Funk singer Rick James dies in Los Angeles

Despite some arguably great music, my admiration for his career will always be tempered by sadness for how much the troubles in his life created misery for others.

I wonder if Chapelle will drop the bit?

Now Playing: "Cherokee" Count Basie The Complete Decca Recordings (MCA)

Incidentally, we really could use an R&B/Soul forum, I think.

Rest in peace Superfreak! I am wearing my Chromeo pin today with Rick's picture on it!

I should let this one slide, but I'll be a broken record. James almost seemed like one of the first artists to use samples...he sampled his own songs over and over. My students in Santa Ana love James because they love old-school funk, and then the hip-hoppers sample from James, and the kids love all those songs too. Wow, Rick James was born on my birthday (not the year though.) Yeah, the man had more than his share of problems...and victims.

The man was, truly, a Superfreak.

To cannibalize another thread...who's gonna be the new Rick James? Given his antics, I'd go with R. Kelly right now...he just needs a crack pipe and an accomplice...

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Originally posted by LinnTate:
I wonder if Chapelle will drop the bit?

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Rick James wasn't a recurring bit on Chappelle's Show. It was a one-time thing involving cast member Charlie Murphy's experiences with the Superfreak through his brother Eddie (yes, that Eddie Murphy).


Quote-a-rama:

"They shoulda never gave you (n-word)s money!"

"Bitch, come over here and have sex with Charlie Murphy"

"Cocaine is a hell of a drug."

"Darknesses!"

"See, I never did things just to do them. Come on. I mean, what am I gonna do? Just all of a sudden just jump up and grind my feet into somebody's couch like it's something to do. Come on, I got a little more sense then that. Yeah I remember grindin' my feet into Eddie's couch."

"I've been kicked out of better homes than this!"

"I wish I had more hands... so I could give those titties FOUR THUMBS DOWN!"

"King Kong ain't got shit on me!"

Charlie Murphy: Extensions was flying all over the place.
Rick James: THAT IS ABSURD!

Rick James: Why you hit me like that?!
Charlie Murphy: Cause you hit me, man!
Rick James: That was weeks ago motherfucker!
Charlie Murphy: No, that was tonight!
Rick James: I hit you tonight?

"The milk's gone bad!"

Huh. That's amazing to me, Sweetie. I've caught a bit of Chapelle's show here and there, but have resisted temptation to start watching for fear of being sucked in. I really don't need anything that helps me get less done on a weekly basis and what I've seen so far tells me I'd become slavishly devoted to the show.

My assumption that it was a recurring bit came from how ubiquitous, "I'm Rick James, bitch!" has become. Living in a Big 10 town, it's all "the kids" are saying right now.

I'm hopelessly L-7...

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Originally posted by LinnTate:


My assumption that it was a recurring bit came from how ubiquitous, "I'm Rick James, bitch!" has become. Living in a Big 10 town, it's all "the kids" are saying right now.

I'm hopelessly L-7...

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Chappelle is HUGE on college campuses. He's all the kids talk about at Wash U. His show, at the Pageant, sold out in a few days, pretty impressive for a comedy gig in the STL.

The simple fact that you can say you're L-7 (and that you know what that means!) probably cements your status as L-7, LT. Sorry.

chappelle was pretty big at the college I was going to. on nights that they had a new episode, you could mute your TV and open your door, and you'd hear everybody else watching it too. same goes for south park, family guy, and aqua teen hunger force.

chappelle's show is a bit overrated and hit-or-miss, and too black-centric, but it's a good show.

OK, I've never seen Chappelle in any way, shape or form. I'm guessing that you guys are telling me that he's the new Richard Pryor. I still haven't gotten a response about "Richard Pryor Live in Concert" which my family, friends and I easily take as the touchstone of any comic who even thinks he can share life-experiences with everyone in the world. If Chappelle is 10% of Richard Pryor Live in Concert, then he is a great man who deserves my attention. To me, Pryor, in his first concert film (Remember--that EXACT title) comes across as God, your grandfathers, your best friends, your wife/girlfriend, and, at least, one father, but he's so fuckin' funny, he can't really be compared to anybody. IS SOMEBODY REALLY TRYING TO TELL ME THAT CHAPPELLE IS THE EQUAL TO GOD?!?!?!?

