Hip hop has long had the unfortunate tendency of ageism; that is, artists reach a certain age perceived as old and no longer are they relevant. In a genre and culture that has an abundance of creators (who – perhaps more than any other major genre besides electronic music – are still alive!), it is a generally sad state of affairs that voices are silenced and these influential forebears are no longer releasing music.

Such a convention is bucked in dramatic fashion with the release of VICTORY by Slick Rick. At the age of 60, 41 years into his career and 26 years after his last album, Slick Rick flaunts that he is good now as he has ever been and matured like fine wine. VICTORY never once sounds like Slick Rick is attempting to be anything beyond what he is: one of hip hop’s most legendary characters and the original great of storytelling. Such abilities are best showcased in the album’s most vintage-sounding track – “Landlord” – which details Slick Rick’s lamentations of being a landlord in New York City and his methods of dealing with difficult tenants. The “Children’s Story” that once defined him has developed into a grown man’s story without reducing any element of his presence.

Slick Rick produces the majority of the album himself and traverses sounds that include reggae and house. Only two guest appearances are made and they represent the two places that define who he is: Giggs from his birthplace of London and Nas from his adopted home of New York. VICTORY only lasts for 27 minutes – the majority of its 15 tracks are under 2 minutes – so this is a stellar example of quality over quantity.

VICTORY is now the first album released as part of the Mass Appeal campaign announced in April 2025 that teased albums by multiple hip hop legends. The suspenseful seventh inclusion in the list – billed as “the epic return of…” – has lived up to the hype.

VICTORY
Slick Rick
Featuring: Giggs, Nas
Production: M. Aragones, DJ Dirty Harry, A. Franklin, Q-Tip, Parker Ighile, SHOW N PROVE, Slick Rick, Rory Taylor, T. White
Singles: “Documents” featuring Nas