Children's Story

Experience Hip-Hop: The Great Adventures of Slick Rick

Universal Music Enterprises

When it comes to great hip-hop storytellers, Slick Rick is the blueprint. Other emcees helped to evolve storytelling in hip-hop. Notable records like The Notorious BIG’s “Warning”, Ice Cube’s “Today Was A Good Day”, and even underrated records like Nas’s “Undying Love” carry on the tradition of what Slick Rick popularized. This chapter was fun to write while listening to this classic debut album. It brought back all of the joy and wonder I experienced back in 1988. Enjoy!

CHAPTER THREE

The greatest hip-hop storyteller of all time, Slick Rick The Ruler dropped an undeniable classic on his debut with, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick! An album in which every song, essentially, was a story. 1988 was a year where many classic albums hit the public.  The Hip-hop and R&B genres were on fire! I was 11 years old and begging my brother for a copy of an album that wasn't exactly kid friendly. I did not care one bit.  I needed it!

My introduction to Slick Rick came while he was a member of the Get Fresh Crew along with hip-hop legend Doug E. Fresh. "Lodi Dodi" and "The Show" were records that dominated the hood in the 80s. As dope as Doug E. Fresh was with the beat boxing skills, Slick Rick stood out for me.  He was from England and his accent sounded dope when he rapped. At the time, I thought he was just faking it for style. Nope, respectfully, that was Dana Dane who hailed from Brooklyn, New York.

Slick Rick was an original. He was an unmatched storyteller at the time. "Lodi Dodi" was proof of that.  Back then, the 12 inch single was big. It was a collection of singles that brought me to that album. The first time I heard "Mona Lisa" on the radio I was frozen in place.  I had gotten so used to hearing "Lodi Dodi" and "The Show" that it never dawned on me that he would have more records.

"Mona Lisa" was "Lodi Dodi" turned all the way up. That beat! That flow! A familiar story but done in a way that only Slick Rick could do it. I swear radio stations ran that record into the ground.  Even when I hear it today, the same feelings come over me. It was the next record and video that would send me on a hip-hop scavenger hunt.

"Daaaave the dope fiend shoo-ting dope who don't know the meaning of water or soap." - Slick Rick (Children's Story)

"Children's Story" is one of the best examples of Slick Rick’s gift for storytelling raps. Memorable characters, plots, motivations, and a moral to the story. The video was a stroke of genius. See, prior to its’ release, I imagined a gritty video depicting the life of a kid who did a crime and paid the ultimate price.  Maybe even Slick Rick telling this story to a group of class room kids would have been nice.

Instead of my obvious choices, this story was visually told as a silent film. The director, Ric Menello, did an excellent job of transforming a gritty story into a comical silent film. Back then, most music video programs tried to avoid controversial records. A song with this content wouldn’t make it if it were depicted in a more realistic video. At that age, I couldn't care less. This was dope to me!

As you can imagine, by this time, I couldn't wait for my brother to get this album. My copy was a priority. I remember the day he brought it home. I stared at the album cover for what felt like an eternity as the album spun on the turntable. Maybe I was trying to figure out the concept and what new stories awaited my young mind.

The album cover had Slick Rick perched on a ledge in front of the New York City skyline. Smiling as if to say, "Hey kids! Come and hear these stories I got for you with very adult themes and shit....and, oh yeah, don't tell your parents!" Ha! I was down for all of it! I’m not going to say shit Uncle Ricky.

I'm not sure what day of the week it was but I can't remember if I ate or not. I didn't care.  The album was mine and it was time to indulge.

I once owned this small kids radio that came with a tape deck. It was my road dog.  I never owned an actual dog but when that tape player died, I had my own personal funeral. Long after its demise I held on to the radio waiting for it to miraculously come back to life.  It was that serious.

This tape player wasn't dead on this day.  It was alive and well. Ready for this hip-hop classic to make its debut in my room. The first record was "Treat Her Like a Prostitute." Yeah, that was the first record! Needless to say, I needed to close the door. Remember that rule my mother had about "cuss music"? Yeah, I was a repeat offender by the time I bought that Ice Cube album.

Songs like "Indian Girl (An Adult Story)", "Lick the Balls", and "The Moment I Feared" sent my mind into a whirlwind. Language and stories beyond my experience at the time. One record that really connected with me was "Hey Young World." Similar in tone to "Children's Story", the messages were straight forward. This was 1988, the crack era in NYC.  I'd seen everything Slick Rick talked about in this record. I felt as though he was talking directly to me. The song was honest, sincere, and impactful.

The video had my idol, Big Daddy Kane, getting caught with Slick Rick’s girl on the train. Slick Rick was reaching for his gun too. Eighties hip-hop videos were showcases. Though I couldn’t relate to none of it as a kid, I could relate to all of it as I deemed it my future in a weird way.

I guess for those who aren’t as familiar with his work, storytelling and music go hand in hand with Slick Rick. That’s true, but it’s the perfect combination of humor, delivery, and ad libs that flavored every tale. That’s what made it such a unique experience. Slick Rick recorded this album prior to doing jail time, and though some of his follow up projects fell short critically, he built an untouchable legacy with one memorable album.

A masterpiece of an effort, Slick Rick's debut album The Great Adventures of Slick Rick is an undeniable classic. A corner stone for storytelling in music. Shout out to Def Jam Records, DJ Vance Wright, and everyone involved in the success of this album. There have been many storytellers in the rap game but they all worship at the alter of Rick the Ruler!

*Shoutout to my sister Stephanie Smith for the edits