Slick Rick’s debut album, THE GREAT ADVENTURES OF SLICK RICK, was originally released on November 1, 1988 by Def Jam Recordings. The inimitable British-American MC was Def Jam’s third artist signing and he is world-renowned as one of hip-hop’s most influential artists of all time.
Today, celebrating the album’s 30-year milestone, Def Jam/Urban Legends/UMe releases THE GREAT ADVENTURES OF SLICK RICK’s 30th Anniversary Edition, newly remastered and expanded for a suite of digital and physical configurations, including:
The Great Adventures of Slick Rick [CD; digital] The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick [2LP on limited edition translucent blue vinyl] The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick [2LP on standard black vinyl] The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (Deluxe Edition) [2LP on limited edition translucent blue vinyl] The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (Deluxe Edition) [2LP on standard black vinyl] The album’s 12 songs include the classics “Teenage Love,” “Children’s Story,” “The Ruler’s Back,” “Lick the Balls,” and “Treat Her Like a Prostitute.” The new 30th Anniversary Edition adds Rick’s previously unreleased demo recordings for “Children’s Story,” “A Teenage Love,” “Mona Lisa,” and “Hey Young World.” The album’s new digital edition also includes the previously unissued “Snakes of the World Today” (written, recorded, and produced by Slick Rick during sessions for the album). The Deluxe 2LP vinyl packages include a booklet with reproductions of lyric sheets and photos, as well as a reproduction of Slick Rick’s infamous eyepatch. The Deluxe Edition also features an ode to The Great Adventures written by the legendary Nas.
Slick Rick has also debuted two limited-edition ‘Great Adventures’ t-shirts, available exclusively from Bravado.com and Rick’s own online store: shop.slickrickisart.com. He also collaborated with PINTRILL for a limited edition three-pin bundle to commemorate The Great Adventures, available on his store, as well.
Driven by the back-to-back chart successes of “Teenage Love” (Top 20 R&B, Top 10 Rap), and “Children’s Story” (Top 5 R&B and Rap, and consistently cited as one of the Top 50 Rap hits of all time), THE GREAT ADVENTURES OF SLICK RICK soared to No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart for five weeks. The album was one of the first hip-hop albums to be certified platinum by the RIAA and it provided a solid foundation for Slick Rick, who went on to release three successful follow-up albums on Def Jam: The Ruler’s Back (1991), Behind Bars (1994), and The Art of Storytelling (1999).
Recently, Slick Rick’s omnipresent influence on fashion and lifestyle culture landed him as the face of a new collaborative campaign between fashion retailer Nordstrom and luxury travel goods and accessories brand MCM. Rick recently performed his smash hit “Mona Lisa” on “Strahan and Sara” and he was featured on the cover of Office Magazine.
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