#30thAnniversary – Slick Rick “The Ruler’s Back”

This second album by The Ruler came out in a time where the music was changing drastically, so it was interesting to hear how such an iconic MC would follow up his first classic full length release. Lots of classic uptempo breaks are bridging the eras with the then newer slower emerging boom bap sound. His storytelling skills and unique flow was really what made this project stand up at that time. Somehow the whole thing was rushed because it was recorded in a few weeks while he was on bail just before starting a jail sentence. In 1990 he went through some “heat” with his former bodyguard, his cousin, which resulted in a shooting and a car chase that ended up in a crash, giving a whole new meaning to some of his classic recordings such as Children’s Story.

Full album on YouTube:

Stream on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and Tidal.

Playlist with the videos:

• I Shouldn’t Have Done It

• It’s A Boy

• Mistakes Of A Women In Love With Other Men

Playlist with remixes from the 12″:

• It’s A Boy (Large Pro remix)

• King (remix)

• Mistakes Of A Women In Love With Other Men (S.I.D. remix)

If you want to learn more about the Slick Rick story and the situation in which this album was created, you can read this excellent article, originally published in the August 1991 issue of SPIN magazine: I Fought the Law

The RawSoul & Mr Dan