From his website:

Rick James entered the world as James Ambrose Johnson Jr. on February 1, 1948 in Buffalo, N.Y., the third oldest child in a family of eight. "It was my mother who raised us," he said. "She was a small elegant woman of great dignity and strength. She always had two jobs. Sometimes she worked as a maid, but her main income came from running numbers for the Italian mob. She raised us as strict Catholics."

An early 80s icon of rebelling against the establishment, Rick James started early by joining the navy at age fifteen and going AWOL soon after. He fled to Canada, and it was there, in Toronto, that he founded his first group, the Mynah Birds with future Buffalo Springfield members Neil Young and Bruce Palmer, and Goldie McJohn (who later joined Steppenwolf). It was at this point that he became known as Rick James.

Being the nephew of the Temptations' Melvin Franklin, Rick James was no stranger to Motown, and he and his band were signed to the label in the mid-sixties. Although the group recorded a couple of tracks, nothing was ever released. Probably because Rick James (who had now relocated to Detroit) was in trouble with the military, and because the rest of the band moved to Los Angeles.

Not easily deterred, Rick went to London where he formed the blues band "The Main Line." He commuted between London and North America (where he was a staff songwriter for Motown in the late sixties) for the next seven years. In 1977 he finally returned to the US completely, forming a band (the Stone City Band) with which he experimented at mixing rock and funk - creating "funk 'n' roll." "I'm into rock," Rick James said. "I'm trying to change the root of funk, trying to make it more progressive, more melodic, and more lyrically structured. More honest, as opposed to putting riffs together, saying, 'Get up and get down. I feel alright. Oomph! Good God! Get up and boogie' and all that redundant bull."

When he approached Berry Gordy in 1978, he had an entire record in hand. Impressed by his tapes, Berry Gordy once again signed Rick James to Motown - this time to the Gordy subsidiary. The album was released later that year as Come Get It and two of its songs immediately hit the charts. "You and I" went gold in September and "Mary Jane," a barely-disguised hymn to marijuana hit US R&B #3 in October.

Bustin' Out Of L Seven was his next album and sent him out on his first US tour. Other artists that accompanied him on his "Fire It Up" tour were the Mary Jane Girls (a group that he created), and a young singer named Prince. It was a big break for Prince and the two artists continued to be compared for a long time (something that both got sick of rapidly). Partly due to Rick James' wildly extroverted style of performance, the tour was a great success and drew not only large enthusiastic audiences, but also wide media attention.

Following Garden Of Love, an uncharacteristic ballad album, Rick James released his fifth album, Street Songs. Probably Rick James' definitive album, Street Songs achieved double-platinum status, stayed in the Top 100 Album chart for 54 weeks, and was nominated for a Grammy Award. Rick James also received a Grammy Nomination for the song "Super Freak." When asked about "Super Freak," Rick James explained, "'Super Freak' came about after Street Songs was complete. I was listening to the tracks, just riffing on my bass, when I hit on this punky-funky sounding line. Reminded me of how punkers look funny when they try to dance. I heard it as a goof and never dreamed it'd take off. The lyrics were silly. The line about 'she's the kind of girl you don't take home to mother' was jive. I could take any girl home to mother. Anyway, the song came together, I had the Temps singing behind me, and next thing I know it's a smash."

Although Rick James released seven more albums (six of which were released by Motown) and had several more hits on the charts, none have equalled the popularity that Street Songs received. In 1983 "Cold Blooded" hit #1 on the US R&B charts, and later that year Rick James collaborated with Smokey Robinson on a song: "Ebony Eyes." But Rick James' legacy doesn't only live on through his songs. He created and nurtured young artists and bands some of which have included the Mary Jane Girls, Teena Marie, and Eddie Murphy.

