The Confessions of Rick James: Memoirs of a Super Freak

by Rick James

To fans of sassy and savvy urban music, the name Rick James will forever be associated with the mainstream emergence of funk—that bottom-heavy blend of rock and soul that sparked a multiracial musical revolution in the 1970s and 1980s and has since influenced everything from rap to raves, punk to progressive rock. Along with the fame, the Grammy Award, and superstardom came drug abuse and even felony convictions, all of which are chronicled in this gripping, posthumous tell-all of the funk revolution.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Ghym · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Rick James for a long time, and even got a ticket to a concert of his once, and then, he died before I could see the concert. This dude lived a hard life, so it wasn't that surprising he died relatively young. This biography has all the shocking moments of a VH1 Behind the Music Special, but it also reveals a lot of things about Rick James that people would find surprising in different ways. James came up not in the R&B world of the 60s and 70s, but in the rock world of the 60s. He was good friends with Crosby, Stills & Nash and admired them greatly. He liked Big Band music. He was way more complicated than people could imagine from his "Superfreak" image, and a talented musician who never really got his due as a serious artist. He also had his share of problems, drug-related and otherwise. He apologizes for nothing, though, in this book, and basically just tells it like it was. James is not a book writer by nature, and the book suffers from grammatical and other writerly issues, but it's hard not to make a story like this interesting. And it's nice to see James' personality come through in this tale, especially considering we don't have him around any longer. Bon voyage, Superfreak. We miss thee.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright, it is called Memoirs of a Super Freak for a good reason.

Let's be clear: the book is poorly edited. I cannot stress that enough. There are lot of repeated phrases, misspellings, etc. However, that is the book editor's fault; not Rick James'. If you can get past the poor editing job, you got yourself a great book.

Rick tells amazing stories that seem so unbelievable, you know they have to true. If anyone had seen his legendary episode on The Chappelle Show, that show was just a glimpse into the craziness of Rick James. Seriously. That man was wildin' out before he was known as Rick James (which, by the way, wasn't borrowed from his real name).

Rick James goes into great detail about his life, covering topics such as his very rough childhood to being in a Beatles-esque band with Neil Young to his feud with Prince to getting high with many famous celebrities he mentions by namet to his insane drug addiction. He talks briefly about his romances with Teena Marie, Linda Blair, and Janice Dickinson. He talks about how Super Freak wasn't a song he liked and how there was an even dirtier version of the song before he had to clean it for the album.

Finally, Rick talks about what really happened when he was charged/convicted with kidnapping, torture, assault/battery on those two women and how prison changed his life.

Rick's assistant gives a little personal story at the end of the book and the book is filled with many pictures (about 15% of the total book's contents).

[Jennifer Serenity · Rating 5 out of 5]

People are people.

Addictive behavoirs are destructive especially when it comes to partying hard and doing drugs.

Rick James fell into this category but he was completely honest with himself with what he was going through. I am glad he took time to write this memoir to warn others of how self-destructive he was to himself. He thought his misery of being lonely would be fulfilled by drugs, but his true love was music.

As a Rick James fan for most of my life, I was devastated when he passed away a few years ago. His funky soulful music brings great memories of my childhood listening to his music on the radio and on my record player.

Not only was he known for "SuperFreak" but he had many other hits that were not shared on MTV back in the day because only certain artists were given that cross over acception to be played on MTV.

Rick James not only produced his own music but he wrote and produced music for Teena Marie, Eddie Murphy and many others. He even admired many artists outside of traditional r&b but he enjoyed folk music, classical and classic rock. He loved it all!

What intrigued me to read the book was the excerpts I had read on prince.org about the issues between Prince and Rick James. They could not stand each other but they did respect each other's musical genius. However, Rick James did call Prince all kind of names for borrowing his style. These comments are hilarious! He called him a punk and many other things.

If you want a good laugh in addition to learning some history about Rick James. This is a great read!

[Lilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

When reading celebrity trash bios, I find the more obscure/random the selection, the better the book. This was penned by Sir Rick while he was incarcerated... so it's a BIG book. But it's full of great stories, cameos by people I never expected him to know, much less be friends with (Neil Young?!), and an awareness of what drugs can do to your life-- while completely disregarding said fact. Everything a celeb trash bio should be, and more. I turned the last page genuinely sad he had died.

