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder and other charges, including assault, use of a firearm, and criminal possession of a weapon.[22]The rapper called it an act of self-defense.[23]He spent five years in prison, two for the then-second-degree attempted-murder charges he received for the shooting, and three for disputes with theImmigration and Naturalization Servicesover his residency in the U.S. He was released from prison in 1997.[24]

After being bailed out byRussell Simmons,Walters recorded his second album,The Ruler's Back,released in 1991. Despite peaking at No. 29 on theBillboardHot 100,[25]the album received mixed reviews and was not as commercially successful as his debut. In the documentary film,The Show,Russell Simmons interviewed Walters while he was imprisoned onRikers Island.[26]

Walters' third studio album (the fourth for Def Jam)Behind Barswas released in 1994,[27]while he was still incarcerated. It was met with lukewarm sales and reviews.Behind Barspeaked at No. 11 on theBillboardTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albumschart, and No. 51 on theBillboard200.[28]

Slick Rick in 1997

Walters remained with the Def Jam label, and on May 25, 1999, released a fourth album,The Art of Storytelling.The Art of Storytellingwas a comeback-album that paired him with prolific MCs likeNas,OutKast,Raekwon,andSnoop Dogg.TheLos Angeles Timesannounced it as the "triumphant return of rap's premier yarn-spinner", calling the song "2 Way Street" "a much-needed alternative to rap's misogynistic slant".[29]It charted higher than any of Slick Rick's prior releases: No. 8 on theBillboard200; and No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

After performing on a Caribbean cruise ship in June 2002, Walters was arrested by theImmigration and Naturalization Service(INS) as he re-entered the United States throughFlorida.He was promptly told that he was being deported under a law allowing deportation of foreigners convicted of felonies. Rick was continuously refused bail, but after 17 months in prison he was released on November 7, 2003.[30][31]In October 2006, theDepartment of Homeland Securitybegan a new attempt to deport Walters back to theUnited Kingdom,[32]moving the case from theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuitbased in New York to the more conservativeEleventh Circuit.The court is based inAtlanta, Georgia,but the trial was expected to proceed in Florida, where immigration agents originally arrested Walters.

On May 23, 2008, New York GovernorDavid Patersongranted Slick Rick a full and unconditional pardon on the attempted murder charges. The governor was pleased with his behavior since the attempted murders. Slick Rick volunteered his time to mentor kids about violence.[24][33]

Later career and life

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Walters married his wife Mandy Aragones in April 1997, four years after the couple met at a Manhattan nightclub. The performer has two children from a previous relationship. He and his wife have donated about a dozen items from his collection to theSmithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.[11]

Slick Rick at the Out4Fame Festival in 2016

Slick Rick and theSoul Rebels Brass Bandcollaborated on June 21, 2012, in Washington, D.C. at the historicHoward Theatrewhich re-opened in April 2012.[34]

In addition, Rick was a Mixx Cares Humanitarian Award recipient.[35]

On April 15, 2016, Rick was granted U.S. citizenship, remarking, "I am so proud of this moment—and so honored to finally become an American citizen."[36][37]He will also retain his UK citizenship.[36][37]

On November 2, 2018, Rick released the single "Snakes of the World Today". In 2020, Rick featured onWestside Gunn's albumWho Made the Sunshine.In September 2023, it was announced that Rick is finishing up work on a new solo album, his first sinceArt of Storytelling.[38]

Honors

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Slick Rick performs at Halftime of the WNBA Playoffs during the NY Liberty/Las Vegas Aces semi-final game on September 29, 2024.

On October 6, 2008, Rick was honored on theVH1 Hip Hop Honorsshow. In 2018 he was added to theBronx Walk of Fame.

Rapping style

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Slick Rick's style is commended by music critics. Music journalistPeter Shapirowrote, " 'Children's Story' was important because of its narrative structure and Rick's understanding of how crucial little sonic details—such as his use of a female voice and his yawning rap—were to hip hop style."[39]

He is largely known for his story raps, such as "Children's Story" and "La Di Da Di". Shapiro writes that he "largely introduced the art of narrative into hip hop... none of the spinners of picaresque rhymes who followed did it with the same grace or humor."[40]AllMusicstates that he has the "reputation as hip hop's greatest storyteller."[citation needed]In the bookCheck the Technique,Slick Rick says, "I was never the type to say freestyle raps, I usually tell a story, and to do that well I've always had to work things out beforehand."[41]Kool Moe Deecomments, "Slick Rick raised the lost art of hip hop storytelling to a level never seen again."[42]Devin the Dudenotes that Slick Rick's "Indian Girl" is a good example of the type of humor that existed in hip hop's golden era,[43]and Peter Shapiro says that "he was funnier thanRudy Ray MooreorRedd Foxx."[39]

