Born in Brownsville, Brooklyn, Sliks family moved to East New York's Linden Houses 5 yrs later, when his brother was born. "Once we moved there and I got a little older, it was like fights everyday for me. Packing bags at the local supermarket for some extra dollars was my thing, and I remember leaving the store with around 20 dollars worth of change after bein there the whole day. Heads would try and get you. I wore glasses and had braces back then, so it wasnt hard to get looked at as the nerd on the block, nah mean. But all that changes with a few victories under your belt Slik laughs." Born in a family that listened to 60s and 70s music as well as records that ran at 78rpm, it was inevitable that he would soon be trying to play these tunes in school. "When I was in music class, thats one of the 1st things I did once I understood music and the melodies."
During the time that disco was so huge, a new type of music was beginning to surface. It was called Hip Hop, and it included a lot of aspects from the streets. Graffiti, breakdancing, beatboxing, and rapping. "Rhymin over beats was my thing because I couldnt sing a lick," Slik chuckles. "I remember buyin my 1st rap record. A Spoony Gee joint. I would play it on a Fisher Price record player all day, it was all I had. He, as well as Jimmy Spicer was definitely my early influences in the game." Slik had a few friends that was rapping as well and thats when things changed. "A few of my friends that I knew had started a group called the Devastation Crew, and I wanted desperately to be down. They put me in as the graf artist of the group. I was supposed to draw logos and stuff. But every summer one member always went to see his relatives, so they asked me to write a rhyme to fill in his spots on songs. Ultimately, they liked what I had written and put me in the group. That changed everything!"
"Once in the group, our DJ would have all these records that I loved to listen to, but he would spin just the breaks and thats what was blowin my mind! I never listened to just that part of a record over and over. It definitely helped me in writing longer and better rhymes." In 1981, after 2 yrs of practicing and rhyming on the streets, the group entered a local talent contest being held at Thomas Jefferson High School and won 1st place, but nothing came out of it. "We were supposed to win $500. They had the whole show on film too. We got nothing. I was 15 at the time, so I was just happy to be known in the neighborhood, but that was like our welcoming to the sleaziness of the industry."
After a few years with the Devastation Crew, Slik was approached by another local rapper named Shadin. "He had heard about my skills on the keyboard and wanted me to be part of his group for a Mr. Magic contest where he was in the finals." Slik recalls. "Thats my man, and he was NICE! I still got love for him." The finals were held in Queens, and LL Cool J was one of the judges. "I still remember getting the crowd open after playin Rakims My Melody on my Casio CZ 101. I really felt we was gonna win. But midway through our set the sound was shut off and we was told that we were gonna get a chance to do it over. Never happened. A local queens rapper won, soundin like Slick Rick. More sleaziness."
Not to be discouraged, Slik was still doing his thing with the Devastation crew, but Hip Hop was changing. "When Melle Mel came out with The Message, it changed EVERYTHING for me. No more party raps all the time. I was on some conscious shit. That song's influence is heard everyday." As the Devastation crew got smaller (bein shunned by Def Jam, Next Plateau, B Fats, Red Alert etc. make brothas give up and/or move on), the remaining 3 members formed the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). "We were definitely in the mix then. We had samplers, drum machines, and keyboards. We would save up and buy our favorite pieces and hook it up at one guys crib. Much different than today, where you have a computer, and 2-3 pieces can get the job done." JCS lasted for about 10 yrs. They appeared in a rap video made by their friend Les Baby Love (aka Lethal Beats n Lyrics) on Video Music Box, but the conflict of interest was growing. "We all took some time off from music because of work, family, etc., but I never stopped writing and creating music."
After a few years passed, Slik ran into a friend of his and he told him about an open mic spot called End Of the Weak (EOW). "I checked it out and realized I can still do this. And I got thousands of dollars of music equipment at home goin to waste! That made me realize that it doesnt matter your age in the game. Music doesnt discriminate. If its good, people will listen and enjoy it."
