Slick Rick

Slick Rick is rap’s storyteller laureate. The hip-hop legend is also known for his captivating flow and flashy fashion sense. • He was born and raised in London to Jamaican parents. The family moved to the Bronx in 1976. • Slick Rick regularly dons an eyepatch to cover an injury he suffered as a child. • As a high school student at Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of Music & Art, Slick Rick and classmate Dana Dane formed the hip-hop group Kangol Crew. Both would later become elite rap storytellers. • Slick Rick’s 1988 debut album, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and achieved platinum certification less than one year after its Def Jam release. • His classic song “Children’s Story” was adapted into a children’s book in 2017. • In 1990, at the peak of his success, Slick Rick plead guilty to attempted murder following a dispute with his cousin and former bodyguard. He remained behind bars until 1997. • The rapper’s fourth album, 1999’s The Art of Storytelling, became Rick’s second LP to reach No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. • Facing deportation related to his past conviction, Slick Rick was pardoned by New York Governor David A. Paterson in 2008. • Slick Rick songs have been covered by Snoop Dogg, Black Star, and The Roots.