He rose to prominence with Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew in the mid-1980s. Their songs "The Show" and "La Di Da Di" are considered early hip hop classics. "La Di Da Di" is one of the most sampled songs in history.
In 1986, Slick Rick became the third artist signed to Def Jam Records. He has released four albums: The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (1988), The Ruler's Back (1991), Behind Bars (1994) and The Art of Storytelling (1999). His music has been sampled and interpolated over 1,000 times, in dozens of songs by artists, including Eminem, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Beastie Boys, TLC, Nas, Miley Cyrus, Kanye West, Black Star, The Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg, MC Ren, Montell Jordan, Tech N9ne and Color Me Badd. In the process, Slick Rick has become one of the most-sampled hip-hop artists ever. Many of these songs based on Slick Rick samples went on to become hit singles.
He was one of the very first hip-hop artists to be covered, when Snoop Dogg (then Snoop Doggy Dogg) rapped Rick's lyrics from his record "La Di Da Di" almost in their entirety on the track 'Lodi Dodi' on his debut album Doggystyle in 1993. At the time it was very uncommon for rappers to use complete song lyrics from another artist.
Slick Rick has been a VH-1 Hip Hop Honors honoree, and About.com ranked him No. 12 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time, while The Source ranked him No. 15 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time. He has acted and cameo-ed in 10 movies and videos.
All Alone
Slick Rick Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Paid her respects and not to mention was a virgin.
Kid pushed up, Dawn lettin' him
Since he made her laugh and all the other girls was sweatin' him.
Then things started to move without cause
And a couple o'months later kid's pushin' for the drawers.
Under pressure while exchangin' glances
Dawn finally gives in to the sexual advances.
'cause' after the thrill was gone, so was the lust for her.
Eventually he left her for another.
Now feeling alone and betrayed by her lover
She cried--for no longer knew which way she headed.
Once dreamed of actually wearing white at her wedding
And really being pure, now she thought she'd die without.
Still she finds strength to continue with her life without
Love...
Without love...
Without love...
Without love...
Verse two of Dawn's life--the second segment.
What could be worse than to now find out you're pregnant?
Poor Dawn couldn't sleep--laid awake
Not ready for a child and plus her mother's gonna break.
As she doesn't know how she's gonna bring up the subject,
Consequences of being used as an object.
In church though time's runnin' thin
She decides to have the child because the doesn't want to sin.
Props to the girl although it hit hard times;
It was Hell finishin' school and working part-time.
Yet Dawn did it though her youth went to waste.
Little help from the government, she got her own place.
HARD for an indepentant woman and a kid
And as soon as she could get off the assistance, she did.
Without no man who she once thought she'd die without
Still she finds the strength to continue with her life without
Love...
Life without love...
Life without love...
Continue with her life without love...
While Dawn worked two jobs tryin' to meet ends,
Her son was busy cuttin' school and hangin' with his friends.
So when she got words she tried to slap out the taste in his mouth
And explain how important education is.
Under stress, she takes two Bufferin.
Son now tired of seein' his poor mother sufferin'.
Starts to sell drugs though the cops did a raid.
Guess who's in the mix, and being legal age
Could do time, please call her employer
To inform her that her son is gonna' need a lawyer.
Never no good news, just more strife.
Dawn barely havin' enough time to live her own life.
Here's the judge's sentence, beggin' and pleadin'.
Now spends nine hours on the bus to go and see him.
Here's the judge's sentence, beggin' and pleadin'.
Now spends nine hours on the bus to goa nd see him.
Without no man who she once thought she'd die without
Still she finds the strength to continue with her life without
Love...
Life without love...
Life without love...
Life without love...
Continues life without love...
The song "All Alone" by Slick Rick tells the story of a woman named Dawn and the struggles she faces throughout her life. The first verse is about her experience losing her virginity to a guy who later leaves her for another girl. The second verse follows her pregnancy and raising her child on her own while dealing with the consequences of her son's involvement in illegal activities. Throughout the song, Dawn shows strength and perseverance as she continues to live her life without love.
The lyrics of the song speak to the challenges many people face in life, especially women who are often left to pick up the pieces when things don't go as planned. The song also highlights the importance of education and how difficult it can be to raise a child on your own. By the end of the song, Dawn's struggle is ongoing, and she continues to live without love.
Overall, "All Alone" is a powerful and emotional song that tells a story of perseverance and strength in the face of adversity. It speaks to the struggles that many people face in life and the importance of staying strong and positive even when things get tough.
