They Shouldn't Have Got It: 5 beats Slick Rick should have got instead

B-Fats - The B-Fats (1987) The Show gave careers to Slick Rick and Teddy Riley, so it's a pity they didn't work together again in the late 80s. The B-Fats was a 1987 Rooftop classic for B-Fats, but in Slick Rick's hands it could have been an all-time classic full stop.

Vicious ft. Doug E. Fresh - Freaks (1994) On one hand, Freaks is the G.O.A.T babby-dancehall song. On the other hand, every Doug E. Fresh beatbox backing track should have gone to MC Rickoi D, and, yes, that includes Virgo.

Fat Joe ft. Krs One - Bronx Tale (1995) One of Diamond D's most sublime productions deserved far better than Fat Joe's autocued grunting and KRS One rhyming about cum-splattered Rap magazines. Why why why didn't Diamond save this beat for Slick Rick's post-prison comeback?

Jeru The Damaja - Not The Average (1996) If only Doctor Who would go back in time to 1996 during the recording of Jeru The Damaja's second album and tell DJ Premier to stash the beats for Not The Average, Ya Playin' Yaself and Me Or The Papes until Slick Rick came home from prison. TBF, Jeru did kill Not The Average, but he has such a finger-wagging puritanical tone that the song would be drastically improved if it were performed word-for-ford by Rick instead.

Reflection Eternal - The Blast (2000) Only Talib Kweli's own mum could possibly prefer him over this beat to Slick Rick the ruler. Rick and DJ Hi-Tek could keep Vinia Mojica on the track doing the backing vocals, but have her singing RICKY instead of KWELI.

Porter over Barker

Travis Porter - Like Dat
(From Back On Bullshit album; 2021)


**Dem Franchise Boyz voice** I THINK I LIKE IT!

Here at The Martorialist we're diggin' the notion of parallel universes in Rap, so if T.P had signed to T.I's Grand Hustle imprint to drop a second album then the lead single woulda sounded a lil' sumfin like Like Dat.

**EDIT** Also feelin' the Swag-Rap Fresh Prince(s) storytelling of Same Hoes. This shit needs a video which sticks to the song's script.

Travis Porter - Same Hoes
(From Back On Bullshit album; 2021)


Gotta love when that harmonica comes in at the end for maximum "my baby's cheating on me" Delta Bluesman vybz. It's the little touches that make a big difference.

It was all a dream, I first heard Get Retarded on Ego Trip's The Big Playback CD

MC EZ & Troup - Get Retarded
(From Just Rhymin'/Get Retarded 12" single; 1988)

MC EZ · Get Retarded

What if Get Retarded was the A-side of Craig Mack's one 12" as MC EZ and it became a big golden-era hit, consequently changing Mack's whole career trajectory? Crazy visionz, check it out, BOOM: Fresh Records then had MC EZ & Troup record an album in 1989 and the duo begin rollin' with RUSH management alongside fellow Fresh roster groups EPMD and Nice & Smooth. Thus, EZ & Troup follow EPMD and Nice & Smooth over to Def Jam when Fresh Records folds in 1990 where they release another couple of successful albums in the following years. Fate conspires that Mack still records Flava In Ya Ear, Get Down etc, but they're MC EZ songs on Def Jam songs rather than Craig Mack songs on Bad Boy - ergo, the Flava In Ya Ear remix features Redman in Biggie's place and Making Moves With Puff is now titled Making Moves With Russ.

In this parallel trajectory, Puffy still signs another former Fresh Records roster member who's spent the early 90's in Rap's wilderness - Stezo who has now rebranded as Stephen Williams. Hmmm not sure that woulda worked out for Bad Boy tbqh.