Rick James broke many cultural taboos by flaunting his extravagant lifestyle. As an icon of drug use and eroticism, Rick James went further than anyone had gone before. But before long, his lifestyle started to catch up with him. "During the Throwin' Down tour I went to see Dizzy Gillespie at the Blue Note in New York. Man, I loved Dizzy. He was a guru, a beautiful man filled with the spirit of compassion, the father I never had. Diz was never judgmental. He used to say I was too serious and warn me not to look at life so black and white. He saw I was wild. 'Rick,' he said, 'you remind me of Bird. Boy, you better slow down.' But even Dizzy, for all his wisdom, couldn't change my reckless ways."

James's flamboyant lifestyle took its toll on his health and he was hospitalized several times between 1979 and 1984. He had major hits in 1984 and 1985 with the more relaxed '17' and 'The Glow'. The latter also provided the title for a highly acclaimed album, which reflected James's decision to abandon drugs. He cancelled plans to star in an autobiographical film called The Spice Of Life in the wake of the overwhelming commercial impact of Prince's Purple Rain. After releasing The Flag in 1986, James ran into serious conflict with Motown. James left the label, signing to Reprise Records, where he immediately achieved a soul number 1 with 'Loosey's Rap', a collaboration with Roxanne Shante.

Now "clean and loving it," James has returned to the music scene with Urban Rapsody, his first new album since 1988's Wonderful.

"I thought about doing an acoustic album, to pour out my heart, to get all self-indulgent," he says. "But that would have been too soul-searching. It might have been a downer."

And after bedding by his count "thousands" of women, James, 50, has settled down with dancer Tanya Hijazi, 27 (whom he married in December 1997 after an 11-year relationship), and their 5-year-old son, Tazman. "I'm too old to do crazy things anymore," says James. "Before, I'd just smoke dope and have sex. I never knew if it was day or night. Now I go to bed at 11 and get up at 7. I don't have aluminum foil on my windows anymore."

Swaggering decadence had been the essence of his image for so long that he wondered whether the public would be ready -- or, more important, willing -- to accept a Rick James whose concept of touchy-feely no longer had anything to do with an orgy. Ultimately, James decided not to ask them to. "I said, 'Fuck this, let's get back to the roots,' " he recalls, "and I wrote some new songs."

So instead of looking ahead, Urban Rapsody takes a long look back. James has attempted a concept album, an audio movie of his life; he compares the recording process to "recreating Frankenstein." And the record is something of a monster -- a sprawling, 70-minute, 15-track catharsis. If the CD has a problem, it is the obviousness of its intent, which is to appeal to the broadest audience possible. James enlisted a wide assortment of stars, from hip-hoppers (Snoop Doggy Dogg, Neb Love, Rappin' 4-Tay) to rhythm and blues legends (Bobby Womack, Charlie Wilson) to another of his prot�es (Joanne "JoJo" McDuffie, of the Mary Jane Girls) to help out. Occasionally, the music sounds as though James has traveled to his collaborators' ground instead of staking out his own. The sly spelling of the album's title, Urban Rapsody, also carries the scent of concession, given the vehemence with which James used to rail against rappers.

"That was just me going through an artistic ego trip," he says now. "I didn't want rappers touching my shit, but a lot of us older musicians felt that way then. I wanted to sue them. But then I saw what kind of money I was making from Hammer and LL Cool J and Will Smith and on and on with the people sampling Rick James music. And I said, 'Never mind.' "

But if James's rap-and-funk approach now sometimes seems derivative, it's worth remembering that he's one of the innovators from whom it was derived. Certainly there is no doubting his technical mastery of the various styles he showcases on Urban Rapsody. His singing has acquired a honeyed richness, and his sincerity here can be downright disarming.

