Rick didn’t escape James’ influence. But he’d also absorbed jazz, folk, rock, and the punk movement, which was gaining momentum around the time Rick hit the scene, wasn’t lost on him, either.

Listening back to these Rick James classics, I’m reminded of just how much soul, sweat, and truth he poured into every track. His music was never just about the beat—it was about the feeling.

The inimitable Rick James' birthday was Feb. 1. To ride out his month we brought back our temporary takeover of "I'll Take You There," the 24/7 R&B and soul channel from NPR Music.

Rick James was crashing on Stephen Stills’ couch sometime in the late ’60s when he “awoke to see a young dude sitting on the floor in the lotus position, stoned as a motherf–ker,” with ...

Rick James was a big "super freak" in his heyday and the trailer for Showtime's newest documentary, "Bitchin’: the Sound and Fury of Rick James," shows that might be an understatement.

After years of trying to funk his way to stardom, Rick James finally broke through in 1978 on the back of a pair of dynamite singles: “You and I,” an eight-minute dance-floor workout that ...

How would you like music fans to remember Rick James? As someone who beat the odds, and as a musician who gave up the truth. My music ain’t no contrived bullshit. It ain’t no sci-fi shit.

Rick James is one of the most dynamic, incomparable and multifaceted American musicians of all time — the Godfather of “Punk Funk” whose '70s and '80s megahits like “Super Freak ...

Rick James and Prince had tension based on their competitive natures and talent, but ultimately, they respected each other’s art and legacies. No they weren’t friends, but they admired each other.