No disrespect to It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back, but The Great Adventures of Slick Rick is my favorite hip-hop album of the 80s. It is an outstanding collection of songs that prove Ricky Walters is a master of contradiction with his versatile personality. "Treat Her Like a Prostitute" and "Teenage Love" should not make sense on the same album, but they do. And this is also a testament to Slick Rick's ability as an emcee. His storytelling skills combined with his British accent on the mic give him a very unique style. "Children's Story" is obviously a timeless classic, but one track on the album that I feel is often overlooked is "Lick the Balls." Understandably the title is potentially off-putting, yet his rapid delivery proves he can flow with the best of them. For as well rounded as Slick Rick is, it is no surprise that some of hip-hop's most popular artists have covered him over the years ( i.e. Snoop Dogg's "Lodi Dodi" in '93, Black Star's "Children's Story" in '98, and Jay-Z's "The Ruler's Back" in '01).
