Slick Rick

Ricky Martin Lloyd Walters, known professionally as Slick Rick, was born in London, England, on January 14, 1965. Blinded in his right eye as an infant, he later adopted his signature eye patch. In 1976, at the age of 11, his family relocated to the Baychester area of the Bronx, New York. There, he attended Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of Music & Art, where he majored in visual art and formed the Kangol Crew with Dana Dane, performing in school contests and local clubs. His musical career began in 1985 when he joined Doug E. Fresh’s Get Fresh Crew, using the stage name MC Ricky D. He gained early success with appearances on the influential tracks “The Show” and “La Di Da Di.” The latter is recognized as one of the most sampled songs in music history.

In 1986, Walters signed with Def Jam Recordings as the label’s third artist. His solo debut album, “The Great Adventures of Slick Rick,” released in 1988, achieved commercial success, reaching number one on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop chart. The album featured hit singles like “Children’s Story,” “Mona Lisa,” “Hey Young World,” and “Teenage Love,” and was praised for its narrative depth and vocal characterizations. Despite legal challenges and incarceration, he continued to release music, including “The Ruler’s Back” (1991) and “Behind Bars” (1994). After his release in 1997, he made a notable comeback with “The Art of Storytelling” in 1999, which became his highest-charting album, reaching number eight on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. This album featured collaborations with prominent artists such as Nas, OutKast, Raekwon, and Snoop Dogg.

Throughout his career, Slick Rick’s music has been sampled and interpolated over 1,000 times by artists across various genres, underscoring his lasting impact on popular music. He was honored at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors in 2008 and received a full pardon for his past charges from New York Governor David Paterson in the same year, in recognition of his positive community involvement. In 2016, he officially became a U.S. citizen while retaining his UK citizenship. Most recently, in 2025, he released “Victory,” his first new album in 26 years, through Idris Elba’s 7Wallace record label and Mass Appeal Records, accompanied by a film that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. He was also honored by the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.