An official trailer for the upcoming Rick James documentary has been unveiled – check it out below.
Bitchin’: The Sound and Fury of Rick James, promising an “intimate yet propulsive look at Rick James, one of rock, funk and R&B’s most legendary and often under-appreciated figures”, premieres on Showtime in the US next month. Judging by the trailer, the upcoming documentary aims to portray an accurate account of James’ outspoken influence – good and bad – on the evolution of popular music.
Bitchin': The Sound and Fury of Rick James [Official Trailer]
James died in 2004, leaving a complicated legacy in his passing. The controversial star was well-known for his massive 1980s hits, like Superfreak and Give It to Me, which were among the first Black music videos to receive high-rotation airplay on MTV, blazing a path for the sexually upfront stage moves of Prince and the R&B-pop fusion of Michael Jackson. As a songwriter and producer, James collaborated with some of music's biggest names, including Joni Mitchell, Smokey Robinson and Nile Rodgers.
Rick James | Super Freak
However, his musical legacy is often overshadowed by the dark depths of the star’s personal life, which was fueled by drug abuse and sexual exploits and ultimately saw James jailed for sexual misconduct in the 1990s.
Bitchin’: the Sound and Fury of Rick James, directed and written by hip-hop journalist Sacha Jenkins, premieres on Showtime next month.
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