Slick Rick Receives U.S. Citizenship After 23 Years

Ricky Martin Lloyd Walters, aka Slick Rick, is finally a U.S. citizen. The rapper was born in London, and moved to the Bronx with his family when he was 11. He had been seeking American citizenship for the last 23 years, but the process was deterred by a 1990 conviction for attempted second degree murder (and a subsequent stint in prison). Following multiple attempts by the federal immigration courts to deport him, Slick Rick was pardoned by then-New York governor David Paterson in 2008. “I am so proud of this moment—and so honored to finally become an American citizen,” he said in a statement. “This has been a long time coming for me, and I am relieved to finally put this long chapter behind me. I want to thank everyone—my family, friends and fans—who have supported me and stuck by me over these 23 years. I am truly blessed—and stay tuned, I will have more to announce soon.”

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story erroneously stated the nature of Slick Rick’s conviction. 

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