Slick Rick - Behind Bars

Slick Rick, born Ricky Martin Lloyd Walters, is a British American hip hop artist who rose to prominence as part of Doug E. Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew in the mid 80s. Their songs “La Di Da Di” and “The Show” are widely regarded as early hip hop classics. His debut album, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, featuring the signature track “Children’s Story,” was released in 1988.

Behind Bars is the third studio album by Slick Rick, released in 1994 on Def Jam Recordings. It peaked at #51 on the Billboard 200 and #11 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart.

The album was recorded while Rick was on furlough from prison, with some tracks built around vocals recorded years earlier. Additional recording took place during a 1993 work release period. The album produced two singles showcasing Slick Rick’s classic storytelling style, “Behind Bars” and “Sittin’ in My Car”.

Production was handled by Warren G, Greg Nice, Paul Huston, Easy Mo Bee, and Slick Rick himself. Remixes were contributed by Pete Rock for “I’m Captive,” “Get a Job” and The Large Professor for “It’s a Boy”. Guest appearances include Nice & Smooth on “Let’s All Get Down”, Warren G on "Behind Bars" and hip-hop veteran Doug E. Fresh on "Sittin' In My Car".

Influential hip-hop and lifestyle magazine Vibe praised the album, noting that “Rick’s legendary street brilliance and sparkling, charming wit can even be distilled from behind bars.”