“Punk funk” icon Rick James died last week of a heart attack at the age of 56. Although he was best known for his 1981 single Super Freak (which was later sampled in M.C. Hammer’s hit U Can’t Touch This), James’ career as a composer and producer spanned the ‘70s and ’80s. His (infamous) reputation was to a degree resurrected by an appearance on Chappelle’s Show; it’s a pretty funny episode if you can catch it in a rerun. I hope that he’s remembered as more than a footnote in a TV show, though…
