Richard D. Walters (born January 14 1965), better known by stage names Slick Rick, MC Ricky D and Rick the Ruler, is a rapper. Originally from South Wimbledon, London, England, he moved with his family to The Bronx in 1975 where he met B-Weezy who taught him how to rap. http://wm05.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0ifoxq95ld6e~T1Rick's characteristic eyepatch was acquired after being blinded in the right eye by broken glass as an infant. In a VH1 special, it was revealed the broken glass was caused during a holiday dinner gunfight. He is best known for a series of rap recordings during the 1980s, including "Children's Story" and "La Di Da Di". Once he gained a degree of wealth, he earned a reputation for wearing an enormous amount of gold and diamond jewelry, including many large necklaces with giant pendants, bracelets, huge rings on each finger, and a gold tooth.http://members.aol.com/WernerVWallenrod/rick/slick3.jpg
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, that Rick & Doug were formally introduced by Rock. Rick was also part of the "Kangol Crew" which included fellow rapper, Dana Dane.Slick Rick released the song "La Di Da Di" in 1985 which features Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew. His first album The Great Adventures of Slick Rick was released in 1988 while he was living in Brooklyn. "Children's Story", which appears on The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, is one of the most famous songs in rap and has been covered by Black Star, Black Rob, Everlast, Messy Marv, Tricky's side project Nearly God, and, Snoop Doggy Dogg. "Children's Story" was also featured on the videogame San Andreas on Playback FM, a classic hip-hop station. The album attained platinum status, but Rick was unable to exploit this due to an arrest for attempted murder.He shot a bystander and his cousin whom he?d hired as a body guard and who later admitted to having Walters shot outside a club in 1991. Slick Rick was indicted on 2 counts of attempted murder and pled guilty to all charges which also included, assault, use of a firearm, and criminal possession of a weapon. Russell Simmons, head of Def Jam records, bailed him out and Rick quickly recorded The Ruler's Back before spending five years in prison, two for the second degree attempted murder charges he received for that shooting, and three while hassling with Immigrations Services over his residency in the US. In the documentry film, The Show, Russell Simmons interviews Rick while he was a prisoner on Rikers Island."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 lines from "La Di Da Di" being borrowed by multiple high profile artists. "Children's Story" was sampled by Montell Jordan for his 1995 hit, "This Is How We Do It", and Black Star did a cover of it on their debut album. Eminem also borrowed from the song extensively in his diss song "Can-I-Bitch".A third album Behind Bars was recorded whilst still in prison, and released to lukewarm sales and reviews. Released from prison in 1998, he remained with Def Jam and on May 25, 1999 released a fourth album, entitled The Art of Storytelling, generally considered the authentic follow up to his 1988 debut. Storytelling was also an artistically successful comeback that paired him with MC's like Nas, OutKast, Raekwon, and Snoop Dogg, among others.In June 2002, after performing on a Caribbean cruise ship, Rick was arrested by the 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, 2003http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/04/slick.rick.aphttp://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1480288/20031107/story.jhtml.Rumors suggested that Rick planned to release a new album, "The Adventure Continues," in 2007. However, in a recent XXL Magazine interview, he denied the claimhttp://xxlmag.com/online/?p=5583. Rick is supposedly "waiting for a market to open up for a
[1] mature audience".In October 2006, the Department of Homeland Security began a new attempt to deport Waltershttp://www.vibe.com/news/news_headlines/2006/10/slick_rick_facing_deportation_again, 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 is expected to proceed in Florida, where INS agents originally arrested Walters.He has two children, Lateisha and Ricky, from two different mothers. He currently resides in the Bronx and lives with his son Ricky.
