For 17 months, 'Slick Rick' awaits deportation ruling

Sitting in a Florida jail cell, fighting his deportation, Ricky "Slick Rick" Walters counts the days.

The Hip-Hop Hall of Fame inductee is into his 17th month behind bars, with no end in sight despite legal efforts and appeals from friends such as comedian Chris Rock, actor Will Smith and the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

"It's the same old, same old," the voice behind the classic hit La-Di-Da-Di said by phone from a federal detention facility in Bradenton. "Wake up, eat breakfast. Do a little exercise, try to keep yourself together. Call your wife.

"Stay positive."

It's tough in the face of endless negativity. Since his 2002 jailing, Walters has awaited word on whether he can return to his home and two sons in New York City, or if he'll face deportation to his birthplace of England. He sees his wife, Mandy, just once a month.

Walters' supporters have called for the rap star's release pending resolution of his case. Others believe he is an undeserving victim of the government's post-Sept. 11 immigration crackdown.

"Of course that factored in," said hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, whose Def Jam record label released Waters' The Adventures of Slick Rick in 1988. "Fear and anger are the motivating forces in the government campaign against immigrants' rights."

Walters, in more measured terms, agreed.

"I'm not a politician or a lawyer," Walters said. "I can just speculate on the reason. But I'll put it out to the public: somebody waiting for months on a yes or no question, and there's no answer?"

It was spring 2002 when Walters, now 38, left Florida for a weeklong performance aboard a cruise ship. He was arrested by Immigration and Naturalization Service agents upon returning to port.

The INS wanted Walters deported under a 1996 law calling for the exile of foreigners convicted of "aggravated felonies." Walters did five years on a 1991 attempted murder conviction after shooting his cousin and a bystander, claiming the cousin had extorted money and threatened the rapper's family.

INS officials cited a 1997 order to deport Walters, although his attorney, Alex Solomiany, suggested Walters' exemplary post-prison life should be a mitigating factor.

After his '90s prison term, Walters resettled in the Bronx with his wife and two children, buying a pair of apartment buildings (he's paying property taxes while jailed). He also resumed the music career that began so memorably in the 1980s.

The London native first moved to the Bronx at 11, pairing with seminal rap figure Doug E. Fresh on La-Di-Da-Di and The Show. With his eye patch, distinctive accent and Mr. T-style jewelry, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick went platinum and made Rick a star.

Then came the conviction.

This spring, as Walters approached his first anniversary behind bars, he wrote U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood a personal note.

"Heart to heart, cutting out all politics," Walters said. "Just talking raw: This is my situation, this is what I'm in jail for."

Walters never heard a response. Solomiany said Wood's office has cited a "heavy docket" for the delay.

"Whatever happens, happens," Walters said. "I'll leave it in God's hands."