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Originally posted by mark f:
OK, I've never seen Chappelle in any way, shape or form. I'm guessing that you guys are telling me that he's the new Richard Pryor. I still haven't gotten a response about "Richard Pryor Live in Concert" which my family, friends and I easily take as the touchstone of any comic who even thinks he can share life-experiences with everyone in the world. If Chappelle is 10% of Richard Pryor Live in Concert, then he is a great man who deserves my attention. To me, Pryor, in his first concert film (Remember--that EXACT title) comes across as God, your grandfathers, your best friends, your wife/girlfriend, and, at least, one father, but he's so fuckin' funny, he can't really be compared to anybody. IS SOMEBODY REALLY TRYING TO TELL ME THAT CHAPPELLE IS THE EQUAL TO GOD?!?!?!?

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Yes.

I'm just kidding. The only thing Richard Pryor and Dave Chappelle have in common is that they're black. They have very different styles on-stage. If by "new Richard Pryor" someone means "new funny black guy who will go down in history," then perhaps Dave Chappelle is the "new Richard Pryor." However, they have different styles on-stage.

Well, we can see how good/famous Chappelle is due to the fact that when we start on the subject of Rick James' death and immediately go to the Chappelle's Show bit.

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Originally posted by Soadlover:
Well, we can see how good/famous Chappelle is due to the fact that when we start on the subject of Rick James' death and immediately go to the Chappelle's Show bit.

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maybe that's true, soad, but I'd be more inclined to think that it's simply that there's a generation who only knows of Rick James through Chappelle's Show. That's a shame. RJ was funk personified.

Your probably right...RJ was cool though.

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Originally posted by philosopherEric:
maybe that's true, soad, but I'd be more inclined to think that it's simply that there's a generation who only knows of Rick James through Chappelle's Show. That's a shame. RJ was funk personified.

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Oh...

Before Rick James' death and Chappelle's establishment of the dreaded amiable catch-phrase, everytime I heard Rick James brought up, he was known was a coked-out, out-fucked burn-out who exhausted his fame by making the same album over and over, whereas Prince had the good sense to expand. Before that, he was known as some flash-in-the-pan who was ressurected by another flash-in-the-pan, MC Hammer.

In other words, I don't buy this concept of Rick James being funk personified. Until he died, he was respected for his best moments -- he did have a classic album, I'm sure -- but he was still thought of as a has-been who, since his classic album(s), was considered a joke and has-been. I always thought that "funk personified" belonged to Funkadelic or, to narrow it down to one person, George Clinton.

But who knows.

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Originally posted by Monheim:
I always thought that "funk personified" belonged to Funkadelic or, to narrow it down to one person, George Clinton.

But who knows.

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Maybe so, Monheim. Although Clinton's lost some of his luster, on my end, because of some lousy concert performances I've attended. And I haven't really seen Clinton "branch out" all that much, either. But Prince is a tough comparison for any artist to live up to...

I think of them as two distinct "kinds" of funk. Rick James' was more spare, while P-Funk's was a much bigger sound.

I think you are right...many (most?) people think of James as a one-hit wonder, which is sad. He had some GREAT songs beyond "Superfreak" which, for my money, is a better jam than almost ANY 70's-80's funk, including P-Funk. But P-Funk have a better catalog, overall.

Nice point. And I didn't want to speak ill of the dead.

forever remembered to me as "im rick james bitch"

A friend of mine who has done some work with Kool Keith told me last week that Keith was set to do some work with Rick and a bunch of instrumental tracks Rick had put together for them to work with. Now, Keith will be using them for an upcoming album, but has offered a track to my buddy for his next album! This is massive for him as he has about 4 independent albums out, but no distribution and is only just starting to perform live shows, so this could benefit him majorly. Just shows that even though Rick James had big problems in his life, he remained a highly creative individual right up until his passing.