"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, Fla. "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 June 2002 jailing, Walters has awaited word on whether he can return to his home and two sons in the Bronx — 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' classic album "The Adventures of Slick Rick" in 1988. "Fear and anger are the motivating forces in the government campaign against immigrants' right."
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 gig 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.
In an odd twist, Walters' status is in the hands of U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood — a Manhattan jurist familiar with immigration problems.
In 1993, she dropped out of the running for U.S. attorney general when it was revealed she had hired an illegal immigrant as her nanny.
"Nothing about this case," Solomiany said, "is normal."
Walters' appeal could become a test case for others, including one-time New York nightclub impresario Peter Gatien. In August, he was ordered deported for a 1999 tax evasion conviction.
Solomiany said Wood was aware of both the case and Walters'
