R.I.P. Rick James

[Borderstone]

Just about 45 minutes ago (5:30pm now 6:00pm),I was on the phone with my friend Lisa and we were both watching TV at the same time,when on my local channel 3 newss,I see clips of Rick J's videos and I think to myself...uh,oh.
Then it was said,Rick James had passed away in L.A. of natural causes. He was only 56.

Channel 5 here called it a peaceful end to a wild life. While he was most famous for the song,"Super Freak" from 1981 (later sampled by MC Hammer for "U Can't Touch This" He also had 4 other top 40 hits like,"You and I","Give It To Me Baby","Cold Blooded" and his last hit
20 years ago this month "17".--->(Sun. Aug. 12th,'84 to Sat. Sept. 1st,#36.

He also had two lesser known songs,"Ebony Eyes" w/Smokey Robinson and "Glow" from 1985. He also produced the session for Eddie Murphy's solo album,"How Could It Be?" in 1985,which gave us the #2 hit,"Party All The Time".

As most of us know,in the last 12 years he's had a great amount of trouble with the law and was also notoriously known for his overt drug use and an alleged sexual abuse incident. After leaving prison he had seemingly cleaned up his act and found God and Peace. One of his last TV appearences was on VH1's I Love The 70's (and 80's).

He had been suffering health problems for awhile and had six different operations. Rest peacefully Rick,God knows it was tough for you to do that here. He was found at 9:45 ths morning. (End 6:35pm)

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"A knight of the road,going back to a place where he might get warm." ;) - Borderstone

[Restless]

Rest in peace? I hope not!

"Rick James and his girlfriend tied a woman to a chair, burned her with a hot crack pipe and forced her to perform sex acts during a cocaine binge. James was free on bail when a second assault occurred in his hotel room."

Sweet fellow, that Super Freak.

[Borderstone]

Restless,I'm well aware of the things that he and his co-hort did. Yes,I agree with you,it was a horrible thing to do,whether on drugs or not. ...but the way I look at it is Rick James' fame gave him all he could ever ask for but obviously it did not bring him happiness.

He became a constant partying,drug addicted,sex-a-holic. He was found guilty of his crime,served his sentence and turned himself around (maybe just a little too late though.) His drug-addiction had taken it's toll and if his body hadn't expired due to that,then he could have just as easiuly caught an STD like AIDS.

If you put all that aside,he did have a great amount of musical talent. He's not up there with Prince but his music was a fresh sound in '81 after the end of Disco. He wrote and produced his own stuff and had he been a lot smarter about the drugs & the women (and anything else),he'd most likely be a much more revered figure in music,instead of the unfortunate figure he bacame. The bad things he did were done by a person not in his right mind.

In my view,God has put Rick James in a place where he can truly be happy because God will forgive the things that people do here.
As just another person on this planet,I cannot just up and say,"Yeah,he's in hell now." That's not for me to judge and or say. I look at all people as one of God's children and even though a lot of them lose their way,I don't hate them. I actually feel sorry for them when they do and leave the ultimate judgement up to God.

The human form that was Rick James is gone. His true soul and or spirit,is in a better place (I hope) where all of earth's vices can no longer tempt him.
Lastly,it's just not right to be "glad" someone's dead. If they were a bad person all around,we can be relieved that they can do no more harm to others or to themselves.

Those of you not believing in God or not religous,I know you have different views and I respect a person's right to have their opinion or beliefs. This is simply a reply to Restless and not a sermon,just my own opinion and views. If you read all this,thank you for reading.

[TheWatchman]

I won't comment on religious stuff anymore because this is a Lightfoot forum about music. But I have to take issue with the comment that Rick James and Prince are talented. Prince sucks plain and simple. Or is he still that stupid symbol?

R. James made a mistake and am glad that he made his peace with his maker.

Edited to fix a mispelled word that would have changed the meaning of my sentence. Scouts honor.

[This message has been edited by TheWatchman (edited August 07, 2004).]

[Restless]

Hi, Borderstone.

I did not say that Rick James is in hell.

I did not say that I'm glad he is dead.

I do, however, have more sympathy for his victims than you seem to have. Probably you should devote 2000 words to them, instead of the Super Freak.

I believe Rick James was very recently honored with an award. Probably he received plenty of applause. If I were the one he burnt with a hot crack pipe, I'd be more than a little displeased. As simply an observer whom he did not burn with a hot crack pipe, I consider the award and the adulation more than a little perverse.

[TheWatchman]

If Rick James played baseball, he would have been banned from the sport and never given an award.

If he was a member of Congress, nobody ever would have known what he did with his hot crack pipe and whore.

[LSH]

sorry to say, Watchman has the right of this one. it's sorry ass world sometimes.

[Borderstone]

Restless,I have to ask and I'm not trying to be a smart aleck but do you understand at all my reasons for bringing up his passing? I don't think you do,otherwise after you read what I typed it would be pretty clear.

I'm surprised you think for even a millisecond that I don't care about what his victims went through. While I can never say I know how they feel,I do know that it's something they'll have to suffer and live with the rest of their lives! Wheather James is alive or not. It had to have given them not just the physical scars but mental ones as well. I can't begin to imagine doing that to someone or to even have it happen.

I'll state just one more time though,he was at that time a drug addicted sex-o-holic and since you brought up crack pipe,that's what he was on. Again,no man or woman in their right mind would have done those horrible things still,I'm not defending his actions in any sense. Yes,he still was and is guilty of doing them but had he not been such a mess,it never would have happened.

As for his talent & such,I'm not even going to debate that here as it has nothing to do with the overall point. Yes,Watchman,I know your taste in music doesn't lean that way but that has nothing to do with this whole subject. far as music goes,to each his own.

I will say one last thing,then I'm closing out any further discussion on my part. If hell has anything to do with Rick James,it was most likely the demons he let inside of him and let loose on the people he hurt. For the closest thing to hell on Earth for anyone is being out of mind and out of control to the point where it brings harm to others. ...but for good or bad,when all is said and done,all of us will "rest" some day and (in my opinion) our souls,God willing, will wake up to something better. Good-night.