Latest news with #SlickRick
Black America Web
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
The Ruler's Back: Slick Rick Announces New ‘Victory' Visual Album
Slick Rick has not released a full-length project in over 26 years, and that will soon change this summer. Partnering with Idris Elba, Slick Rick is slated to release his visual album Victory this summer via Elba's 7Wallace label and Nas' Mass Appeal Records. Slick Rick, long considered Hip-Hop's most masterful storyteller, will deliver Victory this June. As we see in the trailer for the project, the artist, real name Ricky Walters, constructed the album over four years and recorded in Europe, Africa, and North America. Rick's suave voice can be heard explaining the value of songwriting and poetry, reminding viewers that before films, words were how pictures were painted. Victory serves as Slick Rick's fifth studio album, last releasing his gold-selling album, The Art of Storytelling , in 1999. Rick and Elba are the executive producers for the album, with special appearances from Nas, Giggs, and Estelle. 'Victory is all about perseverance, storytelling, imagination and evolution. A visual blend of art and heart — a sonic journey that reflects where I've been and where I'm going. Victory isn't just music — it's a bold in your face statement, showcasing British artistry at its finest!' Rick shared in a statment. Elba adds, 'Working with Slick Rick… back home in the UK, and then offering the world of hip hop something amazing has been a blessing. It's literally a gift!' Mass Appeal co-founder Nas also shared a statement. 'Slick Rick and I have a long history of working together so it was great to get back in the studio with him to create this new record. He has been such an influential figure in Hip Hop culture and I look forward to him sharing this project with the next generation of fans,' shared the Queensbridge MC. Victory clocks in at 30 minutes and is directed by Meji Alabi, who worked with Beyoncé on her Black Is King project. The project carries the bold, creative visions of both Rick and Elba, who, beyond acting, released music previously and is an active DJ, among Elba's other talents. The powerhouse affair features longtime studio engineer Young Guru, who mixed the project, and photography was provided by Jonathan Mannion. Victory will see a world premiere at SXS7 London at Shoreditch Town Hall on June 7, followed by a special session with Slick Rick, Idris Elba, and Meji Alabi. Victory will make its debut in the States on June 13 at the SVA 1 Theater during the Tribeca Festival, which will have a Q&A session with Slick Rick. That same day, Victory will be available on DSPs and for purchase. To purchase tickets for the SXSW London showing, click here. For the Tribeca Festival showing, click here. — Photo: Jonathan Mannion SEE ALSO The Ruler's Back: Slick Rick Announces New 'Victory' Visual Album was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Yahoo
Community honors fallen deputy with tributes across Walton County
WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Walton County community members continue to mourn the loss of Deputy Will May. It's been one week since May was killed while responding to a call in DeFuniak Springs. Through billboards, murals, and even coffees, the community is remembering him. In Santa Rosa Beach, international street artist 'Preacher' painted a tribute mural for May. His art work has been on display several times at Helen McCall Park, but said this piece stands out from the rest. Community honors Walton County deputy killed in the line of duty 'It struck like a different emotional chord with me; it was a tragedy, his death. So it's a current relevant topic on everybody's heart. It's heavy on their hearts. I think that's why so many people were behind it,' the Preacher said. He said his inspiration for the mural was driven by his respect for May and law enforcement. 'Spray paint and police work typically aren't associated when they're on the same side, and in this instance, I would hope that shines a light on that. And that other people that are kind of resistant or apprehensive of promoting police work and police officers, I think they should come and check it out because these are some of the nicest guys I've ever met.' Preacher said. But the tributes don't stop there. In Defuniak Springs, a cafe called Caramel Cow came up with two specialty drinks inspired by May. The first drink is called 'Slick Rick'. It's an energy drink inspired by Creamsicles. The Creamsicle flavor gives the drink an orange hue, paying homage to the bright orange sunglasses May often wore. The second drink will be called 'Darling' and will be a coffee-based drink with chocolate chip cookie dough and cold foam. May was an avid video game player and the name comes from his gamertag. The drinks will be sold on April 10th. All the proceeds will go to May's family. Caramel Cow owner Elinda Soto said she hopes the day brings together the community in honor of May. 'We're hoping it's filled with May's memories. Hope that we have close friends come in and just enjoy something that will remind them of him and we hope that also it brings the community together' Soto said. Walton County deputy killed in line of duty Pizza by the Sea will also be holding a fundraiser for May later this month. If you are unable to make it to the fundraisers, you can also donate through the Florida Deputy Sheriffs Association's Lend a Hand fund. You can find a link to that here. You can also send a check to the Walton County Sheriff's Office. They ask that all checks be addressed specifically to 'Deputy May's Family. ' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Masters of the Mic hip-hop show coming to Tuscaloosa this summer
