The Art of Storytelling

The Art of Storytelling
The Art of Storytelling
Studio album by Slick Rick
Released	May 25, 1999
Recorded	1998–99
Genre	Hip hop
Length	73:28
Label	Def Jam Recordings
Producer	DJ Clark Kent; Kid Capri; DJ S&S; Rashad Smith; Poke & Tone;
Slick Rick chronology
Singles from The Art of Storytelling
	"Street Talkin'"; Released: September 4, 1999;

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Billboard	(favorable)^[2]
Robert Christgau	A−^[3]
Entertainment Weekly	B+^[4]
Rolling Stone	^[5]
The Source	^[2]
Spin	(7/10)^[6]
USA Today	^[7]
Vibe	(favorable)^[2]
The Washington Post	(favorable)^[8]

The Art of Storytelling is the fourth and most recent studio album by British-American rapper Slick Rick, released May 25, 1999, on Def Jam Recordings. The album features production from DJ Clark Kent and Kid Capri, among others. Upon its release, The Art of Storytelling proved to be Slick Rick's highest-charting album, peaking at number eight on the Billboard 200, and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and was certified gold by the RIAA within a month of its release.^[9]

Track listing[]

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.^[10]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Jail Skit" (featuring Ed Lover, Redman & Rev Run)		Bimmy Antney	1:20
2.	"Kill Niggaz"	Richard Walters Rodolfo Franklin	DJ Clark Kent	2:50
3.	"Street Talkin'" (featuring Outkast)	Walters Andre Patton André Benjamin Phalon Alexander	Jazze Pha	3:41
4.	"Me & Nas Bring It to Your Hardest" (featuring Nas)	Walters Jean-Claude Olivier Samuel Barnes Qu'ran Goodman Nasir Jones	Qur'an Goodman Poke and Tone	2:36
5.	"I Own America Part I"	Walters Tyrone Fyffe Franklin	DJ Clark Kent Tyrone Fyffe	3:09
6.	"Bugsy Radio Skit"		Bimmy Antney	0:19
7.	"Who Rotten 'Em"	Walters Junod Etienne	Nod	3:28
8.	"2 Way Street"	Walters Franklin	DJ Clark Kent	3:33
9.	"King Piece In The Chess Game" (featuring Canibus)	Walters Fyffe Germaine Williams Deadric Malone	Tyrone Fyffe	3:20
10.	"Trapped In Me"	Walters Rashad Smith Chano Pozo	Rashad Smith	3:42
11.	"Impress The Kid"	Walters Shampelle Everett	S&S	3:34
12.	"Q-Tip & Peter Gunz Skit"		Bimmy Antney	0:35
13.	"I Run This"	Walters Raymond Deal Joseph Simmons Darryl McDaniels Jason Mizell Russell Simmons Douglas Davis Frank Eyton Johnny Green Edward Heyman Robert Sour	Raymond Deal Joseph "DJ Rev. Run" Simmons	4:09
14.	"Frozen" (featuring Raekwon)	Walters Daniel Almer James Atney Corey Woods Bill Conti Shelby Conti Chris West Geoff Barrow Beth Gibbons Adrian Utley	T. Rusiak Bimmy Antney (co.)	3:12
15.	"Why, Why, Why"	Walters Franklin James Brown	DJ Clark Kent Slick Rick	3:23
16.	"Adults Only"	Walters Damon Blackman	Dame Grease	4:16
17.	"Memories"	Walters Franklin Clarence Reid	DJ Clark Kent	4:06
18.	"Unify" (featuring Snoop Dogg)	Walters Calvin Broadus Rudy Toombs David Love	Kid Capri	3:59
19.	"Bugsy Radio Skit"		Bimmy Antney	0:18
20.	"I Own America Part 2"	Walters Almer Atney Benjamin Wright	Colleone & Webb Bimmy Antney (co.)	3:30
21.	"CEO Outro"		Slick Rick	0:05

Bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer	Length
22.	"We Turn It On" (featuring Doug E. Fresh)	Walters Davis Vada Nobles	Vada Nobles	3:35
23.	"La Di Da Di (Live)" (featuring Doug E. Fresh)	Walters Davis	Slick Rick	4:37
24.	"The Show (Live)" (featuring Doug E. Fresh)	Walters Davis	Slick Rick	6:09

Sample credits^[10]

