Having been away from civilization for the past couple of days, I hadn't heard news of Rick James' passing until this morning. Funk classics like "Dance With Me," "Give It To Me Baby," "Mary Jane" and "Super Freak" - and of course, the seminal Street Songs album - were an integral part of my 80's experience, but I hadn't really paid attention to his more recent work. Now, listening to the old songs' glittery hedonistic vibe reminds me how times have changed - and how much he influenced those who came after him...how his fluid hipswaaaang bass groove and plaintive-but-self-assured lechery spiced up many a hit over the years. The man had the funky pimpin' paradigm down cold long before Snoop Dogg was out of diapers.

If you want to get into the groove, check out the official Rick James website, featuring a memorial to the late funkmaster and multi-bandwidth links to Rick James Radio on Live365 - "all Rick, all the time."

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