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Slick Rick - "Children's Story"
Posted on December 8, 2005 8:27 AM
There is no competition cause we are the best... yeah!
No, children. That's not a Juvenile line. That's the one and only MC Ricky D. One of the greatest stories ever told (even by biblical proportion) was orated by the original fresh-to-death dapper don Slick Rick. "Children's Story" [watch it now] was merely one of many legendary tales given us by the eyepatched ghetto Homer. Unfortunately it came at a time where videos, especially rap videos, weren't so well put together.
I thought the Charlie Chaplin silent film edge was pretty cool. I just hated how the video didn't really match the lyrics. I had been jamming that song looooong before I'd seen the video and I had a Scorcese-directed epic scrolling the back of my mind. I had come to the conclusion that Slick Rick shouldn't even make videos for his storytelling songs because the image he painted verbally was always going to be so much better.
Damn y'all, remember when Prince Street actually looked like the ghetto? The polices sho didn't look like dem dere, boss. To this day NYPD will beat the living shit out of you and sprinkle crack on you as you lie there, a la Dave Chappelle.
My main disdain for this video is that the changes took away from the overlying seriousness of the song's message. When I heard "Cops shot the kid you still hear him scream." I thought of my own block and the foul shit that went on there. When I saw the video all I could see was a little kid squirting a water pistol. We should still be hearing the director scream!
Aside from the video, which I thought to be a relative failure, I must ask you all... What other nigga do you know could make having an eyepatch look good? What was he thinking? I guess the girls were distracted by the pajamas and robes and blinded by the gold EVERYWHERE. One day I asked my mom for money for an eyepatch so I could be like Slick Rick. Her response was "Well... I'd have to fuck your eye up first. Now go fix the hanger on the damn TV so we can watch 'Video Music Box', nigga."
Well... something to that effect.
Questions? Comments? Requests? Need a "Best of Slick Rick" mixtape? ronnie_mexxx@yahoo.com
Stroll lovingly down memory lane yet again with me folks. How good was your wop when this song came out?
Comments
Yo! I was just listening to Young World and Children's Story yesterday. Young World almost made me cry... it was so inspirational and positive without be preachy and corny!
Damn... we need more of this in today's hip-hop!!!
Yeah this is one of theose songs u wish they could go back and redo the video for, especially when u see concepts & effects today that would fit perfectly. But, same way it's one of those songs that's just so tight it don't matter what it look like cuz u have ur own picture in ur head. But all in all classic song, and the video still has it's moments, like the lil' homie grabbin the chick hostage with the water pistol...classic.
big squid, i def agree wit chu there. as least back then, the videos weren't all the same like it is now. who wants to keep seeing hoes, cars, and ugly nigs wit a pound of jewelry on?
In case you don't know, Slick Rick has a glass eye, that's why he wore the eyepatch. I can't front Ricky D, Dana Dane and the Kangol Crew influenced my ass, growin up in Brownsville, sportin fly ass Bally shoes, fur Kangols, etc. PEACE 2 that whole era (Big Daddy Kane, UltraMagnetic MCs, Eric B. and Rakim, Sir Ibu from the Divine Force Crew (DFC)), it will never get any better than that era.
I think the video was so cheesy because of a lack of budget. No companies were spendin' big doe on HipHop videos back then and also, this was in the middle of the "Stop The Violence " movement in Hip Hop. Plus, if you ever hear Slick Rick The Ruler talk about violence he always affirms that he was no tough guy and the that he was forced into the issues that he eventually went to prison for. That being said, it was truly a corny video and it played for laughs. If you listen to "The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick" (top ten of all times I might add) He style was mlore humerous.
Peace
That last line was supposed to read "his style was also humorous"
Speaking of dave chappelle, you should do some episodes of the chappelle show on here and we could talk about that shit!! Like Mad Real World or PopCopy. Now that's a blog ya dig. Keep it trill.
skdamc... excellent point. I didn't mention the fact that hip-hop got no love from the majors back then because I assumed it to be a given, but you're right... we need to say it. There are a lot of 12 year olds and shit reading and posting. Thanks for the jewels.
Big Ced... I agree. If we generate enough interest, we can talk about Chappelle's Show sketches/episodes. That would be fun.
Hip Hop has definitely changed since the 80s and 90s but I must say that its not all bad. You still got dudes like me grinding hard with true lyricism and conceptual records. I think now that every Tom, Dick, and Harry can have pro tools to record on right in their house it over saturates the game. Thats why its harder for people with the talent/creativity of a Nas or Slick Rick to be heard. But be on the look out for Prophet produced by the legendary Sam Sneed because those are to major players to be on the look out for in 2006!
A well known philosopher in the dark ages wrote that "the White Man and the Black Man will scorch this blessed earth with ignorance and violence" and out of the ashes "a brown man will lead the earth into peace, righteousness and prosperity!"....
Real talk baby.
Phew..I thought the "Children's Story" was gonna be about me. I can't be seeing court again.
It didn't matter if there were no big budgets for videos back then. "Children's Story" already looks like it took no more than $1000 to make. Why not make the video match the song? It couldn't have cost anything extra. Gangstarr's "Just To Get a Rep" went right along with the song, and not a single gun was displayed.
That's why I always hated the video, just like I hate the "No Scrubs" video. You have a song that should be accompanied by what shoulda been a funny video. Instead, you got these TLC b*tches playing on swings and doing the robot in white plastic suits.
OMG! I HAVE GROWN UP ON SLICK RICK. THE ONE AND ONLY, AND EVERYTIME I HERE ONE OF HIS SONGS I HAVE TO PARTY. THEY DONT MAKE MUSIC LIKE THAT ANYMORE AND THATS MESSED UP. EVERYONE IS ENTITLED TO THERE OWN OPINION BUT YOU HAVE TO ADMIT THESE SONGS WAS THE SH!T BACK THEN IF YOU ARE AN 80'S BABY. THAT SHIT IS FOR THE GROWN N SEXY!!!!
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