I happened to miss VH1′s Hip Hop Honors last night, but I’m sure I’ll catch it on one of many repeats this Saturday afternoon, which I mainly dedicate to staying in bed until at least 4pm. One of the artist VH1 is “honoring” (with no trophy, plaque, retired jersey, Hollywood star, or Jelly of The Month Club membership) is Slick Rick the Ruler. Rick obviously is one of the most influential MC’s of all time–his fashion sense, flow, cool demeanor, and storytelling skills are obvious in Snoop Dogg, Ghostface, Jay-Z, and many more. Like Phoarhe Monch said in the documentary The MC, Rick’s style has been chipped and bitten in small amounts by just about everyone who came up after him. He’s truly an original, from the eye patch, to the fly ass Kangol, to the jewelry that would give Mr. T an ulcer.
And yet…
I’ve never been really sold on Slick Rick as a groundbreaking artist. I respect the hell out of him. “The Show” and “La Di Da Di” both make strong cases for best hip hop song of all time. He once shot a guy (his own cousin) and served 5 years in jail, so he’s obviously more gangster than your favorite G-Unit pinup. His verse and adlibs on the hook for Ghostface’s brilliant, unreleased masterpiece “The Sun” always puts a smile on my face.
And yet…
The man had 1 great album with 4 great songs on it. Back in 1988. His live show is pretty pedestrian considering the era he came from, though his hypeman is pretty entertaining. He is mostly known by fans under 25 because of Montell Jordan and Doggystyle. I remember reading an article about him when his last studio album Da Art of Storytelling dropped whereas he was performing in Atlanta with Outkast for the remix to “Da Art of Storyellin Pt 1″ and barely anyone knew who he was…in 1999! He dropped two forgotten albums in the 90s, The Ruler’s Back and Behind Bars, reaching #28 and #51 on the charts respectively. I’ve never met a diehard Slick Rick fan who schooled me on his overlooked genius, nor have I heard anyone place in him in their top 20 MC’s of all time list. It’s quite odd that Rick is still beloved and getting work considering the above factors in a genre that conversely eats its young but is getting stuffed with older rappers by the minute.
Six minutes, Copyright Infringment Man you’re on. Ah-ah-on!
Though it pains me, those are the facts, like knowing Randall Cunningham has more rushing yards than then beloved Kansas Comet, Mr. Gale Sayers. It doesn’t make Gale any less of a great running back–his career did end prematurely due to injury. In reality, he’s been passed by lesser characters. The same could be said for Rick. He’s a great MC who made memorable contributions to the culture. He’s fun, playful, vivid, and wholly original. Mike Tyson would say his jewelry is “impetuous.” But does that make up for three lame follow-ups to a bonafied classic?
I think people like the idea of Slick Rick moreso than the artist penning verses. He’s very likeable…but no one knows any songs he’s made since “The Cosby Show” ended. He tours…and hasn’t dropped an album in almost 10 years. He’s influential to younger rappers…but his phone doesn’t ring as much as KRS-One’s, Scarface’s, or LL Cool J’s. He made such a big impact on all accounts–visually, vocally, sonically.* Yet he’s been largely reduced to a jukebox–ain’t nobody paying to hear a NEW Slick Rick song.
So why is Slick Rick still beloved? I don’t see people falling over themselves to champion Kool Moe Dee, who had a bunch of hits and his own iconic eyewear. Kwame was just as fun and quirky and Biggie ended his career with one line. Das EFX were ripped off by rappers left and right, dropped a classic album with big singles, had their own look, and VH1 isn’t sending Chuck Nice to drive them up to headquarters.
Not a good look for the Hit Squad.
Maybe it’s because no one dislikes Slick Rick. It’s like hating chocolate milk–you may not buy it when you go grocery shopping the time, but you’ll never turn it down if offered. Most MCs and industry types also love Slick Rick–he was probably the soundtrack to their favorite summer, their prom, their first park jam. He was also the blueprint for storytelling, easygoing arrogance, sing-songy hooks, and freshly dipped jewels. He was a front-loaded enterprise, which is why I’m shocked everytime I see him getting so much love in 2008. I don’t begrudge Rick or look down on his career. I just find it curious how hip hop moved on without him starting in 1991 and yet here he is 17 years later smiling, making people light up around him, rocking truck jewels, and letting the audience handle most of the lyrics when he performs “La Di Da Di” live. I’m not sure there’s anyone else like him in hip hop history.
So let me know why YOU love Slick Rick. Is it the Kangol and the eye patch? Is it “Mona Lisa” and “Children’s Story”? His nostalgic cameo in “Brown Sugar”? And if you saw Hip Hop Honors, did he hold it down?
In the meantime, keep knockin’ em out the box, Rick.
“They’re biting what I’m writing, God it’s great to be the king”–Slick Rick
*I still can’t fathom how two guys sat and came up with “The Show.” Think about how many weird ass, kinda lame pieces make up that song. Then realize if it came on the radio right now, you’d be leaping like lizards.
