Rick “Slick Rick” Walters was born in London in 1965 and moved with his family to the Bronx in 1975.
Charlie Rock of Harlem World Crew was very instrumental in bringing “Ricky D” AKA “Slick Rick” and Doug E. Fresh together when he was request by Doug to introduce him to Rick after he has seen him win a number of local MC battle contest. It was at a MC Contest at the 369 Armory on 142nd street in Harlem, given by promotion partners Ray chandler & Charlie Rock, The Rick & Doug were formally introduced by Rock.
As a 19-year-old in the summer of 1985 he scored his first big hits, “La Di Da Di” and “The Show.”
Three years later Def Jam Recordings released Rick’s first full-length album, “The Great Adventures of Slick Rick”. Hailed as a showcase for Rick’s extraordinary writing and rapping skills, it quickly achieved “platinum” status for sales in excess of one million copies and has since established itself as a rap classic.
At the height of his fame in July of 1990, Rick shot and wounded two people in an ill-advised attempt to protect himself against a violent predator. Convicted of attempted murder in the second degree, he began serving his sentence of three-to-ten years in 1991. While he was in jail, he released “The Ruler’s Back” (1991) and “Behind Bars” (1994).
After his release in 1999 he released “The Art of Storytelling.”
All three albums were certified gold.
Watch Rick and Doug rock “La Di Da Di”
Additional info by Charlie Rock