Line by Line Meaning
As a youth, each Sunday, Dawn went to Church and
Dawn was a religious young girl who attended church every Sunday
Paid her respects and not to mention was a virgin.
Dawn was a virgin who respected her religion and upheld her values
Kid pushed up, Dawn lettin' him
Dawn had a boy interested in her but initially rejected his advances
Since he made her laugh and all the other girls was sweatin' him.
Dawn was attracted to this boy because of his sense of humor and other girls liked him too
Then things started to move without cause
Dawn and the boy started to get closer even though there was no particular reason for it
And a couple o'months later kid's pushin' for the drawers.
The boy started to make sexual advances towards Dawn after a few months
Under pressure while exchangin' glances
Dawn was put under pressure by the boy's sexual advances and the looks he gave her
Dawn finally gives in to the sexual advances.
Dawn gave in and had sex with the boy she liked
Although it was a mad high cost for her
Dawn lost her virginity and experienced the emotional aftermath of doing so
'cause' after the thrill was gone, so was the lust for her.
The boy lost interest in Dawn after he had sex with her
Eventually he left her for another.
The boy left Dawn for another girl
Now feeling alone and betrayed by her lover
Dawn felt alone and betrayed by the boy she had sex with and liked
She cried--for no longer knew which way she headed.
Dawn was lost and didn't know what to do
Once dreamed of actually wearing white at her wedding
Dawn used to dream of getting married and wearing a white wedding dress
And really being pure, now she thought she'd die without.
Dawn felt like she couldn't live without being pure and regretted losing her virginity
Still she finds strength to continue with her life without
Dawn found the strength to continue living her life even though she felt alone and betrayed
Verse two of Dawn's life--the second segment.
The second verse of the song tells the second part of Dawn's life story
What could be worse than to now find out you're pregnant?
Dawn found out she was pregnant and felt like things couldn't get worse
Poor Dawn couldn't sleep--laid awake
Dawn couldn't sleep and was anxious about her situation
Not ready for a child and plus her mother's gonna break.
Dawn wasn't ready to have a child and was afraid of how her mother would react
As she doesn't know how she's gonna bring up the subject,
Dawn struggled with how to tell her mother about her pregnancy
Consequences of being used as an object.
Dawn was used by the boy and had to face the consequences of her actions
In church though time's runnin' thin
Despite feeling pressed for time, Dawn continued to attend church
She decides to have the child because the doesn't want to sin.
Dawn decided to have the baby because she didn't want to sin and have an abortion
Props to the girl although it hit hard times;
Dawn deserves credit for keeping the baby even though it was difficult
It was Hell finishin' school and working part-time.
Dawn faced difficulty finishing school and working at the same time
Yet Dawn did it though her youth went to waste.
Despite the challenges, Dawn succeeded in finishing school and becoming a young mother
Little help from the government, she got her own place.
Dawn received little assistance but was able to find a place to live on her own
HARD for an indepentant woman and a kid
Being an independent woman with a child was hard for Dawn
And as soon as she could get off the assistance, she did.
Dawn didn't want to rely on government assistance and worked hard to become self-sufficient
While Dawn worked two jobs tryin' to meet ends,
Dawn worked two jobs in order to make ends meet
Her son was busy cuttin' school and hangin' with his friends.
Dawn's son started to skip school and spend time with his friends
So when she got words she tried to slap out the taste in his mouth
When Dawn found out her son was skipping school, she was upset and tried to discipline him
And explain how important education is.
Dawn wanted to teach her son the importance of education
Under stress, she takes two Bufferin.
Dawn was under a lot of stress and took medication to help her cope
Son now tired of seein' his poor mother sufferin'.
Dawn's son was tired of seeing his mother struggle and suffer
Starts to sell drugs though the cops did a raid.
Dawn's son started selling drugs but was eventually caught in a police raid
Guess who's in the mix, and being legal age
Dawn's son was of legal age and faced the consequences for his actions
Could do time, please call her employer
Dawn's employer was notified that her son was in trouble with the law
To inform her that her son is gonna' need a lawyer.
Dawn's son needed a lawyer and was in serious trouble
Never no good news, just more strife.
Dawn faced constant strife and never heard any good news
Here's the judge's sentence, beggin' and pleadin'.
Dawn's son was sentenced by the judge and begged and pleaded for mercy
Now spends nine hours on the bus to go and see him.
Dawn had to travel nine hours on a bus to visit her son
Life without love...
Dawn's life was filled with difficulties and she was unable to find love or support
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RICKY M. L. WALTERS, VANCE ANDRE WRIGHT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind