I Shouldn't Have Done It," a single from Slick Rick's latest album, The Ruler's Back, is a double-entendre. On the one hand, this confessional and verbose rap is a story about a guy who cheats on his girlfriend. On the other, the rap could, unfortunately, refer to the premature release of this album. Recorded in three weeks while Rick was out on bail, The Ruler's Back reflects the trauma and turmoil in Rick's life as he faces a three-and-a-third-to-ten-year prison sentence for attempted murder and criminal use of a firearm.

The Ruler's Back lacks the clarity, reportage and humorous writing that Rick's early single "Children's Story" displayed. His storytelling still draws on experiences from inner-city life – making references to drug use, gunplay and prostitution – although his lyrics are weaker than in the past. He also pulls from more diverse sources. "Moses," for example, mixes the biblical story of the prophet with contemporary street talk, while "Bond," a ditty about a woman and drug runners, takes its refrain from the movies, repeating "the man with the golden gun." Rick's historical and fictional assemblages, however, finally aren't very innovative.

While Slick Rick's effort to produce two albums and five videos quickly before serving time may be admirable in a way, the hastily thrown-together raps on The Ruler's Back only do the public another injustice. (RS 613)

EMIL WILBEKIN