Slick Rick’s ‘The Ruler’s Back’ Turns 35 | Album Anniversary

June 26, 2026 Jesse Ducker

Amidst adversity and high expectations as the follow-up to his classic debut LP, Slick Rick’s second studio affair does an excellent job at showcasing his remarkable lyrical and storytelling abilities.

Slick Rick’s ‘The Art of Storytelling’ Turns 25 | Album Anniversary

May 25, 2024 Jesse Ducker

As evidenced throughout his fourth studio affair, Slick Rick’s ability to step back into the realm of hip-hop after a nearly decade-long absence, as if he never left, is an impressive feat.

Slick Rick’s Debut Album ‘The Great Adventures of Slick Rick’ Turns 35 | Album Anniversary

October 28, 2023 Jesse Ducker

Slick Rick Debut Album The Great Adventures of Slick Rick

Through his lyrical prowess, narrative skills and adoption of “The Ruler” persona, Slick Rick projected an unmistakable swagger before most emcees even conceived of the notion.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Debut Album ‘Read My Lips’ Turns 25 | Album Anniversary

With her debut solo affair, Ellis-Bextor made the dancefloor feel elegant and faintly surreal, a place where heartbreak could wear lipstick and emotional catastrophe could arrive with a four-on-the-floor beat.

Paul Simon’s ‘Graceland’ Turns 40 | Album Anniversary

Four decades later, ‘Graceland’ remains true to what it was from the start—a beautiful, tangled, genuinely collaborative album that changed what pop music could sound like.

The Rolling Stones’ ‘Tattoo You’ Turns 45 | Album Anniversary

When listening to ‘Tattoo You,’ you would never know that it is this Frankenstein's monster of an album that was pieced together with songs that came from their most creatively fertile period.