Update: This show has been canceled.
Now in his mid-40s, British-born rapper Slick Rick has spent nearly half of his life battling MCs, prison cells, monocular vision, and deportation. Like a fortuneteller, the rapper titled his 1988 masterpiece The Great Adventures of Slick Rick two years before his real troubles began — an attempted-murder charge, followed by a five years at Rikers. None of these obstacles could stop Rick the Ruler from persevering, though. Immediately after Russell Simmons bailed him out of prison, the rapper released The Ruler's Back. A few years later, he dropped Behind Bars, recorded while — you guessed it — behind bars. The hip-hop world is indebted to Rick's strong will because his unique narrative-rapping style has influenced countless rappers such as Biggie, Snoop, Eminem, and Outkast. Joined by fellow golden-era stalwarts Naughty by Nature, EPMD, and Das EFX, the eye-patch-donning, storytelling MC leads a rare gathering of lyrical legends.
