James gave the alias Ricky James Matthews, and Wonder suggested that he shorten it to Rick James. Impressed, Wonder wanted to know his name.
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The Mynah Birds got signed to Motown, where James met Stevie Wonder and performed for him. In Toronto, James chilled with Joni Mitchell and Neil Young and formed a band called the Mynah Birds, which Young joined. In 1964 he was placed on active duty, but as Vibe described, James "defiantly told the military draft board to kiss his ashy black a** and promptly fled to Toronto, Canada." He told Buffalo News that he couldn't take the "regimentation and conformity." Instead, he spent much of his time drumming for jazz groups and doing drugs. Before long James dodged the Reserves, too. So around age 15 he lied his way into the Naval Reserve.
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Here's the unbelievable life story of Rick James.īorn James Ambrose Johnson Jr., Rick James dreaded the idea of getting drafted to fight in Vietnam. For better and worse, he lived life on his own terms - even when it resulted in prison terms. But he also engaged in madcap antics, left a huge impression on a number of people's faces, and nearly came to blows with Prince. At times an enemy of his own success, James ravaged his health and career with drugs. An icon of funk and defier of convention, he blended different music styles seamlessly and produced numerous hits, adding his name to the list of Motown greats and cementing his legacy as the King of Punk-Funk.
#Rick james full#
James was like a roller coaster ride without restraints - full of ups, downs, danger, and an inevitable fall from the glorious heights he reached.īut let's not forget that Rick James was also an amazing musician. Rick James was pretty wild now, Rick James the Super Freak, the kind of guy you read about, which is why you're reading about him now. But he'd never let your spirits down because he was often high. Todd Boyd, professor of Cinema and Media Studies at USC gives voice in the documentary to what every Black person feels about that crossover hit.He was a weird guy, the kind who might take home your mother. (For the record, MC Hammer’s sampling of the song garnered a better payday than the original version.)ĭr. Speaking to his lightning-in-a-bottle genius, “Super Freak”-that throwaway single, featuring the Oberheim synth used to ad-infinitum in the ’80s by Queen, Flock of Seagulls, Devo, and Rush-was composed in 15 minutes. His biggest-selling album, “Street Songs,” was a tribute and concept album documenting his upbringing in Buffalo, New York, and contained mega-hits “Super Freak” and “Give It To Me Baby.” “Offstage, we now know what was underwriting that machismo and bravado was very disturbing and very dark and abusive.”Īs the first “visual” artist for Motown, he made a run of nine albums in six years and wrote for various artists. “On stage, in his lyrics, and his music he was portraying this sexual bravado and machismo,” says journalist and scholar Jason King in the documentary. Indeed, Rick James established himself as a master musician, writer, producer, and arranger who eventually would succumb to his lesser self.
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All by heralding in a new cultural presentation-punk-funk-and churning out instantly recognizable, deep-running grooves (and heavily influencing a young version of Prince). And also one of the strangest men I’ve ever met.” This precedes an animated, some would say coked-up, performance of “Big Time,” where James instills the crowd with chants about “fire it up” right before Cornelius, who just minutes ago proselytized about this outlandishly candid performer, stoically puts an end to these shenanigans.īitchin: The Sound and Fury of Rick James, the on-the-nose Sacha Jenkins-directed documentary, scored by Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge, featured on Showtime this month, is a thorough account of how James Ambrose Johson built an idiosyncratic legacy, sold more records than Parliament-Funkadelic, and singlehandedly saved Motown Records during the first half of the 1980s. Certainly one of the most exciting and talented performers.
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“Our next guest is one of the most prolific songwriters, right? One of the most innovative producers.