Slick Rick

For the slightly older American rapper also known as "Slick Rick", see Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three.
"Rick the Ruler" redirects here. For the St. Louis-based hiphop artist, see Rick tha Rular.
Slick Rick

Slick Rick performing at the 2009 Fresh Fest concert in Los Angeles, California
Background information
Birth name Ricky Martin Lloyd Walters
Born (1965-01-14) January 14, 1965
Mitcham, London, England
Origin The Bronx, New York, United States
Genres Hip hop
Occupation(s) Rapper, record producer
Years active 1983–present
Labels Def Jam, Columbia, CBS Records, PolyGram, Universal
Associated acts Doug E. Fresh, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Dana Dane, Outkast, Aaliyah

Ricky Martin Lloyd Walters[1] (born 14 January 1965 and better known as Slick Rick, Rick The Ruler and Ricky Dee) is a Grammy-nominated, English-born performer and the most successful British-American rapper in music history. With four albums to his credit - the landmark The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (1988), The Ruler's Back (1991), Behind Bars (1994) and The Art of Storytelling (1999), his music has been sampled and interpolated over 600 times,[2] by artists such as Beyonce, The Beastie Boys, TLC, Nas, Miley Cyrus, Kanye West, Black Star, The Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg, and Color Me Badd. In the process, Walters has become the most sampled hip-hop artist ever.[3] Many of the new songs became hit singles. Additionally, Rick has collaborated with such musical icons as Jay-Z, Missy Elliot and Aaliyah and Outkast. He's been a VH-1 Hip Hop Honors honoree, and About.com ranked him #12 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time,[4] while The Source ranked him #15 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time.[5]

Early life

Walters was born and raised in the southwest London district of Mitcham, to an English-Jamaican family. He was blinded in the right eye by broken glass as an infant.[6][7] In 1976, he and his family emigrated to the United States, settling in The Bronx.[8] At Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of Music & Art, where he majored in visual art, Rick met Dana Dane. The pair became close friends and formed The Kangol Crew,[9] performing at school contests, parks and local hole-in-the-wall clubs.

At a 1984 talent showcase he entered, Rick met Doug E. Fresh.[10] 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 an international anthem that turned rap music on its head. It was the launching pad for "Hip Hop's greatest storyteller."[11] Slick Rick became the third artist signed to Def Jam Recordings.

Initial fame

His career began in late 1985, Walters first gained success in the rap industry after joining Doug 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 popular B-side, "La Di Da Di". "La Di Da Di" featured Walters' rapping over Doug E. Fresh's beatbox. Both tracks gained some mainstream attention, they appeared on Top of the Pops and Soul Train with Fresh's Get Fresh Crew. Reflecting on the double-sided gem in Rolling Stone magazine, Roots drummer and "Tonight Show" bandleader 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."[12]

In 1986, Slick Rick joined Russell Simmons' Rush Artist Management and became the third artist signed to Def Jam,[13] the leading rap/hip-hop label at the time.[14] Collaborating with his friend, DJ Vance Wright, Walters produced the solo statement The Great Adventures of Slick Rick. In 1988 Walters' solo debut, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, came out on Def Jam Records. The album was very successful, reaching the #1 spot on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop chart. It also featured three charting singles: "Children's Story", "Hey Young World", and "Teenage Love". Slick Rick also appears as an unlockable fighter in the 2004 Electronic Arts fighting game Def Jam Fight for NY. 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."[15]

Incarceration and subsequent albums

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.[16] Walters fired him, but a severance package wasn’t enough for Plummer. He tried to rob Walters on numerous occasions, and also threatened to kill the rapper and his mom.[17] When Walters found bullet holes in his front door, he bought guns for protection. On July 3, 1990, when he should have been celebrating his Great Adventures success and completing a follow-up, Walters was in fear for his life. When he spotted Plummer in his neighborhood, he fired at least four shots. One bullet hit Plummer; another caught a passerby in the foot. Neither suffered life-threatening injuries.[16]

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.[18] The rapper called it an act of self-defense.[19] He spent five years in prison, two for the then second degree attempted murder charges he received for the shooting, and three for his struggle with the Immigration and Naturalization Services over his residency in the US. He was released from prison in 1997.[20]

After being bailed out by Russell Simmons, Walters recorded his second album, The Ruler's Back, released in 1991. Despite peaking at #29 on the Billboard 100,[21] The album received mixed reviews and wasn't as commercially successful as his debut. In the documentary film, The Show, Russell Simmons interviewed Walters while he was imprisoned on Rikers Island.[22]

Walters' third studio album (the fourth and final for Def Jam) Behind Bars was released in 1994,[23] while he was still incarcerated. It was met with lukewarm sales and reviews. Behind Bars peaked at #11 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and #51 on the Billboard 200.[24] He was released from prison in 1996.

