Slick Rick Claims Victory

Slick Rick the Ruler has reemerged with his Victory album after an almost three-decade hiatus. Clocking in at 27 minutes, Rick gives a condensed version of the storytelling that made him a legend in the ’80s. The guest list includes British rapper Giggs, who makes an appearance on the smooth but frantic “Stress.” Nas fulfills a personal dream and joins Rick on the album standout, “Documents.” Rick’s “Landlord” lists some of the headaches of being a New York City property owner with humor, frustration, and resilience. Q-Tip, who had an amazing 2024 producing LL Cool J’s F.O.R.C.E., creates another Gen X moment as the producer of “Another Great Adventure,” which taps the nostalgia of Rick’s 1988 classic debut album.

Idris Elba is an executive producer and his 7Wallace label with Mass Appeal partnered to release Victory. The visual component is a continuous play of vignettes for each song. Victory feels brief and at times thin but legends are always given grace, especially when they are a foundational artist in the genre. The album is another sign along with MC Lyte, LL Cool J, Ice Cube, Kwamé, Public Enemy, The Roots, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre, Generation X is not done expressing themselves with hip-hop. In the case of Slick Rick, he triumphs by staying true to his muse instead of pandering to a new generation. He managed to release an album in his sixth decade that still sounds like home.