Rulers Back [Clean]

Slick Rick | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 16, 1991)
• Original Release Date: 1991
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Clean
• Label: Polygram
• ASIN: B00000E5FT
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #584,669 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Unknown Masterpiece, July 24, 2002

By 

"hynyc" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ruler's Back (Audio CD)

Chances are, you were inspired by Slick Rick's more popular songs (Children's Story, Mona Lisa, Lodi Dodi, The Show, etc.) to look him up on Amazon. You probably then stumbled upon this lesser known album, "The Ruler's Back." Do not let the shortage of reviews for this album fool you, you have just discovered what I proclaim to be the most underrated album in Rap history. To say this album was ahead of it's time is an understatement. The beats, courtesy of Slick's one time right hand man Vance Wright (probably the greatest beat-maker you've never heard of) are hypnotic and possess a complex layering unheard in modern day rap music. This is best expressed in tracks like "Moses" and "Mistakes Of A Woman." The lyrics are typical Slick: brilliant. His flow, which revolutionized the way rap artists delivered lyrics, are as fluid as they are intense. Listen to the tracks "Ship," "It's A Boy" and "I Shouldn't Have Done It" for example and realize the flow is about 5 years ahead of it's time. Listen to the originality of a track like "Runaway" or "Venus" and realize there are no rap songs that sound like them (try to say that about modern day rap.) Overall, the album is a testament to the greatest lyricist to ever grace a mic, and takes us back to a time when rap could be both technically profound and entertaining. I wish there were more like it, but I guess to quote Ricky D. himself, "there is no competition cuz we are the best here."

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Rushed by Rush...a mighty cross to bear, April 4, 2006

By 

danger ex machina (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ruler's Back (Audio CD)

Considering the circumstances surrounding this album, Slick Rick could be excused for phoning it in. Indeed, the prospect of phoning in his rhymes from the Island, and the unenviable task of following up an undisputed classic...why, that's a mighty cross to bear. Doesn't quite feel like a complete work, but the man hasn't lost his knack for narrative. The beats are dense, the drums so hard and fast they'd slap you like it was Tuesday. Large Pro on the ghost production? Extra P did officially contribute a non-LP remix of "It's a Boy". Me, I prefer the "Mr. Magic" sampling version here. "Moses" finds Rick kicking it OT style (that's old testament, baby) over a reggae break, and it's the obvious highlight. Yeah, there's a misstep or three. "Ship" just sucks, and that house remix of "Teacher Teacher"...what was Def Jam thinking? Still, it's a miracle this is anything but a disaster, let alone a decent record. A lost gem? Hardly. An uneven period piece that's worth a few spins? That's the ticket, man.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Snappy lyrics, November 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Ruler's Back (Audio CD)

The great Slick Rick is one of hip-hop's all time greats. Forget gangster rap and all that paranoid junk. Instead listen to Ricky D who's old school style captures the story telling essence of hip-hop. Slick Rick tends to 'keep it real!' - a must buy!