Slick Rick Is Still Shinin’ In His First Video After Nearly 2 Decades

It’s been more than 30 years since Slick Rick released his debut album, The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick, and 20 since The Ruler dropped his most recent project, The Art of Storytelling. His natural effect on both Hip-Hop and popular culture is palpable, as the British-born, Bronx bred MC’s talents and style has been referenced and rebranded by artists from Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, and JAY-Z, to Young Thug, Migos, and Nicki Minaj. Slick Rick’s legacy and groundwork continue to shape the culture, and today, Ricky D drops an all-new visual to add to his influential catalog.

After releasing the audio for his brand new singles, “Can’t Dance To A Track That Ain’t Got No Soul,” and “Midas Touch,” Rick wastes no time blending both songs into one cohesive video in a way that only he can muster. Here, the MC provides insight and candor to the visual, shining light on both his perception and long-standing relationship with the music and the label heads who stand in his way.

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Opening outside the front door of a record label, Rick pulls up in a Rolls Royce in trademark fashion to pick up a newspaper with his face on the cover and the caption, “Slick Rick Is Art.” Shortly after, the blue eye-patched MC is found sitting in an office next to a young protege and begins rapping the title to “Can’t Dance To A Track That Ain’t Got No Soul,” over Funkadelic’s “Not Just Knee Deep.” As Rick continues, he denounces the power of record executives and their overall lack of connectivity to the music at large.

As The Ruler leaves the round-table discussion in disgust, the instrumentals switch and the visuals dim, flipping Lyn Collins’ “Think (About It)” into a dance-aimed vibration. Here, Rick and his slick outfits cut the beat with a host of smooth sailing rhymes as a DJ and B-Boy fill the screen. The space allows for both the music and the visuals to keep Rick’s genuine brand of Hip-Hop alive, living and breathing far and away from the stuffy, controlled nature of executive offices and shady record deals.