Slick Rick uses very clear enunciation and retains some English pronunciations, which led Shapiro to say that he raps in the "Queen's English".[39]O.C.states: "The Great Adventures of Slick Rickis one of the greatest albums ever... the stuff he was just saying on there, it was so clear.. the [clear] syllable dude was Slick Rick for me ".[44]He is also renowned for his unique "smooth, British-tinged flow"[41]which contains distinct structures. In the bookHow to Rap,it is noted that on the song "I Own America", he "puts a rest on almost every other 1-beat so that each set of two lines begins with a rest."[45]Kool Moe Dee stated that, "Rick accomplished being totally original at a time when most MCs were using very similar cadences."[46]He has what is described as "singsong cadences";[citation needed]Andy Cat ofUgly Ducklingmentions that Slick Rick uses a melodic delivery on the track "Hey Young World".[47]Slick Rick is also known to extensively usepunch ins,especially in his story rhymes as different characters;[48]Kool Moe Deesays Rick used "multi-voices to portray multiple characters."[42]

Discography

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Main article:Slick Rick discography

Filmography

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He makes an appearance as a playable character in the video gamesDef Jam: Fight for NYandDef Jam Fight for NY: The Takeover.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^David Drake, Insanul Ahmed (October 19, 2012)."The 30 Biggest Criminal Trials in Rap History: The People of the State of New York v. Richard Walters (1991)".Complex.
  2. ^Rose, Mike (January 14, 2023)."Today's famous birthdays list for January 14, 2023 includes celebrities Dave Grohl, Carl Weathers".Cleveland.com.RetrievedJanuary 14,2023.
  3. ^abMichael Driscoll (May 22, 2019)."How 'La Di Da Di,' a B-Side From 1985, Became One of Music's Most-Sampled Songs".The Wall Street Journal.
  4. ^ab"Biography of Slick Rick".Ricktheruler.net.Archived fromthe originalon March 23, 2016.RetrievedApril 11,2016.
  5. ^Who Sampled Blog."Top 10 All Time Most Sampled Records in Hip Hop".Archived fromthe originalon April 20, 2016.RetrievedJanuary 29,2019.
  6. ^"Top 10 Most Sampled Songs of All Time".PixelVulture.com.Archived fromthe originalon August 9, 2017.RetrievedApril 11,2016.
  7. ^"Dana Dane Says Snoop Dogg's" La-Di-Da-Di "Cover Completely Changed Rap".hiphopdx.com.July 18, 2014.RetrievedAugust 16,2021.
  8. ^"50 Greatest MCs of Our Time (1987 - 2007)".Rap.about.com. February 15, 1999. Archived fromthe originalon April 5, 2015.RetrievedAugust 13,2015.
  9. ^"The Source's Top 50 Lyricists Of All Time,"ArchivedDecember 31, 2013, at theWayback MachineThisis50.com, July 7, 2012.
  10. ^Bush, John."Slick Rick Biography and History".AllMusic.RetrievedApril 11,2016.
  11. ^abDavid Gonzalez,"At 50, a Hip-Hop Pioneer Still Has Stories to Tell,"The New York Times,February 8, 2015.
  12. ^"Slick Rick".Hiphoplegacies.com.Archived fromthe originalon April 27, 2016.RetrievedApril 11,2016.
  13. ^"Slick Rick - Biography".Billboard.com.RetrievedApril 11,2016.
  14. ^Huey, Steve."The Great Adventures of Slick Rick - Slick Rick | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards".AllMusic.RetrievedAugust 13,2015.
  15. ^Archived atGhostarchiveand theWayback Machine:"Doug E Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew -The Show Studio, TOTP".YouTube.April 19, 2014.RetrievedJuly 13,2017.
  16. ^"The Show - Doug E Fresh".YouTube.February 10, 2011. Archived fromthe originalon November 8, 2011.RetrievedJuly 13,2017.
  17. ^"Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew," The Show "/" La Di Da Di "(1985) - Questlove's Top 50 Hip-Hop Songs of All Time".Rolling Stone.RetrievedApril 11,2016.
