“Rick [James] told me on many occasions that the song ‘Billie Jean’ was actually taken from his song, ‘Ghetto Life’ from his ‘Street Songs’ album,” Jeffre Phillips told Page Six.

On August 4, 2004, James was found dead in his Los Angeles apartment of an apparent pulmonary failure. His vocal presence was completely unmatched at the time and songs like "Ghetto Life ...

Rick James, born James Ambrose Johnson, Jr. and dubbed the King of Funk Punk, passed away suddenly in August 2004 from natural causes, most likely brought on from years of drug use. "We’re trying ...

As his autobiography, “Glow,” proves, Rick James was a Forrest Gump of popular music. 1964: Helps found an R&B-and-folk band, the Mynah Birds, which eventually includes Neil Young.

Rick James, “punk funk” recording artist, provocateur and a Buffalo native deeply embedded in this city’s lore, was paid rich tribute on Friday night when his Stone City Band played the Tralf.

Funk legend Rick James and acclaimed music biographer David Ritz met in 1979 in Marvin Gaye’s studio while Ritz was interviewing Gaye for a biography. Intrigued, James urged Ritz to ...