Funk, Fire, and Desire
The legacy of Rick James. The formidable talent died of heart failure at age 56 by Raymond Fiore



GOODBYE: James was more than just a ''Freak''



If George Clinton IS funk's intergalactic architect, and Prince its crossover musical prodigy, then Rick James, who died Aug. 6 of heart failure in his L.A. home at age 56, was the genre's flashy, carnal embodiment of rock & roll excess. A formidable talent who wrote and produced a string of indelible post-disco R&B classics like ''Super Freak'' and ''Give It to Me Baby,'' James enjoyed a brilliant moment of success in the late '70s and early '80s before being swallowed by a cocaine addiction that all but ruined his life and career. ''Rick was a troubled soul but an amazing talent,'' says his former Motown labelmate Lionel Richie. ''I will miss him.''

When he debuted on the scene back in 1978, James (born James Johnson Jr.) invoked the cross-pollination of rock and soul that Sly Stone had pioneered a decade earlier, fusing his lascivious lyrics and rebellious spirit to craft a style that came to be known as punk-funk. With glittery braids and ostentatious leather duds, he seemed an unlikely candidate for mainstream success. But by positioning himself between genres, the R&B Bacchus was able to sell his electro-rock jams to a wider audience than most of his funky brethren. ''Rick achieved what at the time P-Funk could not, and that was to cross over to the white audience and get major airplay and video play,'' says Bootsy Collins, the Parliament Funkadelic bassist. ''So it can be said that Rick took funk into the unfunky homes of white America.''

James' early-'80s success made him a rich man, but it also magnified his demons. ''You smoke a joint and write a song and next thing you know you've got a check in the mail,'' he said in 1981.

''Rick and I were very good friends at one time,'' says Chic guitarist and famed producer Nile Rodgers. ''And hanging out with him was the same as hanging out with Joey Ramone. He lived the punk-funk life.'' Before long, James was squandering his wealth to support an $8,000-a-week cocaine habit. By the end of the decade, he was practically a recluse, consumed in a dark underworld of debauchery where parties lasted weeks at a time. It got worse: In 1991, he and future wife Tanya Hijazi (now divorced) were charged with assaulting and falsely imprisoning two women in separate incidents, with James being found guilty of assault and spending nearly three years in jail (Hijazi copped a plea and served 18 months).

The newly sober James attempted a comeback with a 1997 album (derailed by a 1998 stroke and hip replacement surgery), but it wasn't until recently that he reclaimed cultural relevance, thanks to Dave Chappelle, whose over-the-top impersonation of the '70s James on his top-rated Comedy Central show hatched the undisputed catchphrase of the year: ''I'm Rick James, bitch!'' A party companion of ''Chappelle's Show'' regular Charlie Murphy (Eddie's brother) back in the day, James gamely appeared in the sketches, offering amused, rambling accounts of his once wicked, wicked ways: ''Cocaine is a helluva drug!''

Despite his prolonged absence from pop music, James' impact lives on in the magnetic swagger of 21st-century soul rocker Andre 3000 and scores of sample-happy hip-hop artists tapping his juicy tracks for surefire hits (J. Lo, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige). ''He's got the thing that makes all the hair stand up on the back of your neck,'' says Blige. And his upcoming memoir, ''Confessions of a Super Freak,'' should keep him alive for fans. The front-runner to play him in the screen version? Dave Chappelle.

(Posted:08/11/04)

Great article. Thanks.

vainandy said:

It was an ok article, but comparing dre to rick james like they did in the last paragrapg is silly. "andre 3000" doesn't compare to rick james, in fact there isn't anyone to compare to rick james.

kdj997 said:

I thought it was odd too.

kdj997 said:

I thought it was a great article in general. I overlook those silly little comparisons the press makes. They have been comparing Prince and Michael Jackson for years and there is no comparison. They also like to throw Ginuwine in also and he's DEFINATELY no comparison to Prince or Michael.

Very good article I thought.

very good.