There's much to like about rapper Slick Rick and his debut album, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick. It's a tremendously imaginative record, especially for a debut: Cross rhythms fly by and startle the listener, smartly chosen samples enliven the proceedings, and Rick's sly Brit raps are trenchant and angry.

The popularity of these raps is a good sign for hip-hop, as they foretell a return to the hardheaded social consciousness that brought trailblazing acts like Melle Mel, Run-D.M.C. and the Rake to fame (something that has been lost recently with the rise of softheaded stars like Tone-Loc and DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince). Also, Rick's careful deployment of obscenities makes sure that the language of his raps is grounded in real life, without the four-letter words calling attention to themselves.

The considerable strengths of The Great Adventures of Slick Rick notwithstanding, this is a truly hateful record. The foulmouthed, foul-minded sexism of tracks like "Treat Her Like a Prostitute," "Indian Girl (An Adult Story)" and "Lick the Balls," among others, is vicious and unrelieved. There's certainly nothing wrong with rapping frankly about sex and relationships, but the degree and prevalence of the woman-hating raps on this record undermine its ample strengths. Worse, the raps also reinforce stereotypes that should have been broken down long ago. (RS 553)

JIMMY GUTERMAN