Interview: Slick Rick’s Story Comes Full Circle with PUMA

With the weight of the jewelry draped across Slick Rickâ€s wrists, itâ€s hard to imagine the greatest storyteller in hip-hop history has the need, let alone the dexterity, to pick up the pen.

Well, peasants, youâ€d be wrong. 

“In the beginning, there was the PUMA Suedes,” Uncle Ricky begins. “There was blue, black, and red.” 

Here we go…

“But the green one was a major problem when they first came out,” Rick recalls with excitement. “Because they were different and rare, like a green car. I had a pair of green ones, and a kid tried to take them once! [laughs]” 

For years, Slick Rick has told stories on wax that read like bedtime tales but knock at nightclubs. This summer, the renowned writer who came up painting his PUMAs is retelling a chapter of his rap resume through footwear.

Raised in the Bronx right when hip hop was born, Rick is one of the most decorated artists in the history of the culture – both literally and figuratively. Scoring a Liz Taylor level of jewelry off the success of his prolific debut, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, the narrative nature of Rickâ€s raps and his melodic production eventually crowned the storyteller as hip hopâ€s most sampled artist, allowing the aptly titled Ruler to relish in royalties.

Photos by Jonathan Mannion for PUMA

Now, 30 years after the release of his sophomore album, The Rulerâ€s Back, the kid with the velvet voice and painted PUMAs now has a royal purple pair of Sky LXs to call his own. The story is like that of Cinderella, or perhaps, more like Marty McFly.

“Itâ€s almost like Back to the Future,” Rick tells it. “Going back and being 20 when they were 20. Feeling the essence and spirit of what they were going through at that time. What they thought was fly or nice.”

Returning to a time when hip hop was experiencing a renaissance, the ultimate renaissance man of said era has the ability to reflect on what moved the culture during his come up and how that feeling can be better expressed and amplified now.

“Itâ€s almost like looking back and filling in the blanks,” notes Rick. “Going back and bringing it forward with substance.”

Slick Rick x PUMA Sky LX

That substance is owning a place in hip hopâ€s hierarchy. Revising the late ‘80s basketball silo with regal purple suede, crisp cream soles, and golden tooling, this pairing is a fully realized blast from the past perfected for today.

Still, just like Rickâ€s green PUMAs from grade school, the rare is only reserved for the robust. The revered rapper is letting his wife/manager Mandy handle seeding, likely looking out for friends such as Snoop Dogg, Fat Joe, and Nas, who all admired Rickâ€s rise growing up just as Rick bowed to Melle Mel and Cold Crush in their Suedes as a boy in the Bronx.

Over time, Slick Rickâ€s story has not only inspired his successors in the ‘90s, itâ€s influenced the stars of the 2000s that in tune raised the kids of today. Take Pharrell, who spent the entire intro of 2006â€s In My Mind: The Prequel mixtape talking about how Slick Rick changed his entire life. Doubling down, Pharrell recently recalled on Drink Champs the time he drove around in a Rolls Royce full of models playing “Hey Young World” on repeat.

That same Slick Rick swag repurposed by Skateboard P is even more apparent today. Take Pharrell protege, Tyler the Creator, whose CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST album shares direct DJ Drama DNA with The Prequel. Tyler may be homaging Skateboard with the Drama skits, but heâ€s sampling the Ruler aesthetically.

Photos via Wax Poetics, GQ & Getty

“Fashion never dies,” smiles Rick. “When you watch movies like Goodfellas and you see what theyâ€re wearing? Thatâ€s what a lot of cats are doing now with those Donnie Brasco outfits. You see it come back full circle because all different eras have something that they can offer today. A lot of [my style] was a mix of Brooklyn and Jamaican dressing: a gentleman look with a little reggae, ghetto touch, know what I mean? You bring that to kids’ eyes, and now they have variety.”

Slick Rick has provided plenty of variety for his successors, influencing generations of artists who tell their own stories with the same mix of pastels and baroque tones he once painted with. While PUMA provides the canvas for Rickâ€s most recent masterpiece, you never know what brand or house will come calling next.

“You know, when you hit the top of fashion, and you’re up there, you get bored!” Rick laughs. “So you start decorating their stuff.”

Crumbs and peasants, youâ€ve been warned.

The Slick Rick x PUMA Sky LX is available starting on July 2 in limited quantities at PUMA.