Did anyone see Rick James' "Fire It Up" tour with Prince as the opening act?

Prince has always been my favorite and Rick James has always been my second favorite so you know I begged to go. I was only in the 7th grade back then so I couldn't go.

I have heard so many rumors about that tour. I know that is the tour that Prince and Rick James bacame enemies and arch rivals. I know Prince beat Rick James to the punch with putting together Vanity 6 before Rick could put out the Mary Jane Girls. I've heard rumors that Vanity was originally meant to be a Mary Jane Girl. Those two groups came out in 1982 but the "Fire It Up" tour was in 79-80. I wonder what made them fall out on that tour.

I think Chappelle show should reinact when Prince took Vanity from Rick!

Man, I would have loved to see it! I was still in nappies at the time though

I'm with you, Prince & Rick have been my favourite artists.

CalhounSq said:

lol

Moonwalkbjrain said:

Rick James: I'm Rick James Bitch!!

Vanity: So!! Let's go Prince!!

manray10 said:

rick james: vanity wait what about us?

vanity: there is no us!

prince: c ya later sucka!!

rick james: prince i hate u!!! i hate u, u little jheri curl wearin faggot!!!

prince: hey i'm a faggot...but look who got the girl!

I saw that tour. I was in the 5th grade. I don't remember too many details, but I do remember Rick having two giant joints at the opposite ends of the stage and seeing the many lighters lit when he asked everyone to 'fire it up.' It was also the first time I saw P perform. He performed in a trench coat, black thigh highs, high-heel boots and bikinis.... I was in love. Of course, my mom had no idea that the concert was going to go down like that. She did buy me a pic of P that they were selling at the concert and I remember taking it to school the next day...I was so geeked. That's why to this day I have a soft spot for P in his Dirty Mind and Controversy days...

You know I was at a Prince party once and someone was doing a film or something. I was asked for an interview, which I said sure. There were a few questions..but the one that sticks out in my mind was..."Rick James and Prince...your thoughts?" I knew of Rick James and maybe could have told you a song...but I did not know of any connection between the two. I felt embarassed as being a fan for as long as I have I had no answer. Since then I have become a tad bit more knowledgeable on Rick, but still don't know of any connection...save for the few in this thread so far.

What would your answer have been? I'd really like to know.

The only connection between the two are that they were on the same tour that year and have hated each other ever since.

Both of them's first album came out the same year, 1978. Rick's first album "Come Get It" did much better than Prince's "For You". Rick's two singles "You And I" and especially "Mary Jane" were big hits on the R&B scene.

In 1979, Rick released two albums "Bustin' Out of L Seven" and "Fire It Up". Prince was on his second album "Prince" which everyone thought was his first album. "I Wanna Be Your Lover" was a moderate disco hit and "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad" and "Sexy Dancer" did well on the R&B scene. Then they went on tour together and the feud began.

Rick came out from day one with his "Sex, Drugs, and Funk and Roll" image. Prince's image for the first two albums, except for the androgynous look, was relatively tame. All the rockers in the seventies sported an androgynous look (Rod Stewart, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, even Hall and Oates went through a glam period) so Prince's look was a little more androgynous but not too shocking.

The next year "Dirty Mind" came out. Prince had gone wild! I remember an article in "Right On" at the time that had Rick accusing Prince of stealing his ideas while they were on that tour. Prince was really starting to make a name for himself in the R&B world and Rick had just released his weakest album since he started "Garden of Love". The only thing worth a damn on it was "Big Time" and it wasn't doing that well. Rick also released a album for his back up band the Stone City Band. Rick was already starting to branch out.

The next year an album was released by The Time, produced by Jamie Starr (which everyone knew was Prince). Shortly after that "Controversy" and "Street Songs" were released. This was truly Rick's year. He blew Prince out of the water that year! Rick was the first to crossover with "Super Freak", his first and only crossover hit. Most white people think that Rick was a one hit wonder but he was a major force in R&B.