Walters remained with the Def Jam label, and on May 25, 1999, released a fourth album entitled The Art of Storytelling. Generally considered the authentic follow up to his 1988 debut, The Art of Storytelling was an artistically successful comeback album that paired him with prolific MCs like Nas, OutKast, Raekwon, and Snoop Dogg among others. The Los Angeles Times announced 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."[25] It charted higher than any of Slick Rick’s prior releases: #8 on the Billboard 200; #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

After performing on a Caribbean cruise ship in June 2001, Walters was arrested by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) as he re-entered the United States through Florida. 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.[26][27] In October 2006, the Department of Homeland Security began a new attempt to deport Walters back to the United Kingdom,[28] moving the case from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit based in New York to the more conservative Eleventh Circuit. The court is based in Atlanta, Georgia but the trial was expected to proceed in Florida, where immigration agents originally arrested Walters.

On May 23, 2008, New York Governor David Paterson granted 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 has volunteered his time to mentor kids about violence.[20][29]

Later career and life

Walters married his wife Mandy Aragones in April 1997, four years after the couple met at a Manhattan nightclub. The performer has two children, Ricky Martin Lloyd Santiago and Lateisha Walters, from a previous relationship. He and his wife have donated about a dozen items from his collection to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.[8]

Slick Rick and the Soul Rebels Brass Band collaborated on June 21, 2012 in Washington, D.C. at the historic Howard Theatre which re-opened in April 2012.[30]

In 2014, Rick participated in Will.i.am's "Trans4M" concert, which raised more than $2.4 million for the music producer's i.am.angel Foundation.[31]

In addition, Rick was recently was a Mixx Cares Humanitarian Award Recipient.[32]

On April 15, 2016, Rick was granted U.S. citizenship. Rick remarked, "I am so proud of this moment -- and so honored to finally become an American citizen." He announced his intention for dual citizenship to not give up his British passport.[33]

Influence

Slick Rick's songs, especially his best-known songs "La Di Da Di" and "Children's Story", have been covered, referenced and sampled by numerous rappers. "La Di Da Di" was covered nearly word-for-word by Snoop Dogg on his 1993 album Doggystyle. It has also been sampled and interpolated on numerous other songs, including as the chorus of the Notorious B.I.G. hit "Hypnotize". Snoop Dogg essentially covered Slick Rick once again on his 2nd album Tha Doggfather with the song "Sixx Minutes" which borrows heavily from the song "The Show".

"Children's Story" has been covered by rapper Everlast on his album Eat at Whitey's, by MC duo Black Star on their 1998 album Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star, by Tricky on the album Nearly God with the rap performed by Martina Topley-Bird, and by Israeli rapper Sagol 59 on the album The Two Sides of Sagol 59. Rapper The Game recorded a similar song, "Compton Story". The song has also been referenced and interpolated by numerous artists, including Montell Jordan for his 1995 hit, "This Is How We Do It".

Honors

On October 6, 2008, Rick was honored on the VH1 Hip Hop Honors show.

Rapping style

Slick Rick's style is commended by music critics. Music journalist Peter Shapiro says, "'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."[34]

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."[35] AllMusic states that he has the "reputation as hip hop's greatest storyteller."[11] In the book Check 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."[36] Kool Moe Dee comments, "Slick Rick raised the lost art of hip hop storytelling to a level never seen again."[37] Devin the Dude notes that Slick Rick's 'Indian Girl' is a good example of the type of humor that existed in hip hop's golden era,[38] and Peter Shapiro says that "he was funnier than Rudy Ray Moore or Redd Foxx."[34]

Slick Rick uses very clear enunciation and raps with the "Queen's English".[34] O.C. states: "The Great Adventures of Slick Rick is 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".[39] He is also renowned for his unique "smooth, British-tinged flow"[36] which contains distinct structures. In the book How 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."[40] Kool Moe Dee stated that, "Rick accomplished being totally original at a time when most MCs were using very similar cadences."[41] He has what is described as "singsong cadences";[11] Andy Cat of Ugly Duckling mentions that Slick Rick uses a melodic delivery on the track 'Hey Young World'.[42] Slick Rick is also known to extensively use punch ins, especially in his story rhymes as different characters;[43] Kool Moe Dee says Rick used "multi-voices to portray multiple characters."[37]

References in popular culture

Slick Rick has been referenced in numerous songs:

In a 2015 episode of Black-ish, Anthony Anderson looks at their family's monthly bill and exclaims, "Holy Slick Rick!"