I think that Slick Rick represents the golden era of hip-hop that a lot of people wish the new era of hip-hop would draw more off of. He was, by far, not the nicest nor most talented. But, he gave a gift to the music in the form of those four-to-five hits that made everyone think that they could get in the game and just have fun, and you can still get props. You didn’t have to be LL, Rakim, Run-DMC, or any of the stars that were on top during that time, to still be known to rock a party. I mean, you can say the same for Doug E. Fresh, although he made more songs that were known and popular than Slick, and of course, the beatboxin’. Rick wasn’t a “My Philosophy”-type rapper. He was the dude who made you and your homies laugh on the stoop outside your crib, as he made a rap up about bangin’ that fine ass cutie up the block. Then, years later when you get back with all of your friends from the neighborhood, he’s one of the first things that you’d talk about. “Hey! Remember when crazy ass Rick was rappin, talkin bout how he….” That’s why I admire Slick Rick.
“She says ‘I am! Go ask your mother!/ And with your wrinkled pussy I can’t be your loverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…..”
I love the Ruler and LOVE ‘Great Adventures of’ but it’s pretty uh, not good. I’d give it more than four songs, but yeah, you’re onto this. As an MC especially, I’d love to see this broken down and parsed-out further.
I think it’s because your favorite rapper loved quoting Rick. To use the three most obvious examples because I’m lazy, you have Snoop covering La Di Da Di on Doggystyle, Biggie quoting that on Hypnotize, and Jay making a song called “The Ruler’s Back” on The Blueprint. So he’s on two of the biggest rappers of all time’s most celebrated albums, and another one’s most played song. So his influence is really apparent, and that makes him tough to forget about.
He’s personable as hell, and a great story teller.
No one told stories like Slick – his different voices for different characters were hilarious.
He’s funny.
Rick has had several dope tracks per album, but has never made a perfect, classic album.
I recommend this Wake Your Daughter Up curated best-of; it’ll give you a good starting point.
http://www.wydublog.com/2007/04/wydu-presents-greatest-hits-slick-rick.html
Great recent Slick tracks:
Women Lose Weight – Morcheeba ft.Slick Rick (look out for the dope Alchemist remix)
Chamillionaire – Hip Hop Police ft.Slick Rick
Street Talkin’ ft.Big Boi (the only Jazze Pha track I’ve ever enjoyed)
Trouble n the Westside Hwy – Tony Touch ft.Slick Rick.
Check all those tracks and the compilation and see how you feel about Rick.
So you acknowledge that he’s a “great MC” and one of the most influential rappers ever, who has two contestants for the best hip-hop song of all time (I’d say Children’s Story is a third) and one great album, and your complaint is what, exactly? That he deserves less recognition or something? I mean, he’s not some one borderline production-driven classic wonder like Buckshot, he’s a one very strong rapping-driven classic wonder whose style, as you say, fathered a ton of important artists. And his next two albums aren’t bad, and were recorded either in a rush on the way back into prison, or in prison. So you kinda have to give him a pass on the hit-or-miss factor there. And production (and bad engineering – it’s like his mic was too low on the whole second album) was the problem more than anything else. He tells the story of fucking Moses on The Ruler’s Back. And by the time he finally got out, he was old. There aren’t many 80s rappers who were recording anything worth listening to by 1999. I mean, look at Kane. A legend on the basis of a bunch of great singles. Far more people listen to Great Adventures nowadays than Long Live The Kane, and I can’t even name the other albums.
But he’s english yo. Come on. That alone should sell you. He came here and managed to slaughter. he came to tell stories and he did that. The End lol
Dame:
I think you hit the nail on the head.
Brandon:
In “Check the Technique” there’s more than 2 songs on “Great Adventures” that Rick admits suck now and sucked back then when he made them. I never heard anyone say that about their breakthrough album.
Jordan:
You’re onto something too. Rick’s longevity is based partly on the fact that newer, more popular rappers have repped him on their best selling work, not so much his own songs/albums/shows.
Aaron:
I had that Morcheeba album with Rick and Pace Won. It was so weird hearing him in the middle of a pedestrian “chill out/trip hop” album in like ’02. Thanks for the link–I’ll be scooping that.
Tray:
I’ll have a bigger, separate comment coming shortly. Good points though for real.
Dis:
I have nothing clever to add whatsoever. You win!
Tray:
I listed Rick’s biggest accomplishments (first album, “The Show,” influence) next to his failures (weak live show, 3 forgotten albums, longevity due mainly to bigger names remaking his music) to show both sides of the coin.
For some reason, when hip hoppers talk about Slick Rick, they don’t mention those flops or the bad press. They don’t mention that they only know about 5-6 songs by the man.
I guess enough time has passed and people who think back on the golden era sweep away the suspect, or outright awful, moments of their heroes (Kane’s last 3 albums, Run DMC when they started wearing Cross Colours and newsboy hats, etc). Rick isn’t the only one who benefits from it–I’m glad he’s not trying to keep up with T-Pain and such like LL. He’s frozen in time.
