Will the documentary Bitchin’: The Sound And The Fury Of Rick James be nominated for an Oscar or an Emmy?

 

 

 

Will Victory Boyd miss out on any other opportunities because she does not have the COVID-19 vaccine?

A documentary about the life of Rick James is coming to Showtime soon. Sacha Jenkins has directed Bitchin’: The Sound and Fury of Rick James. The film looks at James’s career and his triumph as the King of Punk-Funk in the ’80s. There is rare performance footage, interviews with friends, colleagues and recorded interviews with James. “Super Freak,” “Mary Jane” and “Give It To Me Baby” were the hits that established his wild man image in pop culture. He also became just as known for the songs he wrote for Teena Marie, The Mary Jane Girls, Eddie Murphy, The Temptations and Smokey Robinson. By the early ’90s, James had faded away because of legal problems connected to his drug use. 

MC Hammer sampled “Super Freak” for his 1990 hit “U Can’t Touch This” and gave James his biggest presence on the charts after his career peaked. 

In 2004 a new generation was introduced to him thanks to Charlie Murphy’s celebrity stories on Chappelle’s Show. Rick James on Dave Chappelle became its own moment (I’m Rick James B*&+&!) and just as he became popular again he passed later that year. 

Bitchin’: The Sound and Fury of Rick James premiered at the Tribeca Festival Tuesday. Showtime purchased the rights to the film but no air date has been revealed. 

 

A biopic about the late funk icon Rick James is reportedly in the planning stages according to thejasminebrand.com. James was a formidable force in music during the late ’70s and was one of the biggest stars of the ’80s. He was responsible for hits like “Super Freak” and “Cold Blooded” and he wrote and produced songs for Teena Marie, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, The Mary Jane Girls and Eddie Murphy. He had a famous rivalry with Prince in 1980 when he took him on tour as his opening act only to later accuse him of stealing his style. 

In the ’90s James was no longer in the spotlight because of his excessive rock and roll lifestyle that had him addicted to drugs and getting into trouble with the law. Dave Chappelle brought him back to the mainstream in the 2000s with the late Charlie Murphy on his skit comedy show. James passed in 2004 at the age of 56 and his posthumous album, Deeper Still was released in 2007. The biopic is in the pre-production stage and no director or cast has been named yet. 

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TV One kicks off its Unsung series for 2015 with Rick James tracing the evolution of his artistry from being a free-spirited rocker until he found success at Motown as funk/ r&b pioneer.