A
gangsta rapper before the term was invented,
Ricky Walters was born in
London in
1965. He was
blinded as an
infant by
broken glass and began wearing his
trademark eyepatch at a young age. He and his family moved to the
Bronx in the late 1970s. While attending the
La Guardia High School of Music and Art, Rick began performing in "
hip-hop battles" around
New York City, where he met
Doug E. Fresh,
Dana Dane,
Chill Will, and
Barry Bee. He performed as
MC Ricky D. on Fresh's number-four R&B hit "
The Show" in 1985, and after changing his name, Rick got a
solo contract with
Def Jam Records soon afterward. Rick's 1988
debut, "
The Great Adventures of Slick Rick", was certified
platinum. The first
single, "
Treat Her like a Prostitute", was
popular on the
street but got little
airplay on
radio stations, which preferred his "
Children's Story" and "
If I'm Not Your Lover", a
duet with
Al B. Sure!.
However, in 1990, Rick was
arrested after
shooting at his
cousin and leading
police on a
high-speed chase. His second album, "
The Ruler's Back", was
recorded and
released quickly, before Rick went to
prison, but the
record sold
poorly.
Rick was featured in the 1995
rap documentary "The Show" in a segment where
Def Jam president
Russell Simmons visited him in the
big house. Since his release from
jail, Rick has recorded other albums, including "
Behind Bars" and "
Art of Storytelling", but he hasn't had any big hits. Nowadays, Slick Rick is looked on as one of the
elder statesmen of
rap, despite the fact that he's
younger than some of the
artists he's
influenced.