"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.[original research?]

"Rebirth of Slick" peaked at No. 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

Chart (1993)Peak position
Weekly charts Chart (1993) Peak position New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) 8 UK Singles (OCC) 67 US Billboard Hot 100 15 US Dance Club Play (Billboard) 20 US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard) 6 US Hot Rap Singles (Billboard) 1 US Maxi-Singles Sales (Billboard) 1 US Top 40/Rhythm-Crossover (Billboard) 12Year-end charts Chart (1993) Position US Billboard Hot 100 81 US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard) 56 US Hot Rap Singles (Billboard) 2 US Maxi-Singles Sales (Billboard) 17
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)8
UK Singles (OCC)67
US Billboard Hot 10015
US Dance Club Play (Billboard)20
US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)6
US Hot Rap Singles (Billboard)1
US Maxi-Singles Sales (Billboard)1
US Top 40/Rhythm-Crossover (Billboard)12
Chart (1993)Position
US Billboard Hot 10081
US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)56
US Hot Rap Singles (Billboard)2
US Maxi-Singles Sales (Billboard)17

Certifications

RegionCertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)Gold500,000

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.
United StatesNovember 9, 19927-inch vinyl12-inch vinylcassettePendulumElektra
United KingdomJanuary 25, 19937-inch vinyl12-inch vinylCDcassette