Discography
Albums
- The Great Adventures of Slick Rick
- Released: May 2, 1988
- Billboard 200 chart position: #31
- R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #1
- Last RIAA Certification: Platinum
- Singles: "Mona Lisa", "Teenage Love", "Children's Story" & "Hey Young World"
- The Ruler's Back
- Released: July 2, 1991
- Billboard 200 chart position: #29
- R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #18
- Last RIAA Certification:
- Singles: "Mistakes Of A Woman" & "I Shouldn't Have Done It"
- Behind Bars
- Released: November 22, 1994
- Billboard 200 chart position: #51
- R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #11
- Last RIAA Certification:
- Singles: "It's A Boy", "Behind Bars" & "Sittin' In My Car"
- The Art of Storytelling
- Released: May 25, 1999
- Billboard 200 chart position: #8
- R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #1
- Last RIAA Certification: Gold
- Singles: "We Turn It On", "Street Talkin'" & "Frozen"
Appearances
- 1989: "If I'm Not Your Lover (12" remix from the Al B. Sure! album The Very Best Of Al B Sure!)
- 1994: "Let's All Get Down" (from the Nice & Smooth album Jewel of the Nile)
- 1994: "Move On..." (from the compilation The Show )
- 1996: "Got To Give It Up" (from the Aaliyah album One In A Million)
- 1997: "Just Another Case" (from the CRU album Da Dirty 30)
- 1998: "Fresh" (from the Jermaine Dupri album Life In 1472)
- 1998: "Faces Of Def" (bonus track on Jayo Felony's Watcha Gonna Do?)
- 1998: "Unify" (from the Kid Capri album Soundtrack to the Streets)
- 1999: "If We Give You A Chance" (from the Warren G album I Want It All)
- 1999: "Night Riders" (from the Rahzel album Make The Music 2000)
- 1999: "So Fresh" (from the Will Smith album Willenium)
- 1999: "Don't Come My Way" (from the Whiteboys soundtrack with Common)
- 2000: "So What" (from the Erick Sermon album Def Squad Presents Erick Onasis)
- 2001: "What We Do (For Love)" (from the De La Soul album Bionix)
- 2001: "Pie" (from WWF The Music, Vol. 5 with The Rock)
- 2001: "Girls, Girls, Girls" (from the Jay-Z album The Blueprint)
- 2001: "Guidance Counselor"(from the Little-T And One Track Mike album Fome Is Dape)
- 2002: "Women Lose Weight" (from the Morcheeba album Charango)
- 2004: "The Return (Remix)" (from the Jay-Z/R. Kelly album Unfinished Business)
- 2005: "Bedtime Story" (from the AZ album A.W.O.L.)
- 2005: "The Sun" (from the Ghostface Killah album Put It on the Line)
- 2005: "Irresistible Delicious" (from the Missy Elliott album The Cookbook)
- 2006: "Vows" (from the Juggaknots album Use Your Confusion)
- 2007: "Hip Hop Police" (from the Chamillionaire album Ultimate Victory)
- 2007: "Get It Right" (from the Ludacris album Theater of the Mind)
- 2007: "Let Me Tell You a Story" (from Step Up 2 The Streets)
Trivia
- Slick Rick makes a backstage appearance on Jay-Z's Fade to Black DVD.
- He made a cameo in Ludacris's music video for the single, "Number One Spot."
- He can be seen wearing his excessive jewelry in the New York Shit music video (2:56) by Busta Rhymes featuring Swizz Beatz.
- He also plays himself in the game Fight for NY.
- He appeared as a drug kingpin in the 1999 movie Whiteboyz, co-starring fellow rappers Doug E. Fresh, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Fat Joe, Dead Prez and Mic Geronimo.
- Made a cameo in the film Brown Sugar, which starred Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan.
- He is referred to in Amy Winehouse's "Me & Mr Jones (Fuckery)" from "Back to Black", in the lyrics, "What kind of fuckery is this? You made me miss the Slick Rick gig (Oh, Slick Rick)".
External links
References
1965 birthsEnglish rappersBritish rappersLiving peoplePeople from South WimbledonNew York City musiciansPeople from the BronxPeople from WimbledonBritish expatriates in the United StatesSlick RickSlick Rick
