The Soul of the ‘80s
More Than a Meme: He’s Rick James, Bitch!
And for a year, he was king
“I’m Rick James, bitch!”
From the moment it was proclaimed by Dave Chappelle in his now-iconic 2004 “True Hollywood Stories” sketch, a faded icon of an under appreciated sub-genre was immortalized.
“I’m Rick James, bitch!”
It’s the most repeated catchphrase in the history of sketch comedy, yes, but its cultural resonance extends beyond mere tagline. It represents an attitude, a philosophy, a post-modern tao of defiantly flamboyant self-actualization. It embodies the singular swagger of Rick James himself.
In the sketch, the late Charlie Murphy recounts some of James’ most irreverent episodes. The vignettes are re-enacted by Chappelle and punctuated with commentary from James. It proved a perfect homage and, ultimately, send-off for the funk troubadour, who died later in the year. Still, I felt ambivalent when the sketch aired. I worried that it would reduce James, already a colorful character, to a cartoonish caricature.
By 2004, James’ rich legacy had already been largely condensed to his arrest for one of the entertainment industry’s most salacious crimes, the sample behind a Hammer novelty hit, and the tongue-in-cheek crossover smash…
