Slick Rick, with the help of Idris Elba and Nas, has a new album out for the first time in 26 years. The London and United States resident's latest body of work, VICTORY, is out now via the former's 7Wallace and the latter's Mass Appeal.
Side note: Nas's imprint is also helping release Ghostface Killah's Supreme Clientele 2, a collab tape with Illmatic creator and DJ Premier, among others.
Slick Rick's is one of seven, according to Stereogum and it arrives after years of solo silence. However, he has been busy with features over the last several years, though. He's been working with acts like Westside Gunn, IDK, Mariah Carey, DJ Muggs, Black Eyed Peas, and more.
However, part of the reason for the lack of music from Slick Rick can be attributed to some serious legal issues. Per the outlet, he was arrested not too long after releasing The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick in 1988. He went to prison for attempted murder and more.
He did manage to drop The Ruler's Back and Behind Bars in that time. Eventually, he got out on a pardon from New York's governor back in 2008.
But now that he's returned, how does it all sound? The eye-patch-wearing 60-year-old still lives up to his name with clever bars and rhymes. Moreover, the production sounds like it was plucked out of his era. He's not trying to catch up to the modern hip-hop sound. Overall, he's taking this time to relish in his influence and success that's spanned nearly four decades and he sounds great while doing so.
Slick Rick VICTORY
VICTORY Tracklist:
- Victory Intro
- Stress with Giggs
- Angelic
- Foreign
- I Did That
- Come On Let's Go
- Landlord
- Mother Teresa
- Spirit To Cry
- Documents with Nas
- So You're Having My Baby
- Cuz I'm Here
- Matrix
- We're Not Losing
- Another Great Adventure
