The Autobiography of RICK JAMES

[ruse]

I'm currently reading "The Confessions of Rick James: Memoirs of a Super Freak". I guess Rick wrote the book while serving time in the LA County jail system so he didn't have anything to lose by telling it like it is. Among the more interesting parts:

- "Ricky James Matthews" was a pseudoynm he adopted while AWOL in Toronto during the Vietnam War. He was known as Ricky Matthews when he played with Neil Young in a band called the Mynah Birds.
- He made at least three trips abroad to smuggle drugs into the U.S. (before he hit it big with his music).
- Quote: "Swedish pussy is the best tasting pussy in the world."
- Prince is a little bitch who stole all his moves from Rick James.
- Among his lovers: Linda Blair ("the exorcist"), Jan Gaye (Marvin's ex), Patti Brooks (disco singer), Janice Dickinson (supermodel), and countless others.
- "Standing on the Top" is the only song where all 7 of the Temptations performed together.
- He wrote "Super Freak" as an afterthought, and hated it but thought it might go over well with white audiences. The final lyrics were really toned down from the original.

That's only the tip of the iceberg! It's a highly entertaining read.

[chldfknungrnd764]

Sad that he and Teena Marie never got back together and made more ballads.

[ruse]

Sad that he and Tina Marie never got back together and made more ballads.

Yeah, from what I'm reading, they had some struggles over money... mostly Rick's ego tripping. Funny thing is he wrote "Sucker for Love" for Diana Ross, but shelved it after the Motown execs wouldn't let him produce her whole album. At that time Teena was with Motown but they had already spent $400k on her without producing anything worth putting out. So Rick decided to produce her and that's when she took off (again, in his words).

[chldfknungrnd764]

Did they fall off with this one?

[mhd]

jan gaye and janice dickinson! thats top shelf right there!

[ruse]

jan gaye and janice dickinson! thats top shelf right there!

Lol... He even hired Jan as his secretary because Marvin had cut her off financially, but that didn't work out because she was too strung out at the time (as was everyone else around him, it seems).

[ruse]

Did they fall off with this one?

Actually, yes... it wasn't that performance in the video, but it was during one of Rick's shows where he asked Teena to perform "Fire and Desire" with him, but she wanted $10k before going on, and he refused. Well, she ended up surprising him on stage (and doing a great job) but that was the beginning of their rift.

[panklady]

I'm hoping to Teena Marie singing about some "Rick James' this weekend. "Love them & leave them..."

Rick James musta been dipped in gold...*raising my eyebrow*

[bomb cola]

Does he mention how he and his girlfriend at the time held that chick hostage and raped and burned her with a crack pipe?

[ruse]

Does he mention how he and his girlfriend at the time held that chick hostage and raped and burned her with a crack pipe?

Haha... i'm not at that part of the book yet... it will be interesting to see what he says about it.

[bomb cola]

Haha... i'm not at that part of the book yet... it will be interesting to see what he says about it.

Let me know!

[DEEPDOWNINSIDE]

Let me know!

yeah mee too yo!

[The Crazy Life That Is Alarick T]

Yeah man, I read that book a couple of years back. VERY ENTERTAINING!!! When I was reading the book I was imagining Rick's voice. It cracked me up. Especially when he was talking about how he hated Prince and Anita Baker...

[Rufus P. Funk]

It cracked me up. Especially when he was talking about how he hated Prince and Anita Baker...

Oh damn! He didn't like Anita Baker.

I keep hearing "UNITY!" in the back of my head now, lol.

[The Crazy Life That Is Alarick T]

Oh damn! He didn't like Anita Baker.

I keep hearing "UNITY!" in the back of my head now, lol.

He said she was really stuck-up. He basically said "I hate that bitch"...

[The Crazy Life That Is Alarick T]

In regards to Prince, he said that Prince was stealing all his moves and started dressing like him. He said both bands almost got into a big fight over it. Rick James and Eddie Murphy were really good friends and actually the song "Party All The Time" was supposed to be Eddie and Prince's duet. Eddie told Rick that he went to see Prince about doing the duet and Prince kind of came onto Eddie. Eddie said he got the fuck out of there with the quickness.

Remember when Prince was just a symbol? The one where he is both male and female? Hahahahah, well Rick James take on it was like, WHO GIVES A FUCK!!!

That book is a must read yo!

[chldfknungrnd764]

Yeah man, I read that book a couple of years back. VERY ENTERTAINING!!! When I was reading the book I was imagining Rick's voice. It cracked me up. Especially when he was talking about how he hated Prince and Anita Baker...

There's enough funk to go around.

Why hurt on little ole Anita?

[TAB.]

I don't know about James' claim against Prince. Seemed like Prince took more risk, with his, at that time'. R&B radio ignored the Dirty Mind LP, alltogether. Hell WGCI(Chicago) didn't play his 'new wavish' stuff until Purple Rain made it impossible for them not to.

