Rick James, threats of exposure, and the boost to Lionel Richie’s career
For many artists, chemical assistance can be their own worst enemy. Even though they may be able to make phenomenal music when chasing down any kind of high, it’s always a matter of time before the drugs start to turn against them, leading to lacklustre music or not having any sense of cohesion whenever they play live. While funk legend Rick James may have been going through one of the darkest periods of his life due to his drug consumption, it ended up being a blessing in disguise for another budding musician.
Working with Motown executives, James was responsible for delivering some of the funkiest music that the mainstream charts had ever seen. While workshopping different songs to various artists behind the scenes, tracks like ‘Super Freak’ would bring him to mainstream attention, featuring one of the most iconic basslines of the 1970s.
Then again, James’ willingness to lay down a thick groove was only matched by his penchant for cocaine. Although James may have had an innate way of functioning while high, it did lead to a few moments where he couldn’t keep his mouth shut in front of his higher-ups, including Motown legend Berry Gordy.
After being managed by Gordy’s son, Kerry, James was brought into Motown’s offices in the early 1980s to discuss his next creative move. Since his last album, Throwin’ Down, didn’t have the same resonance with the public, James stormed into the label thinking that he wasn’t being promoted properly, leading to him going on a tirade for the ages.
As Kerry would later recall, James allegedly went into the office demanding that the label take charge of promoting his record before pouring out a mountain of cocaine on president Rick Lasker’s desk and snorting it on the spot. After reportedly threatening to expose himself in the main offices, James was dragged out by security, with the rest of the label looking on in stunned awe.
From James’ perspective, though, this was just another day at the office. As he would attest years later, James would be consuming drugs like second nature throughout the 1970s, maintaining an around-the-clock buzz that tended to affect his better judgement.
When talking about that period, James would say that his behaviour at the offices wasn’t unlike any other day for him, saying, “We were fucking standing on the verge of insanity in those days. Everybody was snorting cocaine. Everybody was taking quaaludes, drinking Cristal and Dom Perignon Champagne, and getting butt naked and doing it in the bathroom”.
Before James was even out the door, though, Lasker told the promoters that every piece of promotion intended for the funk superstar would be poured into Lionel Richie’s career. Fresh out of The Commodores, Richie would later become known as one of the biggest names in music, featuring a career resurgence with songs like ‘Dancing On the Ceiling’ and ‘All Night Long’.
While James would work on various vanity projects like with actor Eddie Murphy, Richie would turn in some of the most successful albums of the decade, including excellent ballads like ‘Hello’ and ‘Say You Say Me’. Richie may not have asked to get the promotional push that he got, but sometimes it comes down to being in the right place at the right time in the industry.