[Bart · Rating 5 out of 5]

How autobiography should be done.

Every hour of the day or night, the house was filled with people indulging in orgies, kinky ass sex, beastiality, all kinds of shit. Decadence and perversion ruled and the people who tired of it were easily replaced. I thrived on breaking in women, conquering and destroying, turning them onto freebase. It was like something out of Caligula, wild and dark. The evil was thick in the house and thick in my bedroom. (p. 325)

[Maryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honest about the good and bad with self reflection and criticism and unadulterated acceptance from a man who has done it all. I learned about the bones and fibers that make up Rick James, not just the stories. I mean, really, no one can look at Rick James and feel he missed out on anything with his early death. He came to Earth to live and that he did that with bells and whistles like it should be done. Loud, colorful, messy, and whole. May he Rest In Peace. What a life. Some parts are unexpected (yes, even for Rick!) so be prepared!

[N · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great Summer read- escapist fun, full of Rock and Roll, and anecdotes about celebrities, and of course living in the fast lane. Rick James' is the quintessential cautionary tale of celebrity, drugs, debauchery, prison, and redemption. Filled with a supporting cast of characters featuring Prince, Teena Marie, Benny Medina, Berry Gordy, his long suffering mother; and cameos of musicians and movie stars galore- Linda Blair is a lover at one point; it's an entertaining read that's both poignant and outlandish to say the least.

[LiteraryMarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me preface this review by saying I am a fan of the super freak, Rick James. I jam to his music. In fact, I am listening to Bustin' Out and Dance Wit Me on repeat while writing this review. I miss his live performances and interviews. The man was the punk funk master! Him and Teena Marie were the best collaboration since peanut butter and jelly. So it was only fitting that I read Rick James' confessions. What better time than during Black History Month? So let's get into the review.

Rick James penned his memoir in 1993 while sitting in a 6x8 cell in the Los Angeles County Jail. He dedicated it to "all the Super Freaks, Super Geeks, and Super Tweaks." The memoir starts from the beginning. He was born James Ambrose Johnson Jr. in 1948. He was the third oldest of eight children. It goes on to tell one of his happiest memories, when he lost his virginity at the age of nine, and even when he started chippieing (messing around with drugs). The memoir of course also describes his music career. All of his songs are about personal experiences and feelings.

Rick James' childhood, fame, drug use, felony convictions and rendezvous with women are discussed in this tell-all. All of the names and events in the book are true. He doesn't change names to protect the innocent because he simply didn't give a motherfuck.

The Confessions of Rick James is everything you imagine it would be. C'mon, it is the Memoirs of a Super Freak! Enough said.

Literary Marie of Precision Reviews

[Kimberly Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm more than midway this book, and I always respected Rick James for the artist he was, and I have even more respect for him than I did! He definitely was a musical icon of his generation, and the funny thing for me is that when I read his words, I can actually hear his voice in my mind, and it's so cool, because Rick was that type of artist. He is telling it all in this book, and I love it.

And what impresses me even more is that he didn't hire a real author to write this book, HE, himself, wrote this book, and I think he did a pretty damn good job thus far. I've finally gotten to the point where he talks about meeting Teena Marie for the first time. This is really a good book. I'm so glad I found it at the book store. I love biographies. It always intrigues me to find out how people got to where they are or were!

As with Marvin Gaye's life story, this story made me sad too because I know he is no longer with us, but what a life Rick led. I'm so proud of his accomplishments and I'm thankful he is finally at peace and not fighting the demon of drugs anymore!

I miss Rick lots, but his music will live on forever! You did the damn thang, Rick!

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

In between smoking thousands of dollars of crack every week, and having sex with at least half the women he met, Rick James made some damn fine music. I was hoping for more insight into his musical process. He gives some, but pretty quickly gets back to the next crack binge or special connection to a woman. Despite his many obvious flaws, James does come off as someone to root for, even though the hopeful ending of his actual memoir is undercut by the afterword by Linda Hunt, his longtime assistant and friend, who says he never did stop drugs for long. James' memory is also not necessarily to be relied upon - he claims to have been influenced by Stevie Wonder when James was 9, but Stevie was only 7 then, and a few years away from his first record. Also, little asides like the part where he says Donny Osmond was a good friend certainly make me wonder why there isn't more information on that.

[Felicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

okay... you can really tell that Rick was high ALL THE TIME... (Cocaine is a TERRIBLE drug).

Being an avid Prince addict, lets just say I wanted to visit Rick's grave and pour something else on it besides liquor.

you can tell this was written while in prison by the writing style, which was fine - the sad part is how much drugs tainted this talented person's mind. he couldn't get timelines right but then i thought to myself most people under the influence wouldn't be able to. it would have been nice if he worked with an author to help him write it, I think it would have went over much better.

[Robyn Obermeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy birthday Rick! This was a great read and full of stories! And the photos are good too.Never knew the Neil Young, Steven Stills connections!He did some crazy things, and left us a true story of a real artist who must have been a good lover!

[Michelle Tuite · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading 2020
Book 124: The Confessions of Rick James: Memoirs of a Super Freak by Rick James

Had no idea this book existed. My brother was taking it on vacation to "read" and he mentioned it to me. I got tired of waiting for him to read it and send me his impressions, so I got a copy for myself. Have I missed anything Jennifer Spino Roke.

Rick James lead an interesting life with so many twists and turns, interesting people in and out of his life also. What is true in this book or embellished for the reader's enjoyment is unclear. Rick at one point escapes the Navy brig after he went AWOL (absent without leave) to Canada during the Vietnam War. He, by his own telling, does lots of drugs, has lots of sex, and meets lots of famous people. It was a wild ride of a book.

This maybe a little know thing about me, I enjoy funk music. As the book chronicled the songs that made Rick famous I played each one. "You and I", "Mary Jane", "Give It to Me Baby", and of course "Super Freak", to name a few (my favs). The book gets 4 plus star reviews on both Amazon and Goodreads. Hmmmm. The book was not well written, there needed to be some further editing. The book also seems to be redundant in each chapter. Rick meets some people, they hang out, maybe Rick goes to their house to do drugs, he might live with them, or they give him money, he meets a hot girl, next chapter. Then mix in some jail time, some dissersion to Canada, and some music and there is the book. Glad I read it, but it was not great. My rating 3 ⭐️ for the sheer craziness of it all.

[Ay Dree · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true fan and person familiar with his mannerisms, demeanor, and personality would appreciate this book. This book is read as a story being told while sitting around reminiscing. This is one of those sitting on the front porch or in the kitchen reminiscing about “the good ol days” type reads.
I went from “OMG” moments with his military experience to laughing out loud at his reaction to different situations to hoping for a positive outcome in difficult situations to cheerleading for change at some of the lowest points in his life to being optimistic and understanding about his life toward the end.
People like to point out the grammar and spelling errors which are clear to see. Once you get past those… the book is worth the read and the opportunity to see life from James Ambrose Johnson Jr’s perspective.
I’m telling you… if “my-life-was-a-movie” was a person… it would have been Rick James.

[SunSeaAir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was never that big of a Rick James fan, but I surely enjoyed many of his songs. After reading his memoir, I have a newfound admiration for his outlook on life and his artistry. This book is exactly what you want in a rock memoir: name dropping, raw honesty, fascinating stories, introspection, and lots of photos.

The editing wasn't great as there were some names mispelled, and many of the photos left many people unidentified.

While there were some vulnerable and embarrassing moments revealed, it also felt a little like RJ made himself out to be more adored than he was.

Nonetheless, RJs free spiritedness and straightforward manner made for a good read.

[DaBoneZone · Rating 5 out of 5]

**If you like this book, definitely check out Bobby Womack’s ‘Midnight Mover’ bio**

Hilarious bio and hilariously poorly put together. Super interesting and read it in 2 days. Regardless, one of, if not, THE most entertaining book i’ve ever read. The transition between authors in the first 2/3 versus the last 1/3 is laughable lol who cares because the enjoyment is off the charts. What a legend.

[Kalisto Nanen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Confessions of Rick James: Memoirs of a Super Freak (Paperback) by Rick James is a candid, no-holds-barred look into the life and career of the legendary funk and soul musician. Written in his own words, it’s an engaging account of his rise to fame and fortune, as well as his struggles with addiction and personal demons. While there are some areas that could have been explored in more depth, overall the book provides an honest and entertaining look at the life of this enigmatic artist.