Snoop Doggy Dogg and Charlie Wilson contribute star quality to "Players Way," the single that was recently released to radio, but the CD has moments with far more magic. The title track, an ode to the inner city, plays Rappin' 4-Tay's smooth staccato against James's bruising crooning, both vocals folding seamlessly into a tangy backing of warm horns and funky bass. Neb Love, of the struggling rap duo Da Five Footaz, may get her big break with her hauntingly seductive performances on "It's Time" and "Favorite Flava." There's also no denying the earnestness of "Mama's Eyes," a painful recollection of James's mother, who died of cancer while he was in prison. Throughout, the underlying tone of Urban Rapsody is one of uncertainty, both musically and lyrically, and that is its most personal and poignant statement: This is Rick James, circa 1997, vulnerable and bravely struggling for direction and meaning.

"I have to establish myself again, but I have to be careful. I don't want to lose the fans I had, and I want to attract new fans, but I don't want to lose my musical integrity either," he says. "I don't want to make the same mistakes I made before, but I don't want to blow people away with something foreign or alien to what they expect. I have to find a happy medium. The album is out, yeah, but I'm still in search of that happy medium."

A nightmare of hassles behind him, he's both relieved and relaxed, a bright and quick-witted student of American popular music, the history of which he has helped shape.
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R&B music will never be the same.....R.I.P.

My alltime fave Rick James song "Super Freak"

And he's hot in this video

http://www.youtube.com/wa...5qXUfp4wtw

Rick James was one of the baddest funksters of all time and was the only one that could give Prince a run for his money.

vainandy said:

There was a time when Prince couldn't touch Rick. Remember the summer of '81 when Street Songs came out? Man, I wore that LP out!

Hell yeah. I remember the summer of 1981 very well. There was a sold out concert with Rick James, Teena Marie, and Cameo. My grandmother had gone to eat at a restaurant that evening up the street from the coliseum. We got worried about her because she was gone so long. We asked where she had been so long and she said...."Lord have mercy, I've been stuck in traffic forever down by the coliseum. There's some concert going on or something. After I finally got past the coliseum and got across town, I noticed there were no black folks on the streets because they were all up in that coliseum".

vainandy said:

One of the best summers, ever. As good as the summer of '84.

I'd play 'Street Songs' & Teena's 'It Must Be Magic' back-to-back for hours. Glory days.

Brother Rick was truly ahead of his time.

I hope he's resting in eternally peace right now.

Love me some Rick James! My fave songs of his are "Cold Blooded", "Ebony Eyes", "Fire and Desire", "Mary Jane", "Bustin' Out", "Moonchild", "She Blew My Mind (69 Times), and "Glow" among others. Rick was THE Man .

My favorites are:

"You & I"
"Mary Jane"
"Bustin' Out"

...and "Give It to Me Baby"!

Rick was the "baddest muthafunka" on the planet, until Prince stole his women, his act and his thunder. He's from my hometown and my first arena rock concert! Throwin' Down tour 1982. There will never be another that did it like him.

RJ is the man, PUNK FUNK FOREVER!!!

uPtoWnNY said:

I remember the summer of '81.That was a magical summer for R&B/funk I started a few threads about how many jams there were that summer.Rick James was KING! 'Street Songs' was the hottest album on the streets.

Rick was one baaaaad mutha. His music was real and the streets could always relate to it. Rick was never about sugarcoating shit and cross over appeal.
I long for the days of rockstars like Rick and Prince in black music not just the music but the attitude.
He had so many great funk jams and it's a disgrace that his albums are now out of print. His slow jams are so underrated, Rick could really sang!

My favourite albums Throwdown and Come get it

Fav songs throwdown, hard to get, Happy, U and I, make love to me, ebony eyes
Shiit I love all of em.

SoulAlive said:

Damn right - 'Street Songs' is one of those rare LPs that's tight from beginning to end.

Rick, Teena, Luther, Gap Band, Evelyn King, Cheryl Lynn, Denroy Morgan, etc...damn, the R&B/funk was flowing that summer.

I see you finally found that album. I remember when you were looking for it. So, what did you think of "Spacey Love"?

"Spacey Love"

Only in the past couple of years have I begun to realize the true funkiness of this great legend. He probably could've given my purple hero a run for his money. I remember listening to the live CD from the "Street Songs" deluxe edition album. MAN was that funky!!!

