Slick Rick's "Coming Home Tour" Gave Fans What They Wanted!
The Ruler Receives Royal Treatment For First-Ever UK Performances Last Month
NEW YORK – The Coming Home Tour – starring rap superstar Slick Rick in his first-ever appearances around his native United Kingdom – just wrapped. Following dates in Manchester, Bristol, London, Birmingham and Brighton, he stopped in Dublin, Ireland and made an impromptu appearance in Paris, France with Redman and De La Soul. Featuring DJ Kaos, the Rickettes and the official winner of MC Lyte’s Next Top Female MC Inteligenz, the highly anticipated late November run was an overwhelming success, selling out in record time. Live Nation UK streamed the London show worldwide. Slick Rick next performs his annual Brooklyn Bowl birthday bash January 20, 2017, before embarking on a series of US dates through March.
“'Coming Home' was a major milestone for me personally and for my career,” said Slick Rick. “But it belonged entirely to the UK. That’s why my intermission was dedicated to some legendary Brits we’ve lost: David Bowie, Benny Hill, Princess Diana and Amy Winehouse. My set ended with raining confetti, celebrating my birthplace and the fans who’ve never seen me on stage before.”
The concert events were indeed epic nights to remember. Skiddle.com hailed the Manchester show “a spectacle, fascinating even before a single stanza was spit.” The performances opened with a montage surveying Rick’s career through the years and showcased his passion for fashion. With outfit changes throughout, the dapper rapper wore, by turns, Clark Wallabies, pieces of his extensive Kangol hat collection and hand-painted, custom-made boots he himself designed.
Songwall.com said of the London performance: “Slick Rick arrived blindingly charismatic in fluorescent yellow and arctic white and dripping in incandescent jewels from microphone to eye patch, facets of his trademark chains flaring under the coloured lights.”
They added, “Commanding the stage with a regal stillness, contrasting with the seemingly unbridled energy of the backing singers, Slick Rick effortlessly and meticulously energised the audience with a stream of tracks, the crowd dancing, smiling, and meeting him word-for-word – united in rhythm as they chanted his name.”
Although Grammy-nominated Slick Rick is “Hip-Hop’s Greatest Storyteller” and among the best, most charismatic and most influential emcees from rap’s golden age, he’s been unable to travel and perform outside of the United States for most of his iconic career. A more than two-decade immigration battle ended in April 2016, when he became a naturalized US Citizen.
Enjoy the video recap below: