these Two Songs it can Be Argued are still the most Important Songs in R&B/Pop Music from the 80's to this day.they have a Life of there own&be it Commericals or Covers of them they still get a Strong Rise out of People.which of these two Songs Holds up the Better for you??both have had Impact with Pop,R&B,Rap-Hip-Hop Heads as well&Commericals,etc...

As a song I don't see Super Freak as being important, much less one of the most important songs of the 1980s.

These r 2 of my favorite old school songs, eye cant pick just 1!

Mr Max they R both Great songs. But I will Say if I gotta pick I'm gonna go 4 Super Freak. But once again I love Atomic Dog also. Slick Rick's song was the 1st song we went crazy too in the Clubs when we were Teenagers.

As much as i like Rick James.I gotta go with atomic dog(especially the long version).It was the funk anthem of the 80's.

Vagina said:

Atomic Dog has spun off so many clone songs I can hardly mention. Teddy Riley,rappers, Karen White etc etc. Been sampled like crazy. We wouldn't have characters like Snoop Dog , Little Bow Wow etc. Plus Atomic Dog is still played in all the clubs at least once in the night. The song was futuristic and ahead of it's time. Hammers Pumps in the Bumps was my favorite bite of Atomic Dog. Even on Arsencio and in culture everyone barks at the shows do to this song. Stepshows are patterned from Atomic Dog at colleges across the country. ATOMIC DOG IS THE SHIT, THEN AND NOW!!!

"Super Freak" is my favourite uptempo Rick James joint ("Ebony Eyes" my fav ballad) but "Atomic Dog" wins this one by a mile IMO, if not just for it's impact on hip-hop, West coast in particular and it's G-Funk sound etc.

That aside it's just the jam!

I mean I know MC Hammer sampled "Super Freak" but still...

ATOMIC DOG is definitely the FUNKIER of the 2 songs..


"Super Freak" was alright as a song.. I have the impression Rick did it very spontaneously, it must have been an easy song- technically & conceptually- for him to do. yeah, that immensely talented rapper-dancer MC Hammer immortalized SF forever with his sampling of it in "U can't touch this".. but I hardly think that this qualifies SF as a very influencial song, even for the 80s. How many other singers or bands made songs like SF that did well?
not many, it seems.


ATOMIC DOG, on the other hand..
well, besides being SO DAMN FUNKY
besides being 1 of THE MOST SAMPLED songs ever
(not that that's something I'd brag about, had I written ATOMIC DOG)
this song, it's foot-stomping beat was a definite precursor to that late 80s-early 90s trend known as "new jack swing"..

so it could easily be argued that while both songs were popular-
mainly on r&b stations.. "pop radio" of the early 80s was quite segregated & these 2 songs got very little if any airplay-
the influence of ATOMIC DOG is much more far-reaching.

U pulled out 2 Classics!!
I'll go with SuperFreak.

mltijchr said:

Au contraire Mon Amis, "Super Freak" was a concept planned out from very beginning. Motown insisted on something that "white folks could dance to" so he took the organ part from Elvis Costello and in his own words "I came up with that punky funky bassline" to fit the request.
[This message was edited Fri Aug 9 15:44:11 PDT 2002 by Essence]

Atomic Dog is the funkier and greater of the 2. Much more influential. George Clinton was and still is the funkmaster. As burnt as he is, you see that man on stage and it is like he is directing a funk symphony. He hears it all individually as well as collectively. He sees music. You can't say that about many in history much less modern music.

"Atomic Dog", imo, has had the biggest impact on the funk scene...and even on Prince.

I think his song, "La La La, Hee Hee Hee" was his funk tribute 2 George Clinton, almost in response.

Wolf said:

"Super Freak" is indeed an important song.It's one of the first real "punk funk" songs,combining funk with a New Wave/pop sound.Imo,this song inspired subsequent songs like Cameo's "Alligator Woman"(1982) and The Bar Kay's "Freaky Behavior"(1981).