The next year Prince came back with another album by The Time and this time he put out a girl group called Vanity 6. This really pissed Rick James off! I mean he was PISSED!! He said he had plans to put out a girl group called the Mary Jane Girls comprised of some of his female backup singers called the Colored Girls and had been talking about it for years and Prince heard it on that tour. I heard a rumor later that Vanity was one of those girls, I don't know if it's true. Nevertheless, Rick was PISSED!

The "1999" and "Throwin' Down" came. These two albums were neck and neck all year. There was a rivalry going on! You had Rick James fans that hated Prince fans and Prince fans that hated Rick James fans. "Right On" magazine was hot that year. Every time fans would write in to the forum it was always something about either Rick or Prince. It was kind of like the rap battles of today, of course we had sense enough to keep it in perspective. As for me, I loved them both and wasn't afraid to say so. Prince topped Rick that year because "Little Red Corvette" became his first crossover hit. It was so big they went back and re-released "1999" as a single so the pop market could have some more. Then "Delirious" crossed over too.

Prince took a year off and Rick put out "Cold Blooded". This was another great album but not as good as the previous one. Prince did put out a B Side in 1983 called "Irresistable Bitch". If it weren't for that song, I would have thought he was retired because they both were going at it with a new album each year.

Rick released a greatest hits called "Reflections" in 1984 with a decent hit called "17" (one of three new tracks on the album). Then Prince came out with "Purple Rain" and blew Rick off the face of the earth once and for all. It's like he dug a big hole in the ground and threw Rick in it and buried him alive!

The next year they both put out bullshit albums. Rick put out his worst album ever, "Glow", and Prince went in a totally different direction with "Around The World In A Day". Prince was off on a weird psychadelic phase which he never recovered from. This would have been Rick's perfect time to kick him while he's down but by then he was so far gone on drugs his music was weak with glow.

As for the feud, it was over and now people were trying to start a feud between Prince and Michael Jackson ("Purple Rain" had beaten out the "Victory" tour the year before).

I can see why people would put Prince against Rick James, they both were geniuses. The only thing Prince and Michael have in common is their femininity.

Well, there's also a lot of musical similarity.

Both are multi-instrumentalists (bass, guitar, keys, percussion).

Their sound has similar elejments..... that synth sound (alhtough Rick tended to use live horns in addition to the synths way before P got Eric).

Both used live drums with electronic (not sure if Rickused Linn though).

I prefer Prince, but I appreciate Rick. Sometimes I wonder how much P borrowed from h im though, especially in terms of some of the sounds mentioned above.

O no u did not just call Around The World a bullshit album! 2 me that is a classic! If Prince went off in2 a weird psychadelic phase well then right on cuz i loove that album! Around The World...America..Paisly Park...Pop Life...CLASSICS!!

vainandy said:

the only hate i've seen between the two has only come from rick.

And who would you choose today?

I have seen both Prince and Rick James in concert this year, and the Rick James concert was the biggest waste of time and money. He was nauseating.

vainandy said:

THAT was one of the best summaries of the Rick James / Prince era I've ever read. Very well done. I remember only a few things about Rick back in the day: "Give it to me Baby" from 1981. "Fire and Desire" from 81. "Superfreak" from 83? The Mary Jane Girls. And the Glow video which was such a Purple Rain rip it was funny!

The next time I heard of Rick he was in the news for some drug-induced S&M torture trip with some woman. Anyone know more details about that? Rick did some time, didn't he?

Absolutely love this thread!
I hope I don't get in trouble 4 this but one of Rick's relatives, his neice (she told me this herself) a beautiful fair skinned mixed black female with long curly hair - slept with Prince (against Rick's wishes) and Rick preceeded to kick Prince off of that tour U guys mentioned.

Also, Prince refused to sign an autograph for Rick's mother. This is priveleged info so please cherish it people.

