Rick James Artistfacts

February 1, 1948 - August 6, 2004
Rick James was known for taking funk music to another level. When he released his first album in 1978, he tied his sound into the burgeoning punk rock scene by calling it "Punk Funk." He said it meant "music for the feet and lyrics for the head."
From 1977-1986 he recorded for Motown Records. During this time the label was filled with legacy acts like Diana Ross, the Commodores and The Four Tops. James brought a fresh sound to the label that connected with younger audiences and helped them stay relevant in the new era.
Raised in Buffalo, New York, he joined the Navy Reserves in 1963 hoping it would keep him out of the Vietnam War. It didn't go as planned: he missed a lot of drills, so the Navy ordered him to active duty in 1964. He fled to Canada instead of reporting for duty, and when he returned to America in 1966, he was arrested and served about a year in a Navy prison. By this time the Navy was convinced he wasn't fit to be a soldier, and Rick never did get sent to Vietnam.
During his time in Canada he joined a thriving music scene where he got to know Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Levon Helm of The Band. He formed a band with Young called The Mynah Birds that got a deal with Motown but broke up when James was arrested for being AWOL from the Navy. Young moved to California and formed a new band called Buffalo Springfield.
We can thank Rick James for popularizing the term "freak," meaning a sexually adventurous person. That's thanks to his 1981 hit "Super Freak," his most popular song.
He created a girl group called the Mary Jane Girls that had a hit in 1985 with "In My House." The group's name is a reference to marijuana, and it wasn't the first time he paid tribute to his beloved weed. One of his early hits is called "Mary Jane," which is vaguely disguised as a love song to a lady.
James was very popular among Black listeners but had trouble reaching a white audience. He had four #1 hits on the R&B chart but never got higher than #13 on the Hot 100 (with his first single, "You And I"). Even the ubiquitous "Super Freak" topped out at #16, in part because MTV wouldn't play the video.
He was good friends with Eddie Murphy, who enlisted James to launch his music career with "Party All The Time" in 1985. James wrote and produced the song, and played all the instruments on the track. It went to #2 on the Hot 100, far higher than James ever got on that chart as an artist.
Thanks to Dave Chappelle, "I'm Rick James, bitch!" became a catch phrase in 2004 when he did a skit on his comedy show where Charlie Murphy (Eddie's brother) tells fantastical stories about James that were intercut with interview footage where James more-less admits it's all true. Along the way, Chappelle re-enacts these stories as James.
Like Prince, James did almost all of his own songwriting and production, and he played most of the instruments on his songs. He also programed the drum machines that show up on many of his '80s tracks.

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