The Greatest 50 Hip-hop Albums Ever - #5...

[Twentytwofifty]

Slick Rick - The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick (1988) 


    It really started back in '85.  This was the year the man known as MC Ricky D, collaborated with Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew on one of the greatest 12" singles in hip hop history,  "The Show" b/w "La-Di-Da-Di".  Marked by a distinct voice and a flow unlike anyone else had at the time, Ricky Walters was a breath a fresh air.  After the success of that single, MC Ricky D landed a solo deal with Russell Simmons' newly formed Def Jam Recordings, he was to return three years after that single and to make an impact on the game that is felt to this very day.  1988 was the year that Slick Rick emerged on the scene with his debut album, chronicling twelve of his great adventures, which would soon crown Rick The Ruler as hip-hop greatest storyteller ever.

    Slick Rick is one of hip-hop's most innovative artists in this art form's short history, not only as an MC, but as the quintessential character rapper.  Who could duplicate Rick's style?  He was not only freshly dipped, draped in truck jewels and gaudy slum village gold, but also rocked an eye-patch and a British accent!  Rick was flossy way before every rapper had an iced down medallion hanging around his neck.  His carefully constructed narratives are filled with vivid detail and witty asides, and his cartoonish sense of humor influenced countless other rappers. 
     
    The lead track of The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick, "Treat Her Like A Prostitute" works on so many levels.  On the surface, it appears to be nothing more than a humorous, slightly misogynistic song about chicks cheating on their man.  Look deeper, though, and you'll find that the true message Rick is sending to both males and females, is that if you rush into relationships, you might get burned.  Still, the fact that the song teaches a lesson did not prevent it from sparking controversy.  The biggest song on the album is "Children's Story".  Slick Rick penned a classic keystone caper made up of one verse and no chorus; it was just an incredibly dope beat consisting of a mischievous baseline, a catchy piano riff, a few subtle sitars, and Rick's endlessly quotable rhymes.  "Children's Story" was a brilliantly penned classic, instilled in the heads of hip-hop listeners to the point that to this day.  On top of that, this song coined so many famous hip-hop phrases it's not even funny.  And it's worth noting that most of his great adventures, no matter how dubious, end up as cautionary tales with definite consequences.  That's especially true on the tragic "Children's Story", where the teenage robber's increasingly desperate blunders lead to his destruction.   

    Perhaps the most slept on song of the album is "The Moment I Feared."  Despite the darkest beat of the album, it is full of witty narratives and hilarious moments.  The X-rated "Indian Girl: An Adult Story" is a small masterpiece in itself, given Rick spends most of the time performing dialogue between male and female characters, which could have led to songs like The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Gimme The Loot" where the one MC changes up his voice and delivery to rhyme as two different character on the same song as they tell a story.  The hit singles "Teenage Love" and "Mona Lisa" are two songs that, like "Children's Story", still sound fresher than most new released.  The former is a heartfelt song with Rick dropping his wisdom on young love; the latter is a light-hearted, humorous tale of Rick macking on a fine lady in the pizzeria as told via Rick's witty story flipping skills.

    "Hey Young World" is a track where Slick Rick gives advice to the youth.  The wisdom of Confucius was channeled through Slick Rick with poignant aphorisms like "don't be a dumb dummy and disrespect your mummy" or "if you smoke crack, your kids will smoke crack tomorrow".  Whether he knew it or not, Rick was indeed a "Teacher Teacher", (just ask Dana Dane).  Rick The Ruler staked his claim to the throne with the shit talking opus, "Lick The Balls".  Rick for the most part, Rick avoids complex metaphors and similes, instead taking advantage of one of the most arrogant-sounding voices ever to grace hip hop and just talking trash.  Perhaps the best line to sum up the song is: "Shit on motherfuckers, then I tell them who the fuck I am / My name's Rick, so now you know who's ruling it". 
 
