brotherwoo said:

This is Rick just being Rick! His own look and style with his cornrow braids and leather look and Super Freak was a big hit in 1981:
"I'm Rick James, bitch!"

This is Rick not being Rick and going 4 the ruffles and treach coat, crazy curls Prince look and style after Purple Rain hit:
"Game, blouses!"

[Edited 2/24/06 5:03am]

DavidEye said:

What do you wanna bet some of these muthafuckas know little more about Rick than that Dave Chappelle skit? & now they're talkin' shit

tane1976 said:

-----
No, I just rented a DVD of a Rick James concert in Germany in 1982 and it was really a bad performance. Rick never had P's stage presence.

Late 70s, early 80s, RJ was pretty much an institution particularly in the Black community. Funk master. P was an up and comer. Rick let P open for him. Egos clashed. It got ugly. Interviews, name calling, pussy, coke and the whole nine. P did PR and blew up. Crossover, video, old school funkster at heart. Rick reacted instead of doing his thing. You know the rest.

fathermcmeekle said:

are you saying prince is gay like rick james?

I don't think Rick James ever really got over 1999. That was the album he was trying to get to- a crossover rock/funk/pop smash that opened new doors. I always viewed him as sort of that other guy in the Mozart movie- very talented but watching a genius blow by him with relative ease. And then Prince released PR and it was all over. No doubt Rick was the funk king in the early 80s, but he just didn't have the mega talent, work ethic to take it to the next level.

Krystal666 said:

Vanity was not yet Vanity actually. She was still Denise Matthews, and I'm pretty sure she was not into the cocaine yet. Are you sure that she was caught between Rick and Prince. From everything I read, she showed up somewhere with Rick, and left with Prince and didn't ever go back.

Rick was one of the most talented artists and musicians at that period and had established a reputation as an excellent producer, song writer, and visionary. He came with the funk. He always says he was hurt or bothered that Prince never gave him any credit for helping him early on in his career. I'm sure that bothered him, but I think the real issue was Vanity. As fine as she was (and still is), there is no way he could be cool with Prince after that. I mean Prince literally stole Denise away and made her Vanity and ended up on the cover of Rolling Stone with her. To see that had to have been torture.

tane1976 said:

Never in a millions years could Rick James be Prince. He didn't have 10% of the talent that Prince has. RJ is a druggy and an abuser of women. A loser!!

I love both their music, I don't need to compare them.

Rick was the only one that could and did give Prince a run for his money. As far as Rick never achieving long term pop success like Prince did, well, pop success doesn't impress me. During the years that Prince was mainly known on R&B radio, Rick was the only one who could even threaten his throne.

Rick James had no desire to do a song like "Bambi". Prince may have been diverse and did it well but Rick focused on his strongest qualities....funk and outrageousness. Going on funk alone, Rick was the perfect competitor to Prince. Besides, "Bambi" never got airplay.
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[Edited 2/24/06 12:40pm]

That skit and "Super Freak".....and they are supposed to be Rick James experts.

Rick had a crossover hit, "Super Freak", but he wasn't studying crossing over. He came back hard and funky on his next album "Throwin' Down" with no attempts at crossing over. Rick was about the funk.

vainandy said:

Most definitely. Rick's talent gets overshadowed by his antics and drug abuse. Rick got in his own way. He certainly was not afraid to say what was on his mind, though that is not always the best thing in the business.

tane1976 said:

Rick James needed his own movie. THAT was the only thing missing, IMHO.

blackguitaristz said:

Apart from taking E (the rave drug that inspire Lovesexy), Prince stay away from the hard drugs.

GaryMF said:

Well, Parliement did have THAT synth-bass for Flashlight.

And George Clinton did use a lot of synths & drum machines in his own solo work (Atomic Dog).

Sly use a drum machine for Family Affair.

rudeboynpg said:

.....an idea that Rick & Prince took from Little Richard, Sly Stone, & The Beatles!!!

Yeshua4all said:

At best or worse, Glow was to Rick James what Parade/Sign 'O' The Times was for Prince:

Trying something different.

TonyVanDam said:

There you go Chocolate City used drum machines. Nobody was using bass synth stacked as the lead before Parliament. Not to get off the subject just educating mugs. Rick and Prince both were copying P-Funk and Bootsy after there heyday,to me it was nothing new.


Now Prince was more innovative than Rick. Rick was nothing but a P-Funk imitator. Prince came with his own style rather than being a clone. He snatched that funk crown right off Rick's head when he dropped 1999 lp.

I was glad Prince came , to me he and his act were the P of the 80's. Prince, The Time, Vanity 6 ALA --Parliament, Bootsy's Rubber Band, The Brides


Rick is great in his own right but no Prince!

vainandy said:

With songs like You & I, Superfreak, Give It To Me Baby, & Cold-Blooded, Rick actually didn't want pop success per se. He wanted Rock&Roll success.

Rick James in the same room with KISS, David Bowie, Queen, & Van Halen was a better idea (for Rick) than being in the same room with Michael Jackson & Madonna as a great idea (for Prince).

blackguitaristz said:

TALK!!!

vainandy said:

Is that "desire" documented somewhere? As for Bambi not getting airplay, that does not diminish its appeal IMO.

fmarasco said:

Wow, very well said and excellent examples! I agree withcha, fm.

Thumparello said:

I was referring more to the "signature" synth-horns that are typically thought of as the Minneapolis sound.... but Rick used something similar earlier..... it's like analog synth horns iwth lots of mod wheel on them (like on Mary Jane Girls "In My House" or the lead line used on "Give It To me" etc.)

And combining drum machines iwth real drums... not just using a drum machine.

But this is very interesting about the synth bass.

Can you explain what that means a little more above? I'm always wondering what the purpose or point of using synth bass is....and it seems like osme songs are almost all synth bass (17 Days etc.)

Thanks.

fathermcmeekle said:

So, this leads you to conclude that Rick James is Rick James because he couldn be Prince and Prince is Prince because he couldnt be Rick James or somethin
This is kind of funny

by the way Who is Rick James and Who is Prince? When you say Prince you mean the Prince Hamlet or somebody else? It is just because my English is not good or there is a danger of confusion here?

Oops, major typo on my part! I meant to say Rick James had no desire to make a song like "Bambi" and typed Prince instead.

blackguitaristz said:

Agreed! The Mozart/Saliary comparison is dead on! They evem fought over a woman too- that opera singer in the movie too!

Rick James could have been Prince....


.... if 1) he had more talent and 2) wasn't so fucked up on drugs.



I'd say that's asking too much of Rick James, though.

TheAstonishing said:

The same could be said about me.
I was just that close to greatness and I never knew it.