Tessa said:

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

i didn't intend it to be evil at all. seems appropriate, considering who/what most fans think the song is about. it's one of my favorites as well. would be very touching.....


of course, my first thought WAS evil ("Cold Coffee & Cocaine") i'm too new for you to know me that well, dammit!
[This message was edited Fri Aug 6 15:47:26 2004 by Tessa]

Tessa said:

i wouldn't even have the foggiest about who/what it's about in the first place...

Tessa said:

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Jonathan Melvoin...

Tessa said:

ohhhh....

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

oh, i dunno. there's a whole generation of people out there that only know who Rick James is because of that catchphrase. that's got to count for something.

This is absolutely horrible. I was listening to a Rick James mix I made while I was getting ready to go to work this afternoon. Shortly after I arrived to work at 3:00 p.m., the phone rang for one of my co-workers. I heard her in the other room saying "What, he's dead...Andy is not going to like this". I thought she was talking about Ronald Isley because she is getting ready to go to the "mysterious" concert tonight. She came into my office and told me Rick James was dead. I said "What!" I was stunned. I said "I was listening to him while I was getting ready to come up here just now".

It really didn't hit me just now. Everyone else has gone for the day and I am sitting in this big ass building all alone typing this. The radio is playing in the background and they are playing one Rick James song after another. There is a real spooky feeling in the air.

Anyway, I've said it before and I'll say it again.....Rick James is...excuse me...was THE BADDEST thing out there next to Prince. Rick kept Prince on his toes. Prince was at his very best when he had Rick to compete with.

Rick was truly one of THE BEST out there. Not only did he help get Teena Marie's career started, he put together the Mary Jane Girls, and even produced a few Stone City Band albums (Check out "Ladies' Choice".....it is truly bad). He was responsible for bringing The Temptations together for their reunion. He discovered Bobby Nunn (I just found that recently when I was searching for a Bobby Nunn picture). He produced a few tracks for Kleeer. Someone (the name escapes me, I'll have to pull the 45 when I get home) put out a remake of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" in the early 1980s and Rick James produced it.

I will be so glad when I get off of work tonight because this is going to be drink and listen to Rick James night.

I can say this though.....there will NEVER be another Rick James.....he is truly THE ONE AND ONLY!

Knowing Prince he'll do a party anthem, like "You and I". I'll miss Rick, but truthfully I think his best music was way behind him. He's from my hometown. This will be news.

this is just too sad! i was in disbelief when i seen it on the aol thing. its soo shocking. even more shockin is when u think about it we been loosing mad people lately. Jam Master Jay, Celia Cruz, Left Eye, Aaliyah, Gregory Hines, Barry White, and now Rick James. damn i hope they don't take no more good people from us...and please don't do it in the summer...shit already been thinkin bout Aaliyah alot lately cuz her anniversary commin up...now i gotta add Rick to the list..damn this is just damn cuz like i like Rick james but I aint all obsessed wit him and shit and this truely got me down.... i was just sayin a few weeks ago how i felt soo srry for him and how he fucked everything up, but atleast he still here..and now..damn!

.but yea i love Rick James...tomorrow is my birthday this is goin b my pre birthday and birthday gift to myself...to just sit back chill and listen to Rick...rest in peace man cuz u MOST DEFINATELY all problems and bull shit aside will be missed.

and yea to whoever said this heaven MOST DEFINATELY got a whole lot funkier!

I just watched Rick and Tina do Fire and Desire the other night on the awards show on BET. It was great when at the end of the song Rick said " Im the real Rick James bitch" It was so funny. R.I.P Super Freak

wow time certainly is creepin up quickly . . . .this is a definite reminder for me to not take life for granted and be grateful for the time we have here . . . .i thought he was sexy and wild back in tha day, till Prince came along . . . . .RIP Rick James

4everYoung said:

-----
RIP Rick

didn't i just see him on the BET Awards??? with tina marie, FIRE & DESIRE??
i'm really sad. what is a 'ol school party without this man?

Wow... Couldn't have seen it coming.
R.I.P.
[This message was edited Fri Aug 6 17:05:39 2004 by EroticPolitics]

rest in peace baby rest in peace..thank you for some funky good times back in the day.. you will be remembered

Total shock!

EroticPolitics said:

couldn't HAVE...its HAVE not OF...


sorry, i know its lame of me but that just irks me for some reason.

SassyBritches said:

I changed it . Hey, I've never claimed to be good at English, or pass English class ... or show up for class at all.

I can't believe it but I'm teary-eyed
RIP

What's really depressing me more than his death is the fact that many young people don't know anything about him besides what Dave Chappelle put on his show. He'll be remembered by many young music listeners as "I'm Rick James, Bitch!" more than for the amazing music he put out. I was talking to my 10 and 11 year old cousins after Ray Charles died and they were like, "Who is Ray Charles?" I told them about his songs and they didn't have a clue, but when I mentioned the old "Uh, huh" Pepsi commercials, they were like, "Oh!" Sad really. If I ever choose to have any kids, I'm introducing them to every single artist out there. The artist deserves more than to be remembered as just a catch phrase. R.I.P. Rick James. You will be missed.

estelle1981 said:

ur might b right...but more than likely he'll b remembered for super freak...i mean its in lots of movies and commercials...so yea if he aint remembered for i'm rick james bitch (god 4bid) he'll probly just b remembered as a one hit wonder. which to me is better than being remember for that phrase.