Also, The "Street Songs," album spawned another top 10 hit with - "Give it to me Baby," and "Fire & Desire," was a #1 R&B song. Street Songs was a brilliant album (I recall playing it over and over ..I was only 11 years old. I think the album came out in 1981? The success ruined Rick - he was his own downfall. He could have been much bigger than he his right now. The Glow album was not that good but the single, "Glow," was a good song. After that album, Rick semed to lose his creative juices. However he did produce big hits for - Eddie Murphy - Party all the Time (1982-83), and a few hits for the Mary Jane Girls. Afer 1984 however, Rick's albums were very mediocre. Do you guys remember, "Loosey's Rap," with Roxanne Shante? LOL Holla!

goat2004 said:

goat2004 said:

DAYUM! I haven't thought about this mess in years. Now I do remember the autograph situation. That really did happen. The neice thing - well who the hell knows. But Rick definately did not like Mr. Nelson at all. And as Handclaps' said earlier, all the hate ever said or printed came from Rick James.

Moonwalkbjrain said:

thanku

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

whoa!

I know a fewpeople that went 2 this show when it was here in L.A. I was sick so I couldn't go. One of the people I was going 2 go with was my cousin and his girlfriend. They did by me a concert t-shirt, so that was cool. Anyway, they told me that Rick was o.k., but P was hardcore. Also though, he said that a lot of people, brothers especially, couldn't really get with what P was wearing. The drawers and shit. They DEFINATELY thought he was gay.

Are you experienced? Well..I am

Jimi Hendrix

blackguitaristz said:

That's what I love about Prince, he cuts the wheat from the chafe.

I'm a huge Rick James fan, but Rick is not on the level of Prince.

vainandy said:

I remember all of this clear as day. I used 2 buy "Right On!" all the time. I still have the issue with P on the cover when "Dirty Mind" came out. It said "Prince: He really looks different now!" It went on 2 also talk about The Bus Boys, who they were lumping in with P because of their new wave image. I always liked Rick James. I loved his first 2 albums. He was so more polished than P was at that point. And "Streetsongs" was huge. Rick was bigger than P and Michael at that point. With "Give it to me baby" and of course "Superfreak" Rick was a bonafide funk/rock star. I went 2 see Rick on this tour as did everybody else in the city of Los Angeles. Although at this point, I had all of Prince's albums, I adored the song "Controversy". It's still my alltime fave song by P 2 this day. Being a young black kid who was also into Kiss, Zeppelin, Bowie, etc, and just starting 2 play guitar, I treasured Rick and Prince. I could relate 2 the flash both artists had. I was kneedeep into Parliament-Funkadelic, and Hendrix was my hero. So I was hip 2 what Rick and P was doing.

Are you experienced? Well.. I am.

Jimi Hendrix

Also I remember when Dirty Mind came out, it really upset Rick. He said in a interview that "Prince is out to lunch. You can't take his music seriously. He writes songs about giving head and incest. And one more thing. Prince doesn't want to be black." I thought it made Rick look bad. He was very jealous of P, that was clear. Although P was singing about head and incest at that point, u could tell Rick felt threatned. Rick was the first person 2 call P out on the race card, and this was 1980. This quote Rick made is also in the book "Funk". It's a good book if u dig funk and black music at all.

Are you experienced? Well..I am.

Jimi Hendrix

The Rick quote should also be in the Prince book "Pop Life". Dez talks about Vanity being Rick's old lady then ending up on their tour bus.

goat2004 said:

Oh Prince.

I'm 21 and wasnt heavy into the music scene when I was 2. But reading this thread has me thinking, was Morris Days character in purple rain a caricature of Rick James? I ask because of the parallels in the story posted (HEated rivalry, competetion for the girl). Albert Magnoli could've been slightly influenced by the fued if it was really that heated at the time.

vainandy said:

Yes, I saw Prince live for the 1st time with Rick James in Chicago. During Rick's set, Prince hopped ohis bodyguard's back and rode thru the audience. Drawing attention from Rick. I'm sure that pp*ssed off Rick
[This message was edited Fri Jun 25 19:19:08 2004 by stinka]

goat2004 said:

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I have heard the other story about the autograph and about Vanity. Dez has told the story of the Vanity and autograph situation. If the niece story is true Prince was one badass dude back in the day (LOL)

It takes nevre to sleep with Rick's niece and girlfriend.