Slick Rick
Richard Martin Lloyd Walters (born January 14, 1965), professionally known as Slick Rick, is a British-American rapper and record producer.
He rose to prominence with Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew in the mid-1980s. Their songs "The Show" and "La Di Da Di" are considered early hip hop classics. "La Di Da Di" is one of the most sampled songs in history.
In 1986, he became the third artist signed to Def Jam Records. He has released four albums: The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (1988), The Ruler's Back (1991), Behind Bars (1994) and The Art of Storytelling (1999). His music has been sampled and interpolated over 1,000 times, in dozens of songs by artists, including Eminem, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Beastie Boys, TLC, Nas, Miley Cyrus, Kanye West, MF DOOM, Czarface, Black Star, The Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg, MC Ren, Montell Jordan, Tech N9ne, and Color Me Badd. In the process, Slick Rick has become one of the most-sampled hip-hop artists ever. Many of these songs based on Slick Rick samples went on to become hit singles.
He has been a VH-1 Hip Hop Honors honoree, and About.com ranked him No. 12 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time, while The Source ranked him No. 15 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time. He has acted and cameo-ed in 10 movies and videos.
Acting
Movie
Brown Sugar
as Self
2002
Movie
Chris Rock: Bigger & Blacker
as Self
1999
Movie
Porn Star?
as Himself
2007
TV
MTV Video Music Awards
as Self
1984
TV
Tales
2017
Movie
The Show
as Self
1995
Movie
Brooklyn Babylon
as Buddah
2001
Movie
Tougher Than Leather
as Self
1988
Movie
Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All!
as Self
2022
Movie
DJ Cinema Presents: Masterpiece Theater Blend Dvd
as Self (archive footage)
2009
Movie
True Vinyl
as Slick Rick
2004
Movie
The MC: Why We Do It
as Self
2005
Movie
Yo! The Story of ‘Yo! MTV Raps’
as Self (archive footage)
2012
TV
Yo! MTV Raps
as Self
1988
Movie
Rhyme and Punishment
as Self
2011
Movie
Wu-Tang Saga
2010
Movie
From Scratch: The Birth of Hip Hop
as Self
2017
Movie
Ice Cold: The Untold Story of Hip Hop Jewelry
2020
Movie
Victory
as Slick Rick
2025