"Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" is a song by American hip hop trio Digable Planets, released as the first single from their debut album, Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space), in November 1992. The black-and-white music video was directed by Morgan Lawley. The song contains a sample from "Stretching" by Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers.
"Rebirth of Slick" peaked at 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100 during the week of March 6, 1993, becoming the group's only top-40 single. During that time, the song also topped the Hot Rap Singles chart. The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on March 16, 1993, for sales of 500,000 copies. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 36th Grammy Awards. In 2021, Cleveland.com ranked the song as number 142 of the best 200 rap songs, calling it "the pinnacle of jazz rap."
Track listing US 12-inch single A1. "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" (Crashing Giant Step mix) – 4:34 A2. "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" (Crashing Instymix) – 4:34 A3. "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" (7-inch mix) – 4:05 B1. "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" (Uh-Oh Planet Earth Albumix) – 4:22 B2. "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" (Uh-Oh Planet Earth Instymix) – 4:22
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (1993)PeakpositionUS Billboard Hot 10015US Dance Club Play (Billboard)20US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)6US Hot Rap Singles (Billboard)1US Maxi-Singles Sales (Billboard)1US Top 40/Rhythm-Crossover (Billboard)12
Year-end charts Chart (1993)PositionUS Billboard Hot 10081US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)56US Hot Rap Singles (Billboard)2US Maxi-Singles Sales (Billboard)17
Certifications
Release history RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)United StatesNovember 9, 1992United KingdomJanuary 25, 1993 Misprinted as the issue date, January 23, on source.
References