I went to work this morning at 7am.

I was completely involved with my work, like most days, to have heard anything other than what goes on at work...

Today, at around 4pm, a co-worker told me Rick James had died.

It felt like I had been punched in the stomache. I really couldn't believe it.

Today, on my way home, I kept hitting the scan button hoping to hear something to confirm this... maybe my co-worker was wrong, huh? I kept searching. I found a station playing "You & I"... I left it there... the DJ said nothing after the song was over... it just went to a commercial as if nothing was wrong.

Still... I knew he was dead. During the song, I was getting teary eyed... c'mon Thomas, grab a hold of yourself...

I got home and my wife was doing a project she'd been working on for a couple of days... and jammin' to Prince! (I couldn't believe that myself), she was playing "Pink Cashmere" (sp?), she turned around and asked what was wrong...

I told her, hey, this is just some horrible news... don't worry it's no one we actually know... but (and then tears were coming out of my eyes) Rick James died today... he was found dead at his home. I actually cried telling her... she was afraid at first cuz she thought a family member had an accident or something. I told her that I couldn't understand my reaction, just that a major piece of my childhood (early teens, etc...) had just passed... I was devastated. She just hugged me.

The first Rick James album I bought was "Bustin' Out" and then "Super Freak"...

Now I'm sitting here thinking, who's next? Stevie? Michael? Prince? My heroes are dying. My "musical youth" is disappearing.

I don't mean to say that my personal musical heroes are in anyway role models to which you tell your kids to emulate or hope that they follow... for me, they are mine for my very own selfish funky past oriented reasons. I have no problem defending them for MY reasons.... the word "hero" is many things to many people. These are my "heroes".

Rick James was my hero. I cried today for him. I will forever remember my "super freaky" days and the fun and funk I had with his music...

"You know it's funny how a man can change
From a cold-blooded person
Thinking he's God's gift to women...
Remember how I used to do that.

I must have been crazy then... remember when... you used to... love them and leave them?"

God bless you Rick...

Moonwalkbjrain said:

There's no way he'd be remembered as a one hit wonder. For one, he had more hits than that. A one hit wonder has one big song, THE END. Rick was on the R & B charts with Give it to me Baby, Cold Blooded, Ebony Eyes, Glow, Standing on the Top, Mary Jane, and productions like In my House for the Mary Jane Girls.

I heard this on the radio earlier this afternoon & I was stunned.


indeed, Rick didn't seem to be in the best of health, but I'm sure we all figured he'd be around longer. then again, he did do A LOT of drugs - a lot of HARD drugs during the 80s, so in a way it's a miracle he lived as long as he did.


in terms of music, Rick James' legacy is very secure.

he took funk in a different direction. like most of the greatest musicians, Rick could play different styles of music. like most, I was surprised to hear that in 1 of his earliest bands Rick played with rocker Neil Young. then as he developed his own style of music, he acknowledged those who came before him - e.g. the Temptations, when they backed him in Standing On The Top. he added elements of "punk" to his music - Super Freak being the best-known example - which led to the name "king of punk-funk". at the same time, Rick absolutely had a "street edge" to him ; he related to, he identified with "the street" & this came out in songs like the brilliant Ghetto Life. still again, Rick had a soulful voice & he could work a slow jam with the best of them. Fire & Desire is his classic duet with the also very talented Teena Marie. I did not appreciate this song for the longest time..
but just recently - certainly now - I have a much greater appreciation for this song. I regret that I never went to see him live - especially at his peak in the late 70s & early 80s - but from what I've heard, Rick consistently put on a good show & gave people their money's worth.


then indeed, as the 80s came to an end & the 90s started, Rick had more than his share of drug problems & run-ins with the law. many of us watched incredulously as his legal & health problems became common knowledge - & the butt of more than 1 joke. these experiences that Rick went through should be a reminder to all about the destructive force of drug addiction.


Rick James has had an amazing musical talent & has lived an incredible life. I have always respected & admired the entirety of his music. again, his impressive, varied body of music will leave its influence on future generations of music, his unique blend of funk, r&b - & often punk - will stand the test of time.


I've never smoked marijuana, but I will lift my next glass to Rick – a true FUNK original.

Very sad news R.I.P Rick.

unbelievable devastating news. Funk has lost a legend.

I can't believe this

Startin tonite, in honor of Rick, I'm gonna do a RJ marathon. Just sit up and play ALL of his albums, ALL weekend.

Dayum, folks droppin like flies.....

We love you!!!!!