Thought: I never really appreciated Rick James's music until after Dave Chappelle made him relevant for my generation. I had heard some of his music, but I didn't really appreciate it. And at the age I was when I used to hear it I probably wasn't prepared to understand it anyway, just understand that my parents got enjoyment out of it. I can vaguely remember the vinyl Rick James record my parent's had back when I was like 6 or 7. The only reason it stood out to me was because I didn't understand why a person that appeared to be a man had such long hair, lol. But after Dave Chappelle brought Rick James back into the spotlight (and in hindsight I'm not so sure the popularity of those Rick James skits really helped Rick's image) I took some time to go back and listen to some of his music. And what I found out is that Rick James made some timeless songs. Not all of his songs but definitely some of them.
Video: Super Freak
We've all heard this one and it's definitely a classic. But think about how popular "Can't Touch This" was/is. It's all because of this.
I am not sure why this bama had all the glitter going on his face and hair but I guess that was "the look" back then. Sort of like kids nowadays wearing jeans that lower your sperm count because they squeeze your nuts too tight and Black girls wanting to be hayajimmymatsuh Barbie dolls of all things. Somehow, I don't think that's what Madame C.J. Walker had in mind when she was on her way to becoming the first Black female billionaire beauty supplier.
Thought: It's a shame that people in my generation will probably remember Rick James more for Dave Chappelle's parodies, his drug habit(s), and his obnoxiousness more so than his music. Anyone that doesn't know more about Rick James and his music other than was was parodied on the Chappelle show should be directed here.
Video: Mary Jane
LMAO at "gimme some ganja" at the beginning.
Thought: Drugged-out musicians have made some of the best music for years. From Bob Marley to Kurt Cobain to Rick James to Jimi Hendrix to whomever else was coked-up, weeded-up, drunkied-up or otherwise high when they made some of their greatest music. And even though I'm not a Lil Wayne stan as much as I'm a Kanye/Drake/Jay-Z stan I have to admit that Wayne's syrup-sippin curmudgeon/martin azz makes some solid music and I'm sure he's high off way more than just life. I'm convinced that no one sober can make a song like "I Feel Like Dying" or half of those auto-tuned joints he made. And speaking of auto-tune I don't Kanye into the "artists that made music high" category because he's high off his opinion of himself and his music, not a true drug, lol.
Video: Give It To Me Baby
This is probably my favorite Rick James song of them all just because all dudes have gone through this at some point or another, lol. Oh yeah, if the line "gimme that stuff that funk that sweet that funky stuff" sounds familiar, it's because Jay-Z "borrowed" it, albeit in a slightly altered version.
3 comments:
all CLASSICS!
I'd like to see your thoughts on Bootsie Collins he's one of my favs and doesn't get his just do either
I LOVE Rick James, and remember him well, even as a kid, and I may only be a couple of years older than you. Then again, I came out of the womb, musically inclined. I was that five year-old listening to my parents vinyl instead of watching Sesame Street. His music gave me much pleasure as a kid. My parents had quite the collection, and we had a music room in our basement. I would go down there and play Rick, Teena Marie, The Staple Singers, Earth, Wind & Fire...and just zone out. My folks also went to a lot of concerts, and they had a HUGE poster of him on the wall in the music room. He was on stage in concert smoking the biggest joint I have ever seen in my life!
I wasn't into Chappelle's Show when he was poking fun of Rick, but even when I started watching it, I thought maybe people will give his music a try with this new exposure. He has some certified classics. My fave by him is "Bustin Out"!
I'm sure you're folks and mind listened to some of the same stuff. It was the Black people music of that time. I definitely remember hearing Earth, Wind, and Fire and eventually Prince and sitting through Purple Rain with my mom at the local drive-in movie theater. Hold up, was I even supposed to be seeing Purple Rain at that age? Oh well, lol.
"Fire up this funk and let's have a toke!"
What I enjoy most about music from that era is the live instrumentation. That got lost with the introduction of hip-hop and the DJ and scratching and when the technology allowed producers to use a keyboard to mimic real instruments. Now you see it coming back when Jay has the Roots backing him up live (the Roots have always kept the live instrumentation, of course) and on Late Registration Kanye had some nice uses of live instruments. I think the live instrumentation will come full circle soon.
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