Slick Rick

Richard Martin Lloyd Walters (born January 14, 1965), better known as Slick Rick, is an English-American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence as part of Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew in the mid-1980s. His 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.

As Slick Rick, Walters became the third artist to sign with Def Jam Recordings in 1986. He debuted with The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (1988), showcasing his storytelling structure mixed with humor and complex rhymes, including his signature song, "Children's Story." Facing murder charges and incarceration, Walters released two albums: The Ruler's Back (1991) and Behind Bars (1994). After being released from prison in 1997, Walters made a comeback with his fourth studio album, The Art of Storytelling (1999). In 2025, he dropped Victory on Mass Appeal Records.

His music has been sampled and interpolated over 1,000 times, in 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, Lloyd, and Color Me Badd. Walters is one of the most-sampled hip-hop artists of all time, and many songs based on Slick Rick samples have become hit singles. Walters was one of the first hip-hop artists to be covered when Snoop Dogg rapped Rick's lyrics from his track "La Di Da Di" almost fully on the track "Lodi Dodi," on his debut album, Doggystyle, in 1993. At the time, it was uncommon for rappers to record covers of each other's material.

A VH1 Hip Hop Honors honoree, About.com ranked Slick Rick 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.