Slick Rick - I Shouldn't Have Done It

What this video is

Released June 1991 amid Slick Rick's legal troubles and incarceration period, 'I Shouldn't Have Done It' served as the lead single from 'The Ruler's Back' — an album recorded under extraordinary circumstances. The video's low-budget realism reflects standard Def Jam visual economy of the era, while Rick's signature jewelry, eye patch, and storytelling style assert his standing as hip-hop's premier raconteur. The…

Why it matters

A defining artifact of boom bap's commercial moment, the video encapsulates the performance-first visual grammar of early East Coast rap. Its chart success (#2 Hot Rap Singles) and Def Jam pedigree make it a key document of the label's transition from late-80s dominance into the competitive…

The director

Scott Kennedy is a music video director credited with work in early-1990s hip-hop and R&B, active during the Def Jam and major-label rap video boom of the era. Confirmed director of this video via IMVDb and Dailymotion official metadata (© 1991 UMG…