10 Reasons Why "Street Songs" is One of the Most Important R&B Albums of All Time
10 Reasons Why "Street Songs" is One of the Most Important R&B Albums of All Time
10 Reasons why the 1981 album, "Street Songs" from the King of Punk Funk, Rick James, is one of the most important and influential albums of all time. "Street Songs" is available on vinyl beginning June 9th. Pre-order here: http://bit.ly/1E2FWh4
10 Reasons why the 1981 album, "Street Songs" from the King of Punk Funk, Rick James, is one of the most important and influential albums of all time. "Street Songs" is available on vinyl beginning June 9th. Pre-order here: http://bit.ly/1E2FWh4
"Street Songs" took Rick's music in a new direction
"...Street Songs, a concept album that mirrored my life...Marvin Gaye was still my idol, and I wanted to create something along the lines of his What’s Going On—only with more of an emphasis on sex...The subjects were sex, drugs, fame, frustration, police brutality, passion, and determination."-Rick James in his 2014 autobiography, "Glow"
The album is one of Ice Cube's favorites
"I remember my friend’s big brother would listen to the album. He was the kind of dude who had the big ‘fro, had the black light in his room with the velvet posters of the Black goddesses. He would play the shit out that record — cassette back then. And it ended up being my favorite record at the time. I bugged my older brothers and sisters to buy it for me. I wasn’t really into singers back then, aside from James Brown, Parliament-Funkadelic, and now Rick James after hearing this record." -Ice Cube speaking with Wax Poetics, 2007
The album art alone is reason to celebrate James' style
"If you happened to be hanging around LA ‘s Sunset Strip during the late 70’s and early ’80s James and his Stone City crew cut an intimidating image. Their leader wore his head in long braids down to his back, talked shit and had the best drugs. James and his band looked like conquering, pillaging Vikings; all naturally over 6 feet tall and with prerequisite platform boots that only added to their towering frame." -Vibe, 2014
James was at the peak of his career
"...James was an undeniably formidable song-maker who created hits for others, scored six Top 40 albums and seven Top 10 R&B singles as a solo act and spawned two deliriously iconic songs ("Super Freak" and MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This") with just one devilish riff." -Rolling Stone, 2014
Speaking of "Super Freak"-The album gave the world the mega-hit
"Right then and there I had the engineer hook up a mic and started singing the story as it came to me—-this story of a super freak. I never wrote down a word. Made it up on the spot. It just kinda grew out of me." -Rick James in his 2014 autobiography, "Glow"