  18. ^"Top Ten Def Jams".Clash Magazine.May 2013.RetrievedApril 11,2016.
  19. ^Weiner, Matt (September 21, 2014)."The Misadventures of Slick Rick".Sabotagetimes.com.RetrievedApril 11,2016.
  20. ^ab"The 30 Biggest Criminal Trials in Rap History - 5.The People of the State of New York v. Richard Walters(1990) ".Complex.RetrievedApril 11,2016.
  21. ^Reischel, Julia (January 9, 2007)."Slick Trouble".Village Voice.RetrievedApril 11,2016.
  22. ^"Slick Rick The Ruler".hiphop.sh.Archived fromthe originalon April 17, 2016.RetrievedApril 11,2016.
  23. ^"No holds barred - after five years in prison, Slick Rick cutsArt of Storytelling- and gets his life back ".NY Daily News.May 23, 1999.RetrievedApril 11,2016.
  24. ^abSewell Chan,"Governor Pardons Hip-Hop Pioneer,"The New York Times,May 23, 2008.
  25. ^"The Ruler's Back - Def Jam".Def Jam.RetrievedApril 11,2016.[permanent dead link‍]
  26. ^Archived atGhostarchiveand theWayback Machine:"Slick Rick Interview".The Show.youtube.com. December 2, 2007.RetrievedMarch 18,2012.
  27. ^"Slick Rick Facts, information, pictures on Encyclopedia.com articles about Slick Rick".Encyclopedia.com.RetrievedApril 11,2016.
  28. ^"Behind Bars - Def Jam".Def Jam.RetrievedApril 11,2016.[permanent dead link‍]
  29. ^Baker, Soren (May 23, 1999)."Slick Rick Makes His Return to Rap, Ever the Storyteller".Los Angeles Times.ISSN0458-3035.RetrievedApril 11,2016.
  30. ^"Slick Rick regains legal status".CNN.com.Associated Press. November 4, 2003. Archived fromthe originalon December 6, 2007.RetrievedMay 24,2004.
  31. ^Patel, Joseph (November 7, 2003)."The Great Adventures Can Resume: Slick Rick Is A Free Man".MTV.com.Archived fromthe originalon February 3, 2004.RetrievedMay 24,2008.
  32. ^Jeffries, Alexis (October 18, 2006)."Slick Rick Facing Deportation, Again".Vibe.Vibe Media Group, Inc. Archived fromthe originalon December 3, 2008.RetrievedMay 24,2008.
  33. ^"Hip-hop pioneer 'Slick Rick' pardoned".ABC News.Associated Press. May 23, 2008.Archivedfrom the original on December 3, 2013.RetrievedMay 24,2008.
  34. ^"Soul Rebels at the Howard Theatre".Thehowardtheatre.com. Archived fromthe originalon August 7, 2020.RetrievedApril 7,2012.
  35. ^"Mixx Cares Humanitarian Award Recipient".Latinmixx.com.RetrievedApril 11,2016.
  36. ^ab"Rap Legend Slick Rick Becomes a U.S. Citizen!".TMZ.com.April 15, 2016.RetrievedJuly 13,2017.
  37. ^ab"Slick Rick Granted U.S. Citizenship After Decades-Long Battle".Rolling Stone.
  38. ^"Slick Rick's First New Album In 24 Years Is Reportedly On The Way".Ambrosia for Heads.
  39. ^abcShapiro, Peter.The Rough Guide To Hip-Hop, 2nd Edition,Penguin, 2005, p.336.
  40. ^Shapiro, Peter, 2005,The Rough Guide To Hip-Hop, 2nd Edition,Penguin, p. 337.
  41. ^abColeman, Brian.Check The Technique:Liner Notes For Hip-Hop Junkies.New York: Villard/Random House, 2007, p. 319.
  42. ^abKool Moe Dee.There's A God On The Mic:The True 50 Greatest MCs,Thunder's Mouth Press, 2003, p.63.
  43. ^Edwards, Paul.How to Rap:The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC,Chicago Review Press, 2009, p. 39.
  44. ^Edwards, Paul,How to Rap:The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC,Chicago Review Press, 2009, p. 244.
  45. ^Edwards, Paul,How to Rap:The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC,Chicago Review Press, 2009, p. 129.
  46. ^Kool Moe Dee.There's A God On The Mic:The True 50 Greatest MCs,Thunder's Mouth Press, 2003, p.64.
  47. ^Edwards, Paul.How to Rap:The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC,Chicago Review Press, 2009, p. 253.
  48. ^Edwards, Paul.How to Rap:The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC,Chicago Review Press, 2009, p. 276.
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