TAKING U BACK:

Taking U back to the Classic The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, the debut album by hip hop performer Slick Rick, released in 1988 (see 1988 in music), three years after releasing his famous song with beatboxer Doug E. Fresh, "La Di Da Di".

As Slick Rick is often considered by many to be the greatest storyteller in hip-hop history, his debut album acts for the most part as a showcase of his apparent storytelling aptitude. Throughout the album, Slick Rick plays two characters- Slick Rick the Ruler and Emcee Ricky D. Within the context of these chronicled accounts, a variety of subjects are addressed; many of which inject at least some amount of humor, whether it be overtly obvious or not.

Though the album is known for its use of seemingly irreverent humor, the most famous song on the album, "Children's Story" is a tragic warning about the lifestyle of crime and violence. Sex is the focus of two of the offerings on the album, "Treat Her Like a Prostitute" and "Indian Girl (An Adult Story)". The former was probably the most controversial for being what seemed at the time to be nothing more than a misogynistic take on women.

Tracks such as "The Ruler's Back" and "Let's Get Crazy" stray from the path of chronological documentation to give way to party jams; and "Teenage Love" is about the fragile and sometimes insincere nature of young relationships. Overall, it is an album combining the non-combative arrogance of a young rapper with his more human side to create arguably one of the most influential hip hop albums of its time. Tracklisting and videos released off the album below:

1."Treat Her Like A Prostitute"
2."The Ruler's Back"
3."Children's Story"
4."The Moment I Feared"
5."Let's Get Crazy"
6."Indian Girl (An Adult Story)"
7."Teenage Love"
8."Mona Lisa"
9."Kit (What's The Scoop)"
10."Hey Young World"
11."Teacher, Teacher"
12."Lick The Balls"