    Slick Rick's contributions to hip-hop may not be recognized by the "average" fan these days, but within the industry, he is undoubtedly one of the most respected individuals of all time.  There are no chinks in Slick Rick's armor; he does everything well, and this album showcases all of his abilities.  The fact that this is an excellent album anyway is only magnified by the enormous impact it had on rap music.  I'd say this is the most lyrically sampled and bitten album in hip-hop history.  One of the main reasons for this is that it featured one of the best and most charismatic MC's ever to grace the mic.  Over fifteen years down the line, one of the most amazing things about this record is that it has influenced so many artists, that almost the entire album has been covered.  A lot of the songs on this album have been remade by other artists in the last few years (not to mention Snoop Doggy Dogg & The Roots covers of "La-Di-Da-Di" and "The Show", respectively), I can recall three remakes of "Children's Story" alone.  Talk about making your mark.  Still not convinced that The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick deserves to be this high?  Sit down, eat your slice of pizza, and be quiet....crumbs.


50. Dr. Dre - 2001 (1999)
49. Outkast - Southernplayalisticaddicmuzik (1994)
48. Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt (1996)
47. Kool G Rap & DJ Polo - Wanted: Dead Or Alive (1990)
46. Redman - Whut? Thee Album (1992)
45. De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead (1991)
44. Fugees - The Score (1996)
43. The D.O.C. - No One Can Do It Better (1989)
42. Common Sense - Resurrection (1994)
41. Makaveli - The Don Kiluminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996)
40. Public Enemy - Fear Of A Black Planet (1990)
39. Ice Cube - Death Certificate (1992)
38. Gza/Genius - Liquid Swords (1995)
37. N.W.A - Efil4zaggin (1991)
36. Main Source - Breaking Atoms (1991)
35. Geto Boys - Grip It! On That Other Level (1989)
34. Brand Nubian - One For All (1990)
33. Scarface - The Diary (1994)
32. Kool G Rap & DJ Polo - Road To The Riches (1989)
31. Beastie Boys - Licensed To Ill (1986)
30. Ultramagnetic MC's - Critical Beatdown (1988)
29. LL Cool J - Radio (1985)
28. 2Pac - All Eyez On Me (1996)
27. Mobb Deep - The Infamous... (1995)
26. Eric B. & Rakim - Follow The Leader (1988)
25. Big Daddy Kane - It's A Big Daddy (1989)
24. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - Mecca And The Soul Brother (1992)
23. Black Moon - Enta Da Stage (1993)
22. Outkast - Aquemini (1998)
21. A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm (1990)
20. Run-D.M.C. - Run-D.M.C. (1984)
19. Boogie Down Productions - By All Means Necessary (1988)
18. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... (1995)
17. De La Soul - 3 Feet High And Rising (1989)
16. Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle (1993)
15. Ice Cube - AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990)
14. The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready To Die (1994)
13. Run-D.M.C. - Raising Hell (1986)
12. EPMD - Strictly Business (1988)
11. Big Daddy Kane - Long Live The Kane (1988)
10. A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders (1993)
09. Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded (1987)
08. N.W.A - Straight Outta Compton (1988)
07. Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (1988)
06. A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory (1991)
05. Slick Rick - The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick (1988)

[BigBDrugStores]

just had to listen to it again

[HD]

blocked damnit...i gotta hear this classic again

[white Boy]

man this album is dope, i fuckin love it, im burning this and bumpin it in my car all week long.

[Capo Di Tutti I Capi]

Love this album, good spot

[Denial! Is Actively Joinin The Revolution]

bought the album for 4.99 a few weeks ago i luv it!!!

[BigBDrugStores]

^i stole mine from a party 

[herpes]

just b/c of this thread i broke out the great adventures an bumping it right now... classic

[smartass]

i listen to this album all the time. its not even debatle that rick is the greatest story teller of all time. hey young world is my favorite track.

[Twentytwofifty]

The hook-ups are up.  These should work.

[Kill]

dope as hell, of course

[7even]

FUCK... I just realized that, secretly, the whole album  has always been hooked up, underneath the cover 

 

[BigBDrugStores]

FUCK... I just realized that, secretly, the whole album  has always been hooked up, underneath the cover 

 

thanks for blowing the secret, douchebag

[The Watcher]

going to see slick rick in concert.. with big daddy kane and kurtis blow in a few weeks

[G funker]

Good spot for the greatesstory telling album in hip-hop who will be top 4. I think,

1.Paid in full
2.Illmatic
3.The chronic
4.36 Chambers