Slick Rick

Slick Rick (born January 14, 1965) is an East Coast rapper, known for a series of recordings that practically defined 1980s gangsta rap. Born Richard Walters in South Wimbledon[?], London, England, he emerged from New York City in 1989 with The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (1989 in music). The album was a massive success by hip hop's standards at the time, going platinum, but he was unable to capitalize on his fame due to an arrest for attempted murder. Russell Simmons[?], head of Def Jam[?] records, bailed him out and Rick quickly recorded The Ruler's Back[?] before spending two years in prison.

When Rick was released in 1994, Rick immediately recorded Behind Bars[?]. In 2002, Rick was arrested by INS agents while performing on a cruise ship in Florida; he was promptly told that he was being deported because he was technically a British citizen; he had been born in London to American parents and moved to the States as a youth. Rick has been continuously refused bail.