The Great Adventures of Slick Rick
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| The Great Adventures of Slick Rick | |||||
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| Studio album by Slick Rick | |||||
| Released | May 2, 1988 | ||||
| Recorded | 1987-1988 | ||||
| Genre | Rap | ||||
| Length | 49:46 | ||||
| Label | Def Jam/Columbia | ||||
| Producer | Jam Master Jay Slick Rick Eric Sadler and Hank Shocklee (of The Bomb Squad) |
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| Professional reviews | |||||
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| Slick Rick chronology | |||||
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The Great Adventures of Slick Rick is an album by English hip hop performer Slick Rick, released in 1988 (see 1988 in music). While Slick Rick's distinctive delivery and humorous tone earned him many fans, making this album one of the most popular albums from the golden age of East Coast rap, his vulgarity and misogyny (such as on "Treat Her Like a Prostitute") also earned him many detractors. The album is among the few to receive a perfect five mic score from The Source magazine. In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source Magazine's 100 Best Rap Albums.
It topped Billboard's Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart, and peaked at #31 on the Billboard 200. The song "Children's Story"is also featured in the soundtrack for Grand Theft Auto:San Andreas.
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[edit] Overview
As Slick Rick is often considered by many to be the greatest storyteller in hip-hop history, his debut album acts for the most part as a showcase of his apparent storytelling aptitude. Throughout the album, Slick Rick plays two characters- Slick Rick the Ruler and Emcee Ricky D. Within the context of these chronicled accounts, a variety of subjects are addressed; many of which inject at least some amount of humor, whether it be overtly obvious or not.
Though the album is known for its use of seemingly irreverent humor, the most famous song on the album, "Children's Story" is a tragic warning about gang violence. Sex is the focus of two of the offerings on the album, "Treat Her Like a Prostitute" and "Indian Girl (An Adult Story)". The former was probably the most controversial for being what seemed at the time to be nothing more than a misogynistic take on women. Some however, see it simply as a statement that one should not rush into relationships without knowing what they're getting into. Similarly, "Indian Girl" is seen by some as a statement in support of safe sex, as the story ends with male character discovering that the female he rushed into bed with, the Indian girl, has crabs. It is also seen by some as a tale of divine retribution, as it can be interpreted that he raped her. There also appears to be undertones of allegory for Manifest Destiny, supported by references to Davy Crockett and the ethnicity of the woman involved.
Tracks such as "The Ruler's Back" and "Let's Get Crazy" stray from the path of chronological documentation to give way to party jams; and "Teenage Love" is about the fragile and sometimes insincere nature of young relationships. Overall, it is an album combining the non-combative arrogance of a young rapper with his more human side to create arguably one of the most influential hip hop albums of its time.
The Great Adventures of Slick Rick is well known for having its songs heavily sampled by artists and is often paralleled with Paid In Full as one of the most sampled hip hop albums of all time. Classic singles such as KRS-One's 'Outta Here' and O.C.'s 'Time's Up' have used snippets for hooks. It is also an album that has been quoted by many rappers, most notably the aforementioned "Children's Story".
[edit] Track listing
| # | Title | Producer(s) | Performer (s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Treat Her Like A Prostitute" | Slick Rick | Slick Rick |
| 2 | "The Ruler's Back" | Jason Mizell (Jam Master Jay) | Slick Rick |
| 3 | "Children's Story" | Slick Rick | Slick Rick |
| 4 | "The Moment I Feared" | Eric Sadler, Hank Shocklee | Slick Rick |
| 5 | "Let's Get Crazy" | Eric Sadler, Hank Shocklee | Slick Rick |
| 6 | "Indian Girl (An Adult Story)" | Slick Rick | Slick Rick |
| 7 | "Teenage Love" | Eric Sadler, Hank Shocklee | Slick Rick |
| 8 | "Mona Lisa" | Slick Rick | Slick Rick |
| 9 | "Kit (What's The Scoop)" | Eric Sadler, Hank Shocklee | Slick Rick |
| 10 | "Hey Young World" | Slick Rick | Slick Rick |
| 11 | "Teacher, Teacher" | Eric Sadler, Hank Shocklee | Slick Rick |
| 12 | "Lick The Balls" | Eric Sadler, Hank Shocklee | Slick Rick |
[edit] Samples used
- "Children's Story" samples "Think (About It)" by Lyn Collins & "Nautilus" by Bob James
- "The Moment I Feared" samples "Funky Drummer" by James Brown" & "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" by Bob James
- "Mona Lisa" samples "Frisco Disco" by Eastside Connection & "Walk On By" by Dionne Warwick
- "Kit (What's the Scoop?)" samples "Planetary Citizen" by Mahavishnu Orchestra
- "Teacher, Teacher" samples "You'll Like It Too" by Funkadelic
[edit] Album chart positions
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
| Billboard 200 | Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | ||
| 1989 | The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick | #31 | #1 |
[edit] Singles chart positions
| Year | Song | Chart positions | ||||
| Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | Hot Dance Music/Club Play | ||
| 1988 | "Teenage Love" | - | #16 | #8 | - | - |
| 1989 | "Children's Story" | - | #5 | #2 | #39 | #34 |
| 1989 | "Hey Young World" | - | #42 | #17 | - | - |
[edit] Personnel
- Glen E. Friedman - Photography
- Jason Mizell (as Jam Master Jay) - Producer
- Eric "Vietnam" Sadler - Producer
- Hank Shocklee - Producer
- Slick Rick - Vocals
- Ricky Walters - Producer
- Rick Rubin - Producer