Masters of the Mic, a group hip-hop/R&B show with Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, MC Lyte, Big Daddy Kane, Treach, and EPMD, will perform July 19 in Tuscaloosa at the Mercedes-Benz Amphitheater. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. March 28, through and at the venue's box office, 2710 Jack Warner Parkway in downtown Tuscaloosa, for $33.50, $53.50, $63.50, $79, $93.50, and $136.50, plus fees and taxes. Doug E. Fresh has played the venue before, then called the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater, in a 2018 group show with Parliament-Funkadelic, Morris Day and the Time, and Sheila E. Fresh and Slick Rick also played the amp on a 2013 Old Skool summer show, with Salt-n-Pepa and Bell Biv Devoe. More: Southern Soul Explosion brings package-deal lineup of music to Mercedes-Benz Amphitheater Though trained on drums, percussion and trumpet while studying in a Harlem music school, Fresh first rose rapping, inspired by the poetry of Langston Hughes, winning battles under a number of names such as Dougie Doug and Dougie D, before an unintentional misspelling — he'd asked for Dougie's Fresh — led to Doug E. Fresh. He pioneered beatboxing — mimicking the sounds of various instruments, drums, bass and others, using just his mouth, lips, tongue and voice — listening to records by Grandmaster Flash, Spoonie Gee, and Funky 4 + 1, and humming along. He signed as a solo artist in the '80s but worked also with DJs and other rappers as Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew. Barbados-born Fresh created seminal hip-hop such as "The Show," and "La Di Da Di," the latter one of the most sampled songs in history, inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress, April 2024. Other Fresh hits include "Keep Risin' to the Top" and "Bustin' Out (On Funk)." The 2010 debut single by Cali Swag District was titled "Teach Me How to Dougie," referring to the Fresh-inspired dance created by Lil' Wil for his song "Dougie." Athletes, musicians, models, politicians and other celebrities caught and blew up the craze that decade. Vocalist on "La Di Da Di" was a rapper then known as MC Ricky D, later going by Slick Rick. Born Richard Martin Lloyd Watters to Jamaican parents in London, he went solo in '86. After signing to Def Jam Recordings, he cut four albums full of songs that have been covered and sampled by Beyonce, Eminem, TLC, Nas, Miley Cyrus, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Color Me Badd, Mariah Carey, Beastie Boys and numerous others. His vocal work on "La Di Da Di" became one of the first ever sampled, on Snoop Dogg's 1993 debut album, for a song titled "Lodi Dodi." Of his distinctive, clearly enunciated style, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson said: "Slick Rick's voice was the most beautiful thing to happen to hip-hop culture .... Rick is full of punchlines, wit, melody, cool cadence, confidence and style. He is the blueprint." His 1988 debut album "The Adventures of Slick Rick" sold platinum, and went to No. 1 on R&B charts, as did his 1999 disc, "The Art of Storytelling." Rick's rap and R&B hits include "Children's Story," "I Shouldn't Have Done It," "Sittin' in My Car" (featuring a reunion with Doug E. Fresh), and "Behind Bars." MC Lyte, born Lana Michele Moorer, cut the first full solo album by a female rapper, 1988's "Lyte as a Rock." Also an actor, philanthropist, DJ and businessperson, she's cut songs of political consciousness as well as braggadocio rap, scoring top 10 hits with "Cha Cha Cha," "I'm Not Having It," "Poor Georgie," "Stop, Look, Listen," "Cappucino," "When in Love," "Ruff Neck," "Keep On Keepin' On," "Cold Rock a Party" (with Missy Elliott). As part of the group Stop the Violence Movement, she had another gold-selling No. 1 in "Self Destruction." Chuck D of Public Enemy considers Lyte's husky, authoritative alto voice one of the greatest voices of all time. Rapper, actor and producer Antonio Hardy, who goes by Big Daddy Kane, began, like Fresh and Slick Rick, in the mid-'80s, as part of hip-hop collective Juice Crew. Rolling Stone put his "Ain't No Half-Steppin" ― from 1988 solo debut disc, "Long Live the Kane" ― at No. 25 on its 50 greatest all-time hip-hop songs. MTV placed him at No. 7 on its all-time greatest MCs