Slick Rick: The Art Of Storytelling

If, God forbid, there is ever a Hip Hop Hall Of Fame, Slick Rick deserves to be among its maiden inductees. Starting with his landmark single "The Show" with Doug E. Fresh and his performance of "Treat Her Like A Prostitute" in Krush Groove, and continuing with his classic debut album The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick, he's proven to be one of the greatest innovators in hip hop. The '90s, however, have not been kind. Slick Rick was in prison for a good deal of the decade, during which he put out two poorly received albums and made a slew of vaguely depressing guest turns on other people's songs, including a cameo on a Nice & Smooth album in which he whined about having to refrain from controlled substances because of an upcoming prison drug test. Luckily, The Art Of Storytelling showcases a rejuvenated Slick Rick, one freed from the trials of prison life, and he sounds older, wiser, and eager to reassert his role as hip hop's court jester. Featuring guest spots by many of his artistic disciples—Snoop Dogg, Outkast, Nas, and Canibus all make appearances—and produced by big-name producers including The Track Masters and DJ Clark Kent, The Art Of Storytelling finds Slick Rick in celebratory and triumphant form, with both his ego and his lyrical ability as large and showy as the mammoth gold chains he's been wearing since the mid-'80s. But while the influence of his distinctive lilting delivery and storytelling prowess has been acknowledged far and wide, the influence of Slick Rick's ambiguous and contradictory persona has gone relatively unnoticed. It's possible to see the blueprints for conflicted storytellers from B.I.G. to Tupac to Jay-Z in Slick Rick's early tales of trying to stay away from temptation but failing spectacularly. That theme of the rapscallion constantly tortured by his dark side is explored extensively on Storytelling, as Slick Rick alternates rhymes about staying away from violence and adulterous affairs with such less morally ambitious songs as "Kill Niggaz" and "Adults Only," a song revolving around Rick's enthusiasm for what was succinctly described in Mallrats as an uncomfortable place to have sex other than the backseat of a Volkswagen Beetle. The production isn't always up to Slick Rick's flow, but for the most part, The Art Of Storytelling is the return to form fans have awaited since the late '80s.