Hey, Young World

Hip-hop magazines and websites love to come up with annual Best Rapper Alive lists. But as the genre nobody ever thought would take it this far progresses, we notice that few folks cast an eye back to celebrate the trailblazers. Allow us to begin with our number one pick for most influential rapper of all time: Slick Rick, AKA Rick the Ruler, AKA MC Ricky D in the place to be. Ever since the eye-patch-sporting rhyme slinger kicked it live in ’85 on Doug E. Fresh’s The Show, he has been influencing the industry. To date, a mind-boggling parade of samples, lyrics, and straight-up rip-offs can be attributed to the dapper rapper.

To wit: Color Me Badd had the presence of mind to kick off “I Wanna Sex You Up” with Slick Rick providing the “tick tock, you don’t stop” line. Snoop Dogg covered “La-Di-Da-Di,” Black Star covered “Children’s Story,” and Diddy took the throwaway line “Ricky, Ricky, Ricky, can’t you see? Somehow your words just hypnotize me” and made it a chart-topping hook for Biggie Smalls. The list goes on and on, and the point is this: Although The Great Adventures of Slick Rick dropped 20 years ago, Slick Rick remains the greatest storyteller in the game. Pay homage to his majesty this Tuesday night as he ascends to the DJ platform at Louis inside the Gansevoort South. If you’re lucky, he’ll even drop a rhyme or two. Tickets cost $20. Visit louismiami.com.
Tue., Jan. 27, 2009