Discography

References

  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 (1990)". Complex.
  2. ↑ Who Sampled Blog. "Top 10 All Time Most Sampled Records in Hip Hop".
  3. ↑ "TOP 10 MOST SAMPLED SONGS OF ALL TIME". PixelVulture.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  4. ↑ "50 Greatest MCs of Our Time (1987 - 2007)". Rap.about.com. 1999-02-15. Retrieved 2015-08-13.
  5. ↑ "The Source's Top 50 Lyricists Of All Time ," thisis50.com, July 7, 2012.
  6. ↑ Bush, John. "Slick Rick Biography". allmusic. Macrovision Corporation. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
  7. ↑ "Slick Rick Biography and History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  8. 1 2 David Gonzalez, "At 50, a Hip-Hop Pioneer Still Has Stories to Tell," New York Times, February 8, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Slick Rick". www.hiphoplegacies.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  10. ↑ "Slick Rick - Biography". www.billboard.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  11. 1 2 3 Huey, Steve. "The Great Adventures of Slick Rick - Slick Rick | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-08-13.
  12. ↑ "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. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  13. ↑ "BIOGRAPHY of Slick Rick". www.ricktheruler.net. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  14. ↑ "Top Ten Def Jams". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  15. ↑ Weiner, Matt (September 21, 2014). "The Misadventures of Slick Rick". Sabotage Times. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  16. 1 2 "The 30 Biggest Criminal Trials in Rap History - 5. The People of the State of New York v. Richard Walters (1990)". Complex. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  17. ↑ Reischel, Julia. "Slick Trouble". Village Voice. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  18. ↑ "Slick Rick The Ruler". hiphop.sh. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  19. ↑ "NO HOLDS BARRED - AFTER FIVE YEARS IN PRISON, SLICK RICK CUTS 'ART OF STORYTELLING' - AND GETS HIS LIFE BACK". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  20. 1 2 Sewell Chan, "Governor Pardons Hip-Hop Pioneer," New York Times, May 23, 2008.
  21. ↑ "The Ruler's Back - Def Jam". Def Jam. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  22. ↑ "Slick Rick Interview". "The Show". youtube.com. Retrieved 2012-03-18.
  23. ↑ "Slick Rick Facts, information, pictures on Encyclopedia.com articles about Slick Rick". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  24. ↑ "Behind Bars - Def Jam". Def Jam. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  25. ↑ BAKER, SOREN (1999-05-23). "Slick Rick Makes His Return to Rap, Ever the Storyteller". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  26. ↑ "Slick Rick regains legal status". CNN.com (Cable News Network LP). Associated Press. 2003-11-04. Archived from the original on December 6, 2007. Retrieved 2004-05-24.
  27. ↑ Patel, Joseph (2003-11-07). "The Great Adventures Can Resume: Slick Rick Is A Free Man". MTV.com. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
  28. ↑ Jeffries, Alexis (18 October 2006). "Slick Rick Facing Deportation, Again". Vibe. Vibe Media Group, Inc. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
  29. ↑ "Hip-hop pioneer 'Slick Rick' pardoned". ABC News. Associated Press. 23 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
  30. ↑ "Soul Rebels at the Howard Theatre". Thehowardtheatre.com. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
  31. ↑ "will.i.am charity event raises $2.4 million". CNS News. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  32. ↑ "Mixx Cares Humanitarian Award Recipient". www.latinmixx.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  33. ↑ "Slick Rick Granted U.S. Citizenship After Decades-Long Battle". Rolling Stone.
  34. 1 2 3 Shapiro, Peter. The Rough Guide To Hip-Hop, 2nd Edition, Penguin, 2005, p.336.
  35. ↑ Shapiro, Peter, 2005, The Rough Guide To Hip-Hop, 2nd Edition, Penguin, p. 337.
  36. 1 2 Coleman, Brian. Check The Technique: Liner Notes For Hip-Hop Junkies. New York: Villard/Random House, 2007, p. 319.
  37. 1 2 Kool Moe Dee. There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs, Thunder's Mouth Press, 2003, p.63.
  38. ↑ Edwards, Paul. How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC, Chicago Review Press, 2009, p. 39.
  39. ↑ Edwards, Paul, How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC, Chicago Review Press, 2009, p. 244.
  40. ↑ Edwards, Paul, How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC, Chicago Review Press, 2009, p. 129.
  41. ↑ Kool Moe Dee. There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs, Thunder's Mouth Press, 2003, p.64.
  42. ↑ Edwards, Paul. How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC, Chicago Review Press, 2009, p. 253.
  43. ↑ Edwards, Paul. How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC, Chicago Review Press, 2009, p. 276.

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