I had always been a free spirit, and always gotten what I wanted..

That girl is pretty kinky, the girl's a super-freak, I'd really like to taste her..

I'm finally locked into the now, and it's great..

After I saw Kiss on stage, I wanted my show to look like the fourth of July. The persona of Rick James was wild and crazy, sex, drugs and rock and ro….

I don't think the white establishment will ever respect or appreciate a black man who speaks the truth..

My music is pretty honest. I can't rap on science fiction. Punk is from the street..

I wanted to play the Apollo Theater because I didn't think I was going to be on the earth long..

When I'm about Rick James, it's all about get out there and kill 'em..

I'm trying to change the root of funk, trying to make it more progressive, more melodic and more lyrically structured..

I'm really not tailored for responsibility..

You can't have rock and roll without drugs, you can't have rock and roll without sex..

I think the people are just looking for freedom in music...There's a lot of she-bop she-bop going on out there. Maybe they're tired of that same old ….

I decided to build up my band in Buffalo because Buffalo was where I had originally built up my own musical strength..

I didn't even think I would make it that long. I thought I would drug overdose, like Jimi Hendrix. I thank God every day to even be here..

If I told you Jesus Christ was black you're going to be afraid of me because I'm telling you the truth. That's where I always come from..

I believe everything happens under God's plan anyway..

Whether you're rich or poor, life's still cold-blooded..

I wanted my show to look like the fourth of July..

KISS hammered home the importance of high drama...I decided to design my show with the same goal; I wanted my fans to remember my show for the rest o….

I mean, Rick James was just a man-made image, the image I created. Just trying to live Rick James almost killed me..

I went to India, lived, and studied..