Background and career
Ricky Martin Lloyd Walters (born January 14, 1965), known professionally as Slick Rick, is a British and American rapper, songwriter, and record producer based in New York City. He rose to prominence as part of Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew in the mid-1980s. His songs "The Show" and "La Di Da Di" are considered early hip-hop classics, and "La Di Da Di" is considered one of the most sampled songs in history. As Slick Rick, Walters became the third artist to sign with Def Jam Recordings in 1986. He debuted with The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (1988), showcasing his storytelling structure mixed with humor and complex rhymes, including his signature song, "Children's Story". Facing murder charges and incarceration, Walters released two albums: The Ruler's Back (1991) and Behind Bars (1994). After being released from prison in 1997, Walters made a comeback with his fourth studio album, The Art of Storytelling (1999). In 2025, he dropped Victory on Mass Appeal Records. A VH1 Hip Hop Honors honoree, About.com ranked Slick Rick No. 12 on its list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time, while The Source ranked him No. 15 on its list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time.
Ricky Martin Lloyd Walters was born January 14, 1965, in the southwest London area of Mitcham to Jamaican parents. He was blinded in the right eye by broken glass as an infant, which led him to adopt his signature eye patch in his career. In 1976, when Walters was 11, his family immigrated to the United States, settling in the Baychester area of the Bronx in New York City. While he attended the Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of Music & Art, Walters majored in visual art and met fellow student Dana Dane. The pair became close friends and formed the Kangol Crew, performing in school contests, parks, and small local clubs. Walters met Doug E. Fresh at a 1984 talent showcase. Fresh was impressed by Walters' talent and made Walters a member of his Get Fresh crew. Fresh's beatbox and Walters' fresh flow turned "The Show"/"La Di Da Di" into international anthems that showcased hip-hop in its early years. Walters became the launching pad for "hip-hop's greatest storyteller."
Walters' career began in 1985; he first gained success in the rap industry after joining Doug E. Fresh's Get Fresh Crew, using the stage name MC Ricky D. He was featured on the single "The Show" and its even more popular B-side, "La Di Da Di", which featured Walters' rapping over Fresh's beatbox. Both tracks gained some mainstream attention, they appeared on Top of the Pops and Soul Train with the Get Fresh Crew. Reflecting on the single in Rolling Stone magazine, Roots drummer and Tonight Show bandleader Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson said, "Point blank: Slick Rick's voice was the most beautiful thing to happen to hip-hop culture [...] Rick is full of punchlines, wit, melody, cool cadence, confidence and style. He is the blueprint."
In 1986, Walters joined Russell Simmons's Rush Artist Management and became the third artist signed to Def Jam Records, the leading rap/hip-hop label at the time. Collaborating with his friend, DJ Vance Wright, Walters produced his solo debut, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, which came out in 1988 on Def Jam. The album was very successful, reaching the No. 1 spot on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop chart. It also featured four charting singles: "Children's Story", "Mona Lisa", "Hey Young World", and "Teenage Love". The release is known for its storytelling and vocal characterizations. "With the combination of Rick's Dick Van Dyke-on-dope accent and his unique narrative style, the record was an instant classic," wrote critic Matt Weiner. "Each of Rick's songs was an amusing, enthralling story that lasted from the first groove to the last."
Walters recorded his second album, The Ruler's Back, released in 1991. Despite peaking at No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100, the album received mixed reviews and was not as commercially successful as his debut. Walters' third studio album (the fourth for Def Jam), Behind Bars, was released in 1994 while he was still incarcerated. It was met with lukewarm sales and reviews. Behind Bars peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and No. 51 on the Billboard 200. Walters remained with Def Jam and released a fourth album The Art of Storytelling on May 25, 1999. The comeback album paired him with prolific MCs including Nas, OutKast, Raekwon, and Snoop Dogg. The Los Angeles Times announced it as the "triumphant return of rap's premier yarn-spinner", calling the song "2 Way Street" "a much-needed alternative to rap's misogynistic slant". It charted higher than any of his prior releases: No. 8 on the Billboard 200; and No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Walters and the Soul Rebels Brass Band collaborated on June 21, 2012, in Washington, DC at the historic Howard Theatre, which re-opened in April 2012. On November 2, 2018, Walters released the single "Snakes of the World Today". In 2020, Walters was featured on Westside Gunn's album Who Made the Sunshine. In September 2023, it was announced that Walters was finishing up work on a new solo album, his first since The Art of Storytelling. The album, Victory, was released through Idris Elba's 7Wallace record label and Mass Appeal Records. Tracks feature guest rappers Giggs, Nas, and Estelle. It was accompanied by a film to premiere at Tribeca Film Festival on June 7, 2025.
