Slick Rick

Slick Rick also known as Ricky D (born January 14, 1965) is a British rapper, known most for a series of hip hop recordings during the 1980s. Born Richard Walters in South Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom, he was blinded in the right eye by broken glass as an infant and took to wearing an eyepatch from an early age. Rick moved with his family to The Bronx in 1975.

Biography

Charlie Rock of Harlem World crew was instrumental in bringing Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh together when Doug requested an introduction after he had seen him win local MC battle contests. It was at an MC contest at the 369 Armory on 142nd street in Harlem, given by promotion partners Ray Chandler & Charlie Rock, The Rick & Doug were formally introduced by Rock.

As a 20-year-old in the summer of 1985 he scored his first big hits, "La Di Da Di" and "The Show."

Musical history

Slick Rick released The Great Adventures of Slick Rick in 1988 while living in New York City. "Children's Story", which appears on The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, is one of the most famous songs in rap and hip-hop and has been covered by Black Star (comprised of Mos Def and Talib Kweli), Black Rob, Everlast, Tricky's side project Nearly God, UK rapper Ramson Badbones and Bjork. The album attained platinum status, but Rick was unable to exploit this due to an arrest for attempted murder. He shot his cousin and a bystander, accusing his cousin of extorting money. Russell Simmons, head of Def Jam records, bailed him out and Rick quickly recorded The Ruler's Back before spending five years in prison. "La Di Da Di", "Mona Lisa" and "Children's Story" are among his best known songs, with "La Di Da Di" being covered nearly word-for-word by Snoop Dogg on his 1993 album Doggystyle, and the chorus from "La Di Da Di" being borrowed for the Notorious B.I.G. song "Hypnotize" on his 1997 album Life After Death.

When Rick was released in 1994, he immediately recorded Behind Bars. On May 25, 1999, Slick Rick released his fourth album entitled The Art of Storytelling on the Def Jam label. The album featured Nas, OutKast, Raekwon from the Wu-Tang Clan, Snoop Dogg, Kid Capri, Canibus, and Doug E. Fresh. In June 2002, after performing on a Caribbean cruise ship, Rick was arrested by the then INS as he re-entered the United States through Florida. He was promptly told that he was being deported because he is a British citizen; since he had been born in London and moved to the States as a youth. In 1996, a law was passed which called for foreigners convicted of violent felonies to be deported, a ruling which was more vigorously enforced amid heightened security concerns after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Rick was continuously refused bail, but after 17 months in prison he was released on November 7 2003.

Trivia

His song, "Children's Story" was featured in San Andreas.
Slick Rick makes a backstage appearance on Jay-Z's Fade to Black DVD.
Rick's music was often criticized for perceived misogyny; however, his lyrics are relatively tame compared to those of his successors.
He made a cameo in Ludacris's music video for the single, "Number One Spot."
Once he gained a degree of wealth, he earned a reputation for regularly wearing an enormous amount of gold and diamond jewelry, including many large necklaces with giant pendants, bracelets, huge rings on each finger, and gold teeth. ^*
Said to have lost up to 40 pounds, whilst serving time in prison.
Was featured as a "Guest Vocalist" on WWF The Music, Vol. 5, appearing on the last track titled "Pie" with The Rock.
Slick Rick did the vocals for the Morcheeba song "Women Lose Weight"
He also plays himself in the game Fight For NY.

Albums

External links

All Music Guide's biography
- MTV's mirror of the above
Release of Slick Rick
Slick Rick fan site
Slick Rick Lyrics

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Slick Rick

Biography

Musical history

Trivia

Albums

External links