[chldfknungrnd764]

I don't know about James' claim against Prince. Seemed like Prince took more risk, with his, at that time'. R&B radio ignored the Dirty Mind LP, alltogether. Hell WGCI(Chicago) didn't play his 'new wavish' stuff until Purple Rain made it impossible for them not to.

It was all about WBMX in those days.

[Rufus P. Funk]

Remember when Prince was just a symbol? The one where he is both male and female? Hahahahah, well Rick James take on it was like, WHO GIVES A FUCK!!!

That book is a must read yo!

HAHAHAHA!!! I'll have to pick this up as well.

There's enough funk to go around.

Why hurt on little ole Anita?

I think this was more than just a Southern thing, but there was a lot of ying yang about Anita when she first started (because her style was new at the time) saying she couldn't sing. This is back when Diana and Whitney were still doing it big on the air back in 86.

Even after "Rapture" and 8 Grammy wins, there are STILL some folks out there saying she can't.

Never understood that.

It was more in the R n B community at the time, but since she isn't blaring on the airwaves all the time anymore, it has died down a bit.

[TAB.]

It was all about WBMX in those days.

They wasn't playing 'partyup' either.

Funny though. WXRT played Prince when he was considered, avantgarde. After Purple rain, they stopped playing his records.

[The Crazy Life That Is Alarick T]

Also he talked about the sweetest pussy he ever had were 2 swedish women (a mother and daughter duo)...

[ruse]

I don't know about James' claim against Prince. Seemed like Prince took more risk, with his, at that time'. R&B radio ignored the Dirty Mind LP, alltogether. Hell WGCI(Chicago) didn't play his 'new wavish' stuff until Purple Rain made it impossible for them not to.

It gets a lot more interesting when Rick starts talking about MTV. Basically, he calls out MTV's director of programming for being a racist who wouldn't play any black artists. He said there were 140 songs in rotation at MTV, and only 3 were by black artists (one was by Eddy Grant).

Then Rick and Prince got into an argument at a party after Prince refused to sign an autograph for Rick's mom. Well, the director of programming at MTV got a hold of this and decided to put Prince's songs in heavy rotation (since he was pissed at Rick for calling him a racist). "Little Red Corvette" went to the top of the charts after MTV started playing it!!

So of course in Rick's mind, he had everything to do with Prince's success, even though he thought Prince was a hypocrite (he said Prince had a song called "Head til you're Red" even though "that motherfucker probably never gave head in his life") and also thought Prince wanted to be white. There's a lot more to it but that's it in a nutshell!!

[chldfknungrnd764]

It gets a lot more interesting when Rick starts talking about MTV. Basically, he calls out MTV's director of programming for being a racist who wouldn't play any black artists. He said there were 140 songs in rotation at MTV, and only 3 were by black artists (one was by Eddy Grant).

Then Rick and Prince got into an argument at a party after Prince refused to sign an autograph for Rick's mom. Well, the director of programming at MTV got a hold of this and decided to put Prince's songs in heavy rotation (since he was pissed at Rick for calling him a racist). "Little Red Corvette" went to the top of the charts after MTV started playing it!!

So of course in Rick's mind, he had everything to do with Prince's success, even though he thought Prince was a hypocrite (he said Prince had a song called "Head til you're Red" even though "that motherfucker probably never gave head in his life") and also thought Prince wanted to be white. There's a lot more to it but that's it in a nutshell!!

It gets a lot more interesting when Rick starts talking about MTV. Basically, he calls out MTV's director of programming for being a racist who wouldn't play any black artists. He said there were 140 songs in rotation at MTV, and only 3 were by black artists (one was by Eddy Grant).

Many don't remember the early days of MTV, not a brotha/sista to be found.

We didn't get cable in the city of Chicago till 88, MTV was kind of a suburban thang to many in the area.

[The Crazy Life That Is Alarick T]

It gets a lot more interesting when Rick starts talking about MTV. Basically, he calls out MTV's director of programming for being a racist who wouldn't play any black artists. He said there were 140 songs in rotation at MTV, and only 3 were by black artists (one was by Eddy Grant).

Then Rick and Prince got into an argument at a party after Prince refused to sign an autograph for Rick's mom. Well, the director of programming at MTV got a hold of this and decided to put Prince's songs in heavy rotation (since he was pissed at Rick for calling him a racist). "Little Red Corvette" went to the top of the charts after MTV started playing it!!

So of course in Rick's mind, he had everything to do with Prince's success, even though he thought Prince was a hypocrite (he said Prince had a song called "Head til you're Red" even though "that motherfucker probably never gave head in his life") and also thought Prince wanted to be white. There's a lot more to it but that's it in a nutshell!!

I forgot about the autograph...