... mentioned Rick James by name in a song (or otherwise for that matter) were the man still alive?

What gives? Is he tryna be funny? Relevant (via a Dave Chappelle skit from 4 some odd years ago)? Paying homage?

If it's the latter, why didn't acknowledge Rick when he was with us? Oh yeah, RICK COULDN'T STAND HIS ASS!!!

Your thoughts?

GNS said:

what song is this from?

Who knows, but Rick talked about him while he was alive so fair play I guess.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

There Will Never B Another Like Me

Dayclear said:

purplecam said:

Can someone translate the lyric? I can't understand anything he's saying except for Rick James.

The thread quality around here

I doubt mentioning Rick James by name in a song is a path to relevancy these days.

But what do I know about what's "relevant"?

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I think someone did in this thread: http://prince.org/msg/7/302486

nurseV said:

I finally figured out what he was saying. In the line before he mentions Rick James, Prince is saying that he (Prince himself) brought some crazy people with him up in here that will tear stuff up....like Don Cornelius (who recently was arrested for wife beating) and Rick James. He was basically trying to say that "he (Prince) don't play". In other words, bragging and saying "don't make me get crazy up in here".
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[Edited 4/8/09 13:53pm]

I just wish Rick were alive to hear it. It wouldn't have mattered if Prince spoke of Rick in a good or a bad way, he hated him regardless. Rick would have had to say something publicly about Prince. He absolutely lived for it.

vainandy said:

Yes, but remember, in the end, it was all good.During one of his last interviews Rick James said that Prince was the last true keeper of the Funk out there, and Prince paid hommage to him during a concert after Rick James had dies. He played a brief snippet of a Rick song and said " Rest in peace, Rick James!". Good to know that they made peace, somehow.
Let´s let Rick rest in peace.

Alright, I'll ask the dumb question.....What was their feud about anyway?

nurseV said:

Yeah. Sorry about that.

Hey, tell you what. Why don't you start ANOTHER picture thread wherein all you do is use emoticons to gush about how fine Prince's lips, eyes and ass are? THAT'S quality.

vainandy said:

Thank you. I know Rick threw out a lil' peace offering before he passed, but that doesn't negate the years of animosity RJ felt towards P.

Regardless, I think it was in poor taste. He's gonna call out a dead person and somebody who's having some personal issues to make himself seem bad? Puhlease! Those two ain't even the hardest nukkas out there.

KoolEaze said:

See above, and bear in mind I don't run around recording songs about dead folk to big up myself. As far as I'm concerned, Rick WAS resting in peace until he heard this tripe.

mzsadii said:

That's not a dumb question.

I think it had something to do with Prince dissing Rick's mother backstage, as well as stealing Vanity (and Jill Jones I think) AND Rick's stage show from him.

That's just the nutshell version I believe.

Prince does alot of things he would never do back in the day,like give an interveiw,dress in a normal suit,cover a song from another artist and put it on his album.Saying Rick James on a song would have been a big no no back in the day.I dont think Prince meant any harm I can feel the love in his voice when he said it,but I do remember the days when Prince stole Rick James fans.I dont think they ever worked together because Rick could do the same thing Prince could do, maybe not pay the gutair as well,but writing producing and all that stuff Rick had fame for that long before Prince and the nasty stuff too.I just think it was two bosses that I cant see taking opinions from one another.

GNS said:

Where's your source? How do we know that's true?

purplefingers said:

Agreed. And MAYBE, just MAYBE Prince meant no harm. I just find it odd that he would wait til now to say something.

It reminds me (sorry vainandy, I'm about to "shit hop" here) when Nas did some stuff on one 2Pac's posthumous songs, knowing full well 2Pac couldn't stand his ass.

I'm sure there was some level of respect on both parts (I might be wrong about Rick ). But as with all of his antics lately, I think P.P.Prince crossed a line.

luv4u said:

Ask anybody. I'm willing to concede if I'm wrong, but these stories have been told many a time. Why, EVEN here on the org!!! You'd think a moderator would know about it.

Now. Answer MY question on the "dance 4 me vs. Valentina" thread. Page three.

Prince probably has histories with friends we don't understand...Probably some kinda square biz, and nothin' we would understand.

I saw that interview also and thought Rick had made peace with Prince. Then, later, he talked about Prince like a dog during the interview on the Dave Chapelle DVD.

Prince was Rick's opening act on his 1979/1980 "Fire It Up" tour. Prince and Rick both came out in 1978 but Rick had been a bigger success and was much more wilder than Prince was. Rick had a wild stage presence singing about the ghetto, drugs, hookers, firing up joints on the stage, and telling the audience to fire up their joints too. Prince had been pretty tame and I'm sure he saw how wild the audience was going over Rick. I guess saw what he needed to do to compete...get wild and outrageous himself. Prince started coming out on stage in bikini underwear, making sexual gestures, and singing about sex. The audience had gone so wild over Prince, then Rick had to come on and try to top it. It was like a competition on stage and later a competition in albums. I would have loved to have seen that tour.

Also on that tour, it is rumored that Rick's mother asked Prince for an autograph and he refused to sign it. Then, a few years later, Vanity came to an awards show with Rick but left with Prince. Rick had been thinking about putting together a girls group called The Mary Jane Girls for the longest and then all of a sudden out of the blue, here comes Prince with a girls group called Vanity 6. After that, it was ON. Rick shit on Prince every chance he got to every magazine that would print it. Oh, those were some good times.

Rick had his reasons but I think the most of it was sheer rivalry, competition, and jealousy from both he and Prince. I mean, you got the two baddest artists of all time competing for the same audience, of course there's going to be rivalry.

Yeah, those stories aren't something you can look up unless "Right On" or "Black Beat" magazine has a website full of old interviews. Rick used to shit all over Prince in those magazines. Also on the little five minute radio segment called "Radio Scope". That's where he was talking about Vanity...."She gives him (beep) and he gives her a hit record".

And don't forget that Teena Marie opened for Prince on his "Dirty Mind" tour which was the very next tour following Rick's "Fire It Up" tour that he and Prince were on together. I bet that made Rick furious.

GNS said:

Mercy! I just had a vision of Rick James sitting up in his grave saying, "What'd that little scrawny motherfucker say about me?"

See Rick speak in the third-person. See Rick make fun of Prince's height.



And...
http://prince.org/msg/7/139243

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[Edited 4/9/09 7:14am]

vainandy said:

I forgot about that. Didn't realize that was after he reached out the so called olive branch.