Born to Jamaican parents in London, on January 14, 1965, Slick Rick, born Ricky Martin Lloyd Walters, is the most successful British-American rapper in music history. Brilliant word play, the effort-less ability to bring life to the stories he rhymed about, dead on pop-culture references and hilarious one-liners make him the wittiest rapper of all time.
He began his career in the late 80s, where he released a series of acclaimed recordings such as, “Children’s Story”, “La Di Da Di” and “Hey Young World.” Slick Rick is best known for his British accent and his story telling innovations. His music has been frequently sampled and interpolated by other artists such as TLC, Talib Kweli, Eminem, Mos Def, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Snoop Dogg, Alicia Keys and many others; with many of these songs later becoming hit singles. Slick Rick is known as one of the architects of Hip-Hop.
These days, much of Slick Rick’s story remains untold. The articles about his legal troubles may sell magazines, but they tend to overshadow the rapper’s impressive and influential body of work. Rick has spent more than seven years in prison, three and a half paying his debt to society and over four years in a federal detention center while hassling with Immigrations Services over his residency in the US. Slick Rick has been in this country since his childhood and has become a productive member of our society.
Despite life’s setbacks, Rick continues his commitment to his craft. Above all, Rick is very dedicated to his community. He regularly mentors the youth whenever he is given the opportunity to do so.