list. Other Kane hits include "Rap Summary (Lean on Me)," "Smooth Operator," "Cause I Can Do It Right," "Groove With It," "How U Get a Record Deal?," "Very Special," and "Uncut, Pure." Rapper-actor Treach first came to fame leading hip-hop trio Naughty By Nature, with whom he cut four gold and platinum albums. Some of his best-known songs include "O.P.P.," "Hip Hooray," "Ghetto Bastard," "Craziest," "Feel Me Flow," "Mourn You 'Til I Join You," "Jamboree," "Holiday" and "Feels Good (Don't Worry 'Bout a Thing)." Hip-hop duo EPMD is Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith, who cut five gold albums from 1988 to 1997. Their hits include "You Gots to Chill," "Strictly Business," "So What Cha Sayin'," "Gold Digger," "Rampage," "Crossover," "Head Banger," and "Da Joint." For more, see Reach Mark Hughes Cobb at This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: How to get tickets for Masters of the Mic show in Tuscaloosa
The Independent
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
The cult of Mr Worldwide: How Pitbull started a global movement
Imagine looking out at a crowd and seeing thousands of versions of yourself. That's the reality for Pitbull, aka Mr Worldwide, aka Mr 305, aka (as in, actually born as) Armando Christian Pérez, who returns to the UK stage for the first time in almost a decade this week. Stroll past The O2 on Friday 21 February and you'll see a sea of female fans adorned in bald caps, tuxedos and aviators, such is the influence of Pérez's signature garb. 'Without you there is no Pitbull,' he told his followers after they sold out the 20,000 person capacity stadium in minutes. That holds up, kind of; without his fans, there'd certainly be fewer Pitbulls, at least. Known for his galvanising catchphrase ' dale!' (loosely translated to 'let's go!') and hits including 'Timber', featuring Kesha, 'Give Me Everything', featuring Ne-Yo, 'I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)' and 'Don't Stop the Party', the 44-year-old Cuban American rapper has sold over 25 million studio albums and over 100 million singles worldwide. He's had No 1 hits in more than 15 countries, has surpassed 14 billion YouTube views, and has 11 million adoring fans on Instagram. In a career spanning over 20 years, Pérez's global domination shows no signs of slowing down. When his Party After Dark tour hit 26 major cities across the US last year, there wasn't a single night where someone didn't show up dressed in the global superstar's image. Content creator Milli from Liverpool, who's heading to The O2 with her sister this Friday, believes she was the first to do the bald cap trend that exploded among Pitbull fans online. Mr Worldwide himself recently reshared a video of her dancing to 'Fireball' in a tuxedo and drawn-on beard, which she filmed two years ago, to his social media accounts. 'I couldn't believe it. I was screaming,' she says. 'He's my go-to party music. So, when I saw him repost, I'm still in shock now. It's going on my CV.' When I ask 22-year-old Milli, who has long blonde hair extensions, fake eyelashes and lip filler, why she wants to dress up as a 44-year-old bald man, she says: 'His look is so signature. You don't even have to explain who you are. For Halloween, lots of girls – myself included – we dress up but still want to look quite fit. This concert, you won't have a care in the world. You just want to have a great time with your mates.' Pitbull grew up in Miami, dubbing himself Mr 305 in reference to the Florida city's area code. He learnt English from watching Sesame Street and spent his teen years listening to old-school hip-hop by Public Enemy, Slick Rick, Eric B & Rakim and NWA before graduating to Nas and Jay Z. In 2001, he landed his first record deal and featured on fellow Miami boy Uncle Luke's album Somethin Nasty, as well as Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz' album Kings of Crunk a year later. Collaboration with other artists has always been the lifeblood of Pitbull's success. Mr 305's 2013 hit 'Timber' with Kesha remains the rapper's most popular single on Spotify, with 1.7 billion streams. His first UK No 1 single came in April 2011 through an appearance on party-starter 'On the Floor'. And his second chart-topper came just one month later with his club anthem 'Give Me Everything', featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer, from his star-studded sixth album, Planet Pit. Jessica, a 31-year-old Jessica from Glasgow, first got into Pitbull on her girls' holiday to the Greek party destination of Malia in 2011. ''Give Me Everything' was the song of the summer,' she remembers. 'Pitbull was on [the speakers] everywhere.' Cut to 2025 and Jessica, who works in a hospital as a radiographer by day, is heading to The O2 in a bald cap and tuxedo alongside the same friends she partied with in Greece 14 years ago. 'If you want to feel good about yourself, want to party and just want to have a good time, put Pitbull on and he'll make you feel like that right away,' she says of Mr Worldwide's mystifyingly enduring appeal. 