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.