I made this post because there’s Nas stans, Pac stans, Biggie stans, Wu-Tang stans, Run-DMC stans, even LL stans (hey Big O!) who make compelling arguments as to why these rappers are elite or why they don’t get enough props. Rick doesn’t have passionate backers; even at his show a few months back, unless he was doing songs from the first album, people didn’t really care at all. His skills and influence are unquestioned
but unless you ask about the Greatest Storytellers Ever, Rick hardly comes up in discussions of greatest MC’s ever and yet he’s being honored next to Too Short and De La, folks who innovated and consistently kept it moving for over 2 decades.
I think Rick’s interesting because he exists in this rare hip hop place where he’s never criticized or looked at objectively and I was wondering aloud how he got there. Maybe it’s because, like you said, he ducked out at the right time or because Big, Jay, Snoop and Ghost blatantly idolize him making him the one old school rapper who isn’t “old” or “corny”
Personally, I’ve always felt that “The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick” is one of the few albums of that era that haven’t managed to age poorly. It’s much better than you are giving cred for.
Actually, I do recall this one XXL blogger who claimed that Slick Rick was nothing less than the GOAT. I don’t know about that, but a top 20 MC of all time – yeah, I can definitely see that. And Doc’s so right about Great Adventures. I bought the reissue of G Rap’s first two albums, and the highlights are great (as are some of the weird lowlights, like “Cars”), but listening to the rest is like doing homework. Now, you make an interesting point about the flops – why does no one talk about them? I think it’s because they were such huge flops. It’s not like Jay or Nas, where we were all subjected to “Show Me What You Got” and “Nastradamus,” and they really succeeded in sullying their reputations. Slick Rick’s bad work, no one really heard, so it’s almost as if it doesn’t count.
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You asked the question and answered it all at once, Slick Rick endures because his music represents that early period of hip hop……some artists can sum it up in four or five songs. When “Children’s Story” or “Hey Young World” drops, cats are instantly taken back to that time. His work is part of the soundtrack of that era, and he and Dougie Fresh gave the genre one it’s first genuine dynamic duos. His was also one of the voices on one of the most enduring song hip hop has ever given us……in short, this guy gets love because his work never stopped being the standard that everyone that came after him measured themselves by.
We live in an age where people openly idolize Immortal Technique, Lil’ Boosie, and Termanology and yet it is crucial that we put Slick Rick under the magnifying glass?
Slick Rick is revered because he is the original originator. He had an album you could play front to back without skipping a song. The Art of Storytelling was also a classic. He had hits, just not radio hits. This is because of his lyrical content of being misogynistic content. But that is also why he was so revered. He didn’t give a f***. His lyrical prowess was along the lines of Rakim. His style was like none other. He’s a rapper from 1984. He’s not SUPPOSED to be known by hip hop killing youngstas. That would be an insult for these knuckle heads to know his songs. In describing Slick Ricks anthology, its no different from Rakims. I went to a show with Rakim in the line up and the radio personality had to get on the crowd for not knowing who he was. Very few people knew his lyrics. So you’re saying HE doesn’t deserve his propers either, just because young knuckle heads don’t know their history? Man, get a fuc*** clue and grow the f*** up. I introduced Slick Rick music to my 16 y/o niece and she LOVES him and wonders why she nor none of her friends heard of him. In fact, her fathers first cousin is Shock G from Digital Underground, and she didn’t know who HE was. You can’t compare “The Art of Storytelling” to “Power Ballin’”. This is the candy booty shakin’ age, not the age of Hip-Hop. The same could be said of Everlast. All this credit given to Eminem, but Everlast did it hard. First. Period. But ask you little cousin who HE is. If you can’t name any more than 4 Slick Rick hits, then you’re nothing more than a Diddy Bopper. He’s been battling being deported for long before he shot his cousin. This was because of the womens groups that didn’t like his lyrical content. He wasn’t afraid to not be PC. He did HIM. That’s something people today don’t understand. A label pays to promote a song, the DJ tells the listeners its hot, and like mindless drones, its declared hot! Its harder for groups in the 90′s to get their props for being original (Das Efx, whom I was personal friends with for a while) because hip-hop was strong back then, but soon got flooded out by the mainstream by people like Nas and Lauren Hill and the Fugees who helped kill it. Nas, you helped its down fall with “If I Ruled the World”. It was a hit, but it was THAT song that made people cross over to be heard on the radio. John Hanson (not George Washington) was actually the first President of the US, but he doesn’t get credit because GW was the first President to serve under the constitution we follow today, so Hanson gets lost in the sauce too! Even still, George Washington was President over 200 years ago, for a few short years. Does this mean he should no longer be honored, because he hasn’t signed any bills or had any hits lately either! But he is a pioneer and arguably the 1st! Idiot.