"The Great Adventures of Slick Rick" by Slick Rick
The endlessly influential rap debut turns 35.
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Welcome to a new edition of the Daily Music Picks newsletter!
Todayās music pick marks the 35th anniversary of Slick Rickās endlessly influential rap debut, for better and worse.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label: Def Jam
Release Date: November 1, 1988
Vibe: š®
Few records from hip-hopās āgolden ageā (for the sake of argument, letās call it 1986-1994) have been as influential from a storytelling craft perspective as The Great Adventures of Slick Rick. The major label debut of the former Doug E. Fresh disciple, oddball half-British accent and all, was a catalyst in establishing rap as a vehicle for witty, dense, sometimes harrowing long-form narratives. He also pushed boundaries when it came to vulgarity and, unfortunately, misogyny, two elements that are still an intrinsic part of hip-hopās cultural archetype. Subject matter aside, what stands out 35 years later is Rickās skill on the mic. Except for Rakim and maybe Snoop Dogg (when heās trying, that is), no emcee from that era could conjure up such vivid images while making the technical aspect sound effortless.
The centerpiece is āChildrenās Story,ā a four-minute masterclass in bar spitting thatās as precise as it is laid back. A tale of two kids who descend into petty crimeābehavior that leads to a tragic end for one of themāis as cinematic as hip-hop gets, buoyed by Rickās casual yet firm tone. Listening to it now, itās uncanny how it actually sounds like your uncle tucking you in with a cautionary tale. The DNA in āChildrenās Storyā essentially makes Adventures work as an LP, blending quirkiness with just enough street cred to make the darker themes seem believable. As Busta Rhymes told Q Magazine in 2009, āHe [Slick Rick] embodied what it was to be a superstar: the over-the-top persona, the jewelry, the clothes, his swagger, charisma, attitude. He had thatĀ LondonĀ twangĀ and the mannerisms but still had the 'hood mentality ā the urban, edgy approach. Nobody else had that combination.ā
šĀ Donāt forget to click the album image to stream the album on your favorite platformĀ š