(excluding Hammer's U Can't Touch This)

wow....

I know Rick had at least three top 10 U.S. singles--just not under his own name.

Party All The Time - Eddie Murphy - #2
In My House - Mary Jane Girls - #7
U Can't Touch This - MC Hammer - #8

sextonseven said:

that sucks
[Edited 6/11/07 19:49pm]

He actually two albums chart higher then his singles, Street songs charted at number 3.

Since we're on charts.


-Another late James, James Brown never had a number one pop hit (he did chart 17 number ones on the black/r&b side).


-The Jackson 5/Jacksons, while having 4 number one pop hits, never had a chart topping pop album (They had three hit the charts at number 4, ABC, Third Album and Victory)

LittleBLUECorvette said:

That's right. Just because you don't have a #1 single doesn't mean you're not a legend

I don't think Rick was promoted very well and his music is a little 1 dimensional.
All I saw of him in public appearances was pretty ugly. He usually looked coked and tired, and aggressively ambitious. Whereas Prince was usually promoted as the eccentric genious. Prince wasn#t so aggressive, but came across much more self-assured.

Rick, even as a young fella looked like mutton dressed as lamb.
Bad hair.

You're shocked because...?

You know good and well Rick James was too damn funky for the pop charts!!

Who gives a rat's ass about the pop charts?

FuNkeNsteiN said:

CO-SIGN!!!!!

SexyBeautifulOne said:

This is true.Also,in the early 80s,he criticized MTV for their refusal to show black artists.He was banned from that channel,which meant that he never got the same "pop" exposure that Prince and Michael Jackson received.I always felt that "Super Freak" should have been on MTV.That's his most pop-sounding single and it deserved to be a bigger pop hit.

SexyBeautifulOne said:

And besides, pop is for weasels anyway

Didn;t superfreak get to number 13, lots of great funk acts have never had a pop Top10, but they have had number ones on the R and B chart what about Parliament, Graham Central Station, Skyy, Odyssey and Zapp, all huge Stars and never a Top 10 pop hit between them. Another group called The Time have only ever cracked the Pop Top 20 once with Jerk Out, but they have heaps of Black Top 10s and 2 Top 2 singles. Also early Prince hits from For You onwards have gone Top 10, except Soft and Wet which got to 12. Remeber Lover, Uptown and Controversy were black Top 5's!. prince didnt even get his Top10 pop hit until Little Red Corvette as Lover stalled at 11 but hung around in the Top 20 for a while.

bboy87 said:

Jimi Hendrix comes to mind. His only Top 20 hit was a cover of Bob Dylan's song.

tane1976 said:

The Time had two top 20 pop hits: "Jerk Out" and "Jungle Love".

Exactly. The best artists never made the pop charts. When an R&B artist did make the pop chart, it usually went to their head and ruined them forever. I used to get pissed when I would see my favorites make the pop chart. I was furious when I saw Prince on there with "Little Red Corvette".

Exactly. That's when Prince was at his best (before the pop success).

Bruce springstein never had a pop #1 he only reached #2 and the #1 song was by prince that week

vainandy said:

TRANSLATION: Lionel Ritchie & Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds

TonyVanDam said:

When they are hitting R and B thats when they sound real and funky, pop success usually meanings watering it down to pander to a less discerning audience. For You to Controversy are like Prince's Blackest albums (R and B moving in2 funk) until Musicology that is.

Don't forget Atlantic Star. They became horrible.

I was just listening to Mary Jane today. And I have forgotten just how good this song is. This song shoulda been fuckin' hit, top 10. This song makes you wanna smoke just light up some shit lay back and chill and listen to the song. Cuz we all know what Rick is really singin' about. Reminds me of the scene in Friday.

vainandy said:

I can tolerate Secret Lovers. But Always?!?

That's where I lost some respect for Atlantic Star. They were trying to be the black Air Supply (.....and you know I can't stand Air Supply!!!).

I didn't see them as trying to be a black Air Supply. I saw them as trying to be a group version of Shitney Houston.

vainandy said:

I like "Touch A Four Leaf Clover". I still have that 7". The b-side was the old hit "Circles".

meltwithu said:

Rick James was Black America huge... Like Gerald Levert. I would tell the average joe schmo white person Gerald Levert died and they were like..huh? You couldn't even name the songs...they didn't know them either.

I remember when I got my throw back rick james t shirt and most white people were like who? .....Until Dave Chappelle!!