"King Piece In The Chess Game" contains a sample from "Sad Feeling", written by Deadric Malone, and performed by Bobby Bland.
"Trapped In Me" contains a sample from "Tin Tin Deo", written by Chano Pozo, and performed by Buddy Montgomery.
"I Run This" contains samples from:
- "Children's Story", written and performed by Slick Rick.
- "Jam Master Jay", written by Darryl McDaniels, Jason Mizell, Joseph Simmons, and Russell Simmons, and performed by Run-DMC.
- "The Show" and "La Di Da Di", written and performed by Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick.
- "Body and Soul", written by Frank Eyton, Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, and Robert Sour, and performed by Sonny Rollins.
"Frozen" contains:
- an interpolation from "Make It Last All Night", written by Bill Conti, Shelby Conti, and Chris West.
- a sample from "Seven Months", written by Geoff Barrow, Beth Gibbons, and Adrian Utley, and performed by Portishead.
"Why, Why, Why" contains a sample from "Funky President (People It's Bad)", written and performed by James Brown.
"Memories" contains a sample from "The Best Girls Don't Always Win", written by Clarence Reid, and performed by Betty Wright.
"Unify" contains a sample from "One Mint Julep", written by Rudy Toombs.
"I Own America Part 2" contains a sample from "I Can't Go On Living Without You", written by Benjamin Wright, and performed by Tavares.
"We Turn It On" contains a sample of "The Show" written and performed by Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick.

Charts[]

Weekly charts[]

Chart (1999)	Peak position
US Billboard 200^[11]	8
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[12]	1

Year-end charts[]

Chart (1999)	Position
US Billboard 200^[13]	171
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[14]	54

Certifications[]


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[15]	Gold	500,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[]

^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine (May 25, 1999). "The Art of Storytelling - Slick Rick | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 17, 2004. Retrieved September 11, 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ "CG: Slick Rick". Robert Christgau. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
^ Matt Diehl (May 28, 1999). "The Art of Storytelling". Ew.com. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
^ The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. p. 672. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
^ SPIN. p. 131. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
^ "ProQuest Archiver: Titles". Pqasb.pqarchiver.com. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ "Slick Rick :: The Art of Storytelling :: Def Jam". Rapreviews.com. February 5, 2002. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b The Art of Storytelling (booklet). Def Jam. 1999.
^ "Slick Rick Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
^ "Slick Rick Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
^ "American album certifications – Slick Rick – The Art of Story". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links[]

The Art of Storytelling at Discogs
Album review at RapReviews.com

[1] Stephen Thomas Erlewine (May 25, 1999). "The Art of Storytelling - Slick Rick | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved July 13, 2017.

[mymusic1-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 17, 2004. Retrieved September 11, 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[3] "CG: Slick Rick". Robert Christgau. Retrieved July 13, 2017.

[4] Matt Diehl (May 28, 1999). "The Art of Storytelling". Ew.com. Retrieved July 13, 2017.

[5] The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. p. 672. Retrieved July 13, 2017.

[6] SPIN. p. 131. Retrieved July 13, 2017.

[7] "ProQuest Archiver: Titles". Pqasb.pqarchiver.com. Retrieved July 13, 2017.

[8] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[9] "Slick Rick :: The Art of Storytelling :: Def Jam". Rapreviews.com. February 5, 2002. Retrieved January 14, 2012.

[liner_notes-10] Jump up to: ^a ^b The Art of Storytelling (booklet). Def Jam. 1999.

[ac_Billboard200_Slick_Rick-11] "Slick Rick Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.

[ac_BillboardRandBHipHop_Slick_Rick-12] "Slick Rick Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.

[13] "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved August 22, 2020.

[14] "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. Retrieved August 22, 2020.

[riaa-15] "American album certifications – Slick Rick – The Art of Story". Recording Industry Association of America.

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hide v t Slick Rick
Albums	The Great Adventures of Slick Rick The Ruler's Back Behind Bars The Art of Storytelling
Singles	"Teenage Love" "Children's Story" "Hey Young World" "I Shouldn't Have Done It" "It's a Boy" "Behind Bars" "Sittin' in My Car" "Unify" "Street Talkin'"
Featured singles	"La Di Da Di" "Da Art of Storytellin' (Pt. 1)" "Hip Hop Police"
Related	Discography