Rick James death anniversary: Has America moved on from music icon's child sexual abuse and kidnapping row?
African-American music icon Rick James died 16 years ago on August 6, 2004, after a heart attack. In a storied career that spanned well over three decades, James Ambrose Johnson Jr aka Rick James, lived a chequered life. Rising from the ghettos of Buffalo, New York, James lived a fast-paced life of substance abuse, rebellion (deserting the Navy) and many close run-ins with the law (kidnapping, drug and assault charges). A retrospective glimpse of James’s life makes it difficult to distinguish his fame from his infamy. This is partly because of the sex, drugs and rock and roll nature of the music industry which has forever glamorized and cashed in on the trappings of a jet-set, party-hard lifestyle.
James was no exception to this game and the highly-sexualized persona that the singer crafted for himself definitely seems to have helped him commercially. He was even hailed as a visionary who suddenly exploded onto the music scene out of nowhere. The commercial success of his multi-platinum-selling debut album, 'Come Get It', is a testament to James's larger-than-life musical persona.
But behind this sudden success was a life that was always attuned to music and performance. As a young child accompanying his mother, who worked as a singer and dancer, James had the opportunity to watch legends such as Coltrane, Miles Davis and Etta James. James himself started performing with local R&B bands in Buffalo in his adolescent years. By the time James deserted the Navy by fleeing to Canada, one could argue he was already quite "experienced". His musical range was further expanded by musicians like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell in Toronto, and he later embraced Motown on returning to America. His first band, The Mynah Birds, who blended folk, rock and soul, highlights James’s musical dexterity. James could not only play a number of instruments, but he also had a flair for catchy lyrics and musical production.
This brings us to another underappreciated facet of James, namely his ability to collaborate with other artists across the board and promote them as well. Musicians like the Mary Jane Girls, Teena Marie and the actor, Eddie Murphy, have all benefitted from Jame’s production work. What stands out among his numerous collaborations is his genre-bending fluidity. Take for example the sheer range between Roxanne Shante’s rap in his song 'Loosey’s Rap' and his duet 'Ebony Eyes' with Smokey Robinson. It was this ability to blend genres and infuse his “punk-funk” personality into his music that made him the embodiment of a fluid, smooth operator.
So why hasn’t James been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame? It's a question that poses a rather difficult ethical dilemma of whether we can separate the art from the artiste. No doubt James was brilliant as a producer and performer but his problems with drugs and women won't be forgotten easily. Reported incidents of assault and kidnapping saw James get arrested and finally sentenced for drug-induced maniacal episodes that he orchestrated with his then-girlfriend and future wife, Tanya Anne Hijazi. On August 3, 1991, James and Tanya were arrested on suspicion of assault, illegal confinement, sexual abuse and drug use. The victim, Frances Alley, alleged that over a crack cocaine binge lasting several days, James and Tanya confined her illegally at their Hollywood Hills residence. They then forced her to smoke crack cocaine, perform oral sex and even burnt her multiple times with a crack pipe.
Rick James at the 36th NAACP Image Awards (Getty Images)
A second case that surfaced 16 months later in November 1992 also involved cocaine, assault and unlawful confinement. However, this time the setting was the St James Club Hotel in Los Angeles and was filed by a music executive, Mary Sauger. These charges alone were serious enough that it could’ve easily put James in jail for life. He was eventually was only booked in one case for assault, false imprisonment and selling cocaine. A highly dramatic three-week trial ensued, the media had a field day, and James was sentenced to five years and four months. After serving just over two years of his sentence, James was released from Folsom Prison in 1996. James later called his incarceration a blessing in disguise. The stint had given him a new lease on life and even given him time to compose hundreds of new songs. Upon release, James finally married his longtime girlfriend Hijazi, recorded his new prison compositions and even became an anti-drug advocate. His stalled career was thus extended for a few more years until he was forced to retire after suffering a stroke during a performance.
In retrospect, James seems to have salvaged his legacy to a certain extent. Despite the sensationalist tendencies of a frenzied media, James survived, and he was probably aided by the vagaries that time bestows upon human memory. Yet his legacy remains slightly tainted by differing opinions about him. In 2018, a proposal for a neon public art display of James was shot down due to the musician's controversial past. When it was first mooted, local public opinions for a James signboard at a public parking lot were largely positive. But with the escalating force of the #MeToo movement, there have been more divided opinions and naysayers, with lively reasoning emerging from both sides of the fence. More recently, this backlash took another wicked turn on February 14, 2020, when a reported $50 million lawsuit was filed against James under the Child Victims Act Lawsuit. This time around, the accusations are grimmer, as the victim alleges that she was raped in her bedroom by James in 1979 when she was just 15.
Despite the specters that continue to haunt the memory of James, he will always be remembered in popular culture as the eccentric music icon from THAT immortal 'Chappelle's Show' sketch which has since (thankfully) led to a resurgence of interest and appreciation for his music. Comedian Dave Chapelle makes light of James's troubled past by repeatedly quipping “Cocaine’s a helluva drug”, which although a lighthearted caricature, is still a sobering reminder of the music icon's excesses. The fans of today seem to be largely forgiving of James's criminal past, whether by ignorance or merely blind admiration for his unquestionable talents. Truth be told, back then, everyone and their grandmother knew that the music legends of yesteryear indulged in decadence and debauchery at every turn. But as we emerge into the unforgiving cancel culture of the new decade, it's highly improbable to think that these kind of actions would be condoned, regardless of how much talent and inspiration you bring to the table.