I can only wish my music was that badass.


But seriously, I've been bumping his music a lot recently (I even managed to get "Bustin' Out" on wax), and it's just as amazing now as it was when it was made.

Still can't fuck with Prince though.

He did give Prince a run for his money. Back in the days when Prince was known in the R&B world only, it was a feud from hell! Every year, Rick would come out with a bad ass album and Prince would come out with one just as bad. Both artists would also come out with those bad ass protegee acts too. And the best thing is, they absolutely hated each other, so that just fueled them to try to top each other with each album.

I think if Rick had come out with a strong album in 1985, instead of the much weaker "Glow" album, he could have kicked Prince's little ass from one end of the R&B charts to the other that year. Prince had out "Around The World In A Day" that year a lot of people were absolutely pissed, especially his old R&B fans that had supported him for years. The timing was perfect for Rick to "kick Prince when he was down". However, I remember "Glow" came out earlier in the year before "Around The World In A Day" so Rick wouldn't have had any way of knowing of Prince's style change. I don't think it would have mattered though because Rick's 1986 album, "The Flag" was even weaker. Drugs had gotten the best of Rick by then.

vainandy said:

You know, it seemed like Rick was awfully bitter at the fact that Prince was ,ore successful and beating him to the very ideas he was coming up with. You know, Rick had the idea for a girls group first, but then lil' man heard about it and beat ol' Rick to the punch. Let's face it, even though Vanity 6 had some wicked songs, the Mary Jane Girls were much more talented as vocalists.

vainandy said:

To be honest, I didn't think of Rick James being as musically creative or inventive as Prince. In a lot of ways, Slick Rick was like the R. Kelly of his day -- he really didn't add much to the genre but he took a lot of the influences and carved his own highly-deserved niche. When it worked, it was spectacular ("Give It to Me, Baby," "You and I," "Mary Jane" and "Cold Blooded" are my favorite songs).

Prince was definately a sneaky little thing. If I was Rick, I would have been pissed off too because Vanity had gone to a function with Rick and left with Prince. Shortly after, here comes Vanity 6 and beats Rick to the punch with a girls group he had been discussing all along. Yeah, Rick didn't own the patent on starting a girls group, but if I were him, I would have been looking for Vanity to put my foot up her ass.

Oh hell, hell, hell to the naw!!!!! That damn R. Kelly couldn't get uptempo and funky if his damned life depended on it.

Rick was a hellified funk artist that made some great uptempo jams and also had some great ballads also. Rick also had a sound of his own. When a song came on the radio, I could recognize it was Rick before he even started singing just by the sound of the music. The same way with Prince.

vainandy said:

I think that was part of Rick's problem..he TALKED about getting an all girls group together but Prince actually did it (first), Rick TALKED about making a movie but Prince actually did it.

vainandy said:

Right on the mark....so much talent and potential derailed by drugs.

That's true. Rick did have a big mouth. He talked about making a movie when he appeared on "Soul Train" and he also talked about it in several of the magazines.

As for the girls group though, I don't remember him ever talking publicly about putting one together until after they were already formed. He very well could have told Vanity his plans and she could have blabbed them to Prince.

sunlite said:

I was able to go to a show on that tour. Oakland in August of 1982. One Way opened up, then Cameo, then Rick.

vainandy said:

I wasn't talking about making uptempo songs and ballads, but the fact they took popular concepts just before their emergences (Rick James -- Parliament/Funkadelic's and The Ohio Players' funk; R. Kelly -- Guy's New Jack Swing Sound) and twisted them to their own modifications to create their sounds.
[Edited 8/23/07 9:14am]

vainandy said:

I can see it....

Vanity: "...will you help me?"
Prince: "You wouldn't pass the initiation".
Vanity: "What initiation"?
Prince: "Well for starters, you have to purify yourself in the waters of....."










.
[Edited 8/23/07 9:27am]