Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Slick Rick's reputation as hip-hop's greatest storyteller hangs on his classic debut, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, one of the most influential rap records of the late '80s -- for better and worse. Most of the production is standard early Def Jam, but Rick's style on the mic is like no one else's. His half-British accent and odd, singsong cadences often overshadow the smoothness of his delivery, but there's no overlooking the cleverness of his lyrics. His carefully constructed narratives are filled with vivid detail and witty asides, and his cartoonish sense of humor influenced countless other rappers. He'll adopt a high voice for his female characters, and even duets with his old alter ego MC Ricky D on "Mona Lisa." But there's also a dark side to The Great Adventures -- namely its vulgarity and off-handed misogyny. No MC had ever dared go as far on record as Rick, and the tracks in question haven't really lost much of their power to offend, or at least raise eyebrows. The notorious "Treat Her Like a Prostitute" is the prime suspect, undermining well-intentioned advice (don't trust too quickly) with cynical, often degrading portrayals of women. "Indian Girl (Adult Story)," meanwhile, is an X-rated yarn with a barely comprehensible payoff. Yet this material is as much a part of Rick's legacy as his more admirable traits, and he was far from the last MC to put seemingly contradictory sides of his personality on the same record. And it's worth noting that most of his Great Adventures, no matter how dubious, end up as cautionary tales with definite consequences. That's especially true on the tragic "Children's Story," in which a teenage robber's increasingly desperate blunders lead to his destruction. In the end, The Great Adventures is simply too good not to deserve the countless samples and homages by everyone from Snoop Dogg to Black Star.
© Steve Huey /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From £10.83/month
Slick Rick, Producer, MainArtist - Ricky M.L. Walters, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1988 Def Jam Recordings, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Slick Rick, MainArtist - Ricky M.L. Walters, ComposerLyricist - Jam Master Jay, Producer
℗ 1988 Def Jam Recordings, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Slick Rick, Rap Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Ricky M.L. Walters, Producer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Eric Sadler, ComposerLyricist - Slick Rick, MainArtist - The Bomb Squad, Producer - James Henry Boxley III, ComposerLyricist - Ricky M.L. Walters, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1988 Def Jam Recordings, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Eric Sadler, ComposerLyricist - Slick Rick, MainArtist - The Bomb Squad, Producer - James Henry Boxley III, ComposerLyricist - Ricky M.L. Walters, ComposerLyricist - Kenny Houston, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1988 Def Jam Recordings, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Slick Rick, Producer, MainArtist - Ricky M.L. Walters, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1988 Def Jam Recordings, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Eric Sadler, ComposerLyricist - Slick Rick, MainArtist - The Bomb Squad, Producer - James Henry Boxley III, ComposerLyricist - Ricky M.L. Walters, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Slick Rick, Producer, MainArtist - Ricky M.L. Walters, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1988 Def Jam Recordings, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Eric Sadler, ComposerLyricist - Slick Rick, MainArtist - The Bomb Squad, Producer - James Henry Boxley III, ComposerLyricist - Ricky M.L. Walters, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1988 Def Jam Recordings, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Slick Rick, MainArtist - Ricky M.L. Walters, Producer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1988 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Eric Sadler, ComposerLyricist - Slick Rick, MainArtist - The Bomb Squad, Producer - James Henry Boxley III, ComposerLyricist - Ricky M.L. Walters, ComposerLyricist - Nahiem Johnson, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1988 Def Jam Recordings, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Eric Sadler, ComposerLyricist - Slick Rick, MainArtist - The Bomb Squad, Producer - James Henry Boxley III, ComposerLyricist - Ricky M.L. Walters, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1988 Def Jam Recordings, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Slick Rick, Rap Vocalist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Ricky M.L. Walters, Producer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2018 Slick Rick Music Corporation
Eric Sadler, ComposerLyricist - Slick Rick, MainArtist - The Bomb Squad, Producer - James Henry Boxley III, ComposerLyricist - Ricky M.L. Walters, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2018 Slick Rick Music Corporation
Slick Rick, Producer, MainArtist - Ricky M.L. Walters, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2018 Slick Rick Music Corporation
Slick Rick, MainArtist - Ricky M.L. Walters, Producer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2018 Slick Rick Music Corporation
Slick Rick, Producer, MainArtist - Ricky M.L. Walters, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2018 Slick Rick Music Corporation
Album review
Slick Rick's reputation as hip-hop's greatest storyteller hangs on his classic debut, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, one of the most influential rap records of the late '80s -- for better and worse. Most of the production is standard early Def Jam, but Rick's style on the mic is like no one else's. His half-British accent and odd, singsong cadences often overshadow the smoothness of his delivery, but there's no overlooking the cleverness of his lyrics. His carefully constructed narratives are filled with vivid detail and witty asides, and his cartoonish sense of humor influenced countless other rappers. He'll adopt a high voice for his female characters, and even duets with his old alter ego MC Ricky D on "Mona Lisa." But there's also a dark side to The Great Adventures -- namely its vulgarity and off-handed misogyny. No MC had ever dared go as far on record as Rick, and the tracks in question haven't really lost much of their power to offend, or at least raise eyebrows. The notorious "Treat Her Like a Prostitute" is the prime suspect, undermining well-intentioned advice (don't trust too quickly) with cynical, often degrading portrayals of women. "Indian Girl (Adult Story)," meanwhile, is an X-rated yarn with a barely comprehensible payoff. Yet this material is as much a part of Rick's legacy as his more admirable traits, and he was far from the last MC to put seemingly contradictory sides of his personality on the same record. And it's worth noting that most of his Great Adventures, no matter how dubious, end up as cautionary tales with definite consequences. That's especially true on the tragic "Children's Story," in which a teenage robber's increasingly desperate blunders lead to his destruction. In the end, The Great Adventures is simply too good not to deserve the countless samples and homages by everyone from Snoop Dogg to Black Star.
© Steve Huey /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 17 track(s)
- Total length: 01:07:28
- Main artists: Slick Rick
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Def Jam Recordings
- Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
© 2019 UMG Recordings, Inc. ℗ 2019 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.