'Working in a hospital, I have good days and bad days. Sometimes, when I'm stressed, I put a wee bit of Pitbull on in the car and it's like 'Right, OK. Tomorrow's another day. You'll be fine.'' TikTok has adopted Pitbull as something of a modern philosopher in recent times. Despite having an air of Mr Motivator about them, his 2014 'Time of Our Lives' lyrics: 'This for everybody going through tough times / Believe me, been there, done that / But every day above ground is a great day, remember that,' have become a mantra for modern women battling every inconvenience of life – from acne to bad dates. 'You can't be sad when you're listening to Pitbull… that's just a fact,' says 29-year-old Esther from London, who started listening to Mr Worldwide during her year abroad in Sweden in 2017 and paid £100 for a standing ticket at The O2 this Friday. She credits the rapper's '9 to 5' remix 'Powerful Women', which he released with Dolly Parton in 2024, as pulling her out of her most 'truly dreadful' days at work. 'Also, once I went on a date with a guy who didn't know who Pitbull was,' she adds. 'And I wouldn't say that was the only reason we didn't see each other again but I think it was a major red flag.' Pitbull released a slew of rap albums: M.I.A.M.I. in 2004, El Mariel in 2006, and The Boatlift in 2007; but it wasn't until Mr Worldwide rebranded as a pop artist with Pitbull Starring in Rebelution in 2009 that he broke the UK. Two singles from the record, 'I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)' and 'Hotel Room Service', peaked at number four and number nine in the UK Top 10 chart, respectively. Addressing accusations he 'sold out' by departing from the rap scene in an interview with Vanity Fair in 2016, Pitbull replied: 'They're right. I did sell out. I sell out arenas. I sell out stadiums… all around the world.' Hannah*, a 24-year-old from London, once threw a Pitbull house party complete with a life-size cardboard cutout of Mr 305 when she was a uni student. She was among thousands of devastated fans left without tickets to the European leg of the Party After Dark Tour after the rapper opted to do only one night in Dublin, London, Paris, Amsterdam and Cologne. Yet, despite her disappointment, to Hannah and the other women I've spoken to, Pitbull is for ever. 'I actually think his discography is unmatched,' she claims. 'I refuse to believe there are people that aren't Pitbull fans. There's no one that wouldn't bop about when his songs come on … High key, his lyrics are inspirational … I'm not sure if I am more gutted that I don't get to see Pitbull or that I don't get to dress up in a bald cap,' she admits. 'Because that just seems quite liberating.' Seemingly, Pitbull has stuck around because he makes people feel happy and free. His commitment to partying is unparalleled (aside from maybe some competition from Charli XCX) and his discography has never been darkened by a downbeat ballad. One yell of ' dale! ' is enough to have half a nightclub on its feet. 'Every single one of his songs is a banger,' says Milli. 'The vibe just uplifts you. He's going to be popular for ever.' 'I think even our kids will remember his songs,' she adds, when asked if the jig will ever be up. 'So, if you don't know Pitbull, you need to get to know.' *Name has been changed
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Bills employee ‘Slick Rick' gifted car from West Herr
HAMBURG, N.Y. (WIVB) — It's been one week since Josh Allen shouted out 'Slick Rick in the mailroom' during the QB's MVP speech. It was a life-changing moment for Roderick Morrow, who never expected his name to be brought up on national television. 'It was like, wow,' Morrow said. 'I'm a nobody … I'm just an average guy! Why would you say my name? But I guess, like he said, Josh is that guy. He sees everyone from top to bottom.' Friday marked another emotional day for Morrow. For 26 years, he hasn't owned a car, instead taking the number 14 bus to get to and from work at One Bills Drive. That changed after West Herr officials heard about 'Slick Rick.' 'It was definitely something that we wanted to get involved with — try to get him some good transportation so he can get to work safely,' said Justin Rojek, Director of Variable Operations for West Herr Automotive Group. West Herr workers presented Morrow with his very own vehicle — a 2017 Chevy SUV. Morrow said he's been overwhelmed by the community's support throughout the past week. He has a 15-year-old son he raises by himself, and he said this vehicle will be a big help. Now Morrow will be able to drive to his son's football games instead of taking the bus. This will also cut down on his commute — which will give 'Slick Rick' more time to spend with his son. 'I can imagine how he'll react,' Morrow said. 'It's overwhelming. … This means the world to me.' Marlee Tuskes is an award-winning anchor and reporter who has been part of the News 4 team since 2019. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