[Henry Stoop]

Ricks scrappy early life including draft dodging to Canada and playing in a band called the mynah birds with Neil Young was great to have eyes opened to. Rest was the highs and lows of music industry without anything uniquely human to say... he’s a better song writer than writer writer. Best feature is his ongoing disdain for the weasley Prince.

[Jesse Flood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rick James played with some of the greats in his early years, before becoming big on his own in the 80s. He helped produce the Mary Jane girls and Eddie Murphy. I found his interaction with Prince to be funny. Addiction led to prison, which led to this book. A good read.

[Angelic Reign · Rating 3 out of 5]

Other than some of the editing errors, I throughly enjoyed reading the journey of the legendary Rick James. I thought his feelings about Prince was a bit shady.

[Drea Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes Rick was a true legend and I learned so much from reading this book. He kept it real and the confessions were awesome.

[Mickey McIntosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has some grammatical errors, but other than that, this is one of the best music biographies out there. Rick managed to be everywhere and met everybody. This is not sugarcoated but very real.

[Marsha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't say this book was well written (it was so poorly edited it was pathetic), nor even entertaining. It was like a graphic car wreck from which you couldn't turn away. It was rude, crude, even pornographic in parts, but terribly sad and riveting at the same time. It took me weeks to read--I can usually devour a book in several hours--because you can't stomach too much at one time (both due to content and the horrible mistakes rampant in the book). A sad life, a sad man. If you want to get the lowdown on Rick James, stick to VH1's Behind the Music or better yet, google him and watch some videos on YouTube. Definitely not for the queasy and extremely foul language and graphic details abound. I warned you!

[Rahim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a great book to read -- I had no idea Rick James had such a huge connection to Toronto or with Neil Young and Joni Mitchell and others. Don't expect to get any great insights from this other than a view into one messed up 'freak' life. The writing style is pretty basic - almost unedited - which makes it feel more real. He wrote this while he was in jail and his self reflecting/pity comes through. I found it sad to see that he didn't seem to know happiness or contentment despite obviously being able to attract so many people. I found it fascinating to read all the different stories and encounters he had even before he was super famous.

[Ternelljade]

He never got to finish it. He even implied there may have been another book had he lived. His last wife does the last chapter.

I enjoyed reading about Rick James from his point of view, esp after everything I've seen and heard. I also found out a lot of stuff I never knew about him...I didn't know that he was on the West Coast and knew Neil Young or Jim Morrison. I never knew Salvador Dali drew Rick James on a napkin either. I wish he'd held onto it, I'd have loved to see the drawing...Anyway, an amazing read.

[Aubrei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rick is one funny dude! He has his strong opinions (i.e Swedish women), but I take it as 'his' opinions. No need to get sensitive. Rick loves to talk, and the book is very lengthy, but an easy read to say the least. He is a very funny, intuitive, sensitive, women-loving, coke snorting, Studio 54 going, pulling pranks on singer Prince every chance he got, joint rolling guy. If you want a great laugh with a touch of music industry wisdom from a vet, read this book!

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this interesting. Do not expect a literary masterpiece. I did feel that I was reading a book written by a real live person and not a writer which made it more real for me. As a big Rick James fan it made me sad to see how someone so musically talented self-destructed. As always I am reminded that money can't buy you love - or respect.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow-Rick James had a fascinating life. This book needed an editor. It's a shame because this had the potential to be a good book but it's put together so carelessly that the material suffers. That said, I learned a lot, specifically about his musical provenance, which was varied and extensive. Overall I found reading it enjoyable.

[TaTanisha (TaTaLuvs2Read) · Rating 4 out of 5]

All I can say is "WOW", Rick really was a super freak. Interesting book that I couldn't put it down but not sure everything Rick said was actually reality or if he was just high on something. But a good read.

[Juan M. Romero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was always a fan of Rick James and when my cousin let me borrow the book I had to check it out. Dude lived a wild life, took a stand on his beliefs and played with Neil Young when coming up. Fascinating people always have a good story to tell.