Legendary rapper Slick Rick has finally received his U.S. Citizenship after being on deportation for decades.
The Bronx rap icon, aka The Ruler, was sworn in on Friday, the NYDailynews reported. He has been fighting deportation for almost three decades following a slew of legal troubles back in the early 1990s.
Back in 1991 Slick Rick pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder during a dispute with his cousin where an innocent bystander was also shot. At the time of his plea deal he was still a British citizen and committing a violent crime meant that authorities wanted to deport him.
He spent five years in prison and maintained that he fired his gun in self defense arguing that his cousin threatened his and his mother’s lives.
“I am so proud of this moment — and so honored to finally become an American citizen,” Slick Rick, whose real name is Ricky Walters, said. “This has been a long time coming for me, and I am relieved to finally put this long chapter behind me. I want to thank everyone — my family, friends and fans — who have supported me and stuck by me over these 23 years. I am truly blessed, and stay tuned, I will have more to announce soon.”
The legendary rapper says he now holds dual citizenship.
Slick Rick rose to fame on the Bronx rap scene in the late 1980s to earlier 1990s with his smooth story telling flavor of rap music. He also collaborated with other pioneer of New York rap including Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew.
Slick Rick was born in London to Jamaican parents who migrated to the U.S. back in 1976. He met Doug E. Fresh in school and later became a part of the Get Fresh Crew. the rest all went down in hip hop history.
