Rick James net worth
what is rick james net worth?
Rick James is an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. At the time of his death, Rick James had a net worth of $250,000. If Rick survives another year or two, with the rise of streaming services and eventual music catalog sales, he’ll experience an incredible financial surprise, which we’ll get into in more detail later.
According to court documents released shortly after his death, Rick’s estate was valued at just $250,000 at the time of his death. Rick was known for his extravagance during his lifetime. For much of the 1990s, Rick famously spent $7,000 a week on cocaine, which he later described as “a drug.” He has also spent millions in legal battles, including paying a multimillion-dollar settlement to a woman who accused him of assault. At the time of his death, Rick James was living in a humble apartment in Burbank, California.
Rick James rose to prominence in the 1970s as an artist for the famed Motown Records.
His debut solo album “Come Get It!” was released in 1978. His 1980 album “Street Songs” spent 78 weeks on the US R&B charts, 20 of which were number one. The album would be James’ biggest hit thanks to the signature songs “Mary Jane” and “Super Freak.” He never reached the same heights during this period, but he remained a well-respected musician and solo artist until a stroke in 1998 left him almost in seclusion. “Super Freak” was heavily sampled on MC Hammer’s 1990 hit “U Can’t Touch This.” The song earned them a Grammy for Best R&B Song, but only after James won the honor through a lawsuit. This is the only time James has won a Grammy. Rick James died on August 6, 2004, after a brief resurgence in popularity due to his appearance on the popular Chappelle show.
catalog sales
Rick’s heirs may be disappointed by the value of his father’s estate when he died, but he did leave them an extremely valuable asset: the rights to his songs. Decades after his death, Rick’s music continues to be played millions of times a year and sampled by popular artists. The most popular sample was on MC Hammer’s song “U Can’t Touch This”. Hammer’s song was not released as a single at first, so fans had to buy the entire album to hear “U Can’t Touch This”. As a result, Hammer’s albums went on to sell over 18 million copies worldwide.
In November 2020, Rick’s heirs sold a 50% stake in his father’s publishing catalog to the Hipgnosis Songs Fund for an undisclosed amount. The sale includes a 50% stake in Rick’s recorded music masters, a writer’s stake, adjacent rights and rights to 97 songs. Comparable catalog sales for the same period exceeded $100 million. To be sure, Rick’s catalog sales are valued at around $100 million.
early life
James was born on February 1, 1948 in Buffalo, New York, as James Ambrose Johnson Jr. His father, James, was an auto worker, while his mother, Mabel, was a dancer and later a number runner. The couple had eight children together, and the father left when James was only 10 years old.
James was exposed to music and art due to his mother’s work, and he started playing music at an early age. James attended Orchard Park High School and Bennett High School, but eventually dropped out. He struggled with many vices from an early age, was introduced to drugs in middle school and was arrested for teen burglary. After going in and out of prison several times, James joined the U.S. Navy at age 15 and lied about his age to avoid being drafted into the military. During this time, he played in local jazz bands in New York City. He was ordered to go to Vietnam because he missed the naval reserve meeting he requested. James then fled to Toronto in 1964.
Profession
After moving to Toronto, James met a man named Levin Helm, who played in Ronnie Hawkins’ backing band. The two became friends, a relationship that helped James get involved in Toronto’s music scene. At the time, his name was Ricky James Matthews to avoid detection by the U.S. military. James formed the soul rock group Mynah Birds and recorded briefly with Columbia Records’ Canadian division. The band traveled to Detroit to work with Motor City Records, where James met some of his musical heroes – Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. It was Wonder who suggested that James shorten his name to Rick James.
In 1966, Motown learned of James’ fugitive status in the Navy and stated that they would not release more of his music until he resolved legal issues. He eventually turned himself in to the FBI and served five months of hard labor at the Portsmouth Naval Prison. After his release, he began writing and producing songs in Motown for bands such as The Spinners and The Miracles. He moved to Los Angeles and continued to work with and meet many well-known musicians, such as Stephen Stiles, Jim Morrison, and Salt’N’Pepper.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
In 1978, James released his first solo album, “Come Get It!” with Motown Records. The album catapulted James to fame. He quickly released his second and third albums and announced his first headline tour. After a successful tour, he released his fourth and fifth albums, Street Songs, which became his best-selling albums to date. The album featured hits such as “Super Freak” and “Give It to Me Baby”. James also went on to serve as a producer on other shows, including The Temptations, Doo-Rags and Mary Jane Girls. He also appeared in an episode of “The A-Team” and produced music for Eddie Murphy.
James experienced a career decline in the 1990s as he dealt with personal and legal issues. His star status faded for most of the decade, but he re-entered the public eye after appearing on “Chappelle’s Show” in 2004. This gave his career a boost and he started acting again, giving his final performance at the BET Awards in June 2004.
personal life
James has had many serious relationships in his life. He has two children, Tyenza and Rick Jr, with singer/songwriter Syville Morgan. He dated actress Linda Blair from 1982 to 1984, and the couple became pregnant, but Blair opted for an abortion, James wrote in his memoir. In 1989, James met Tanya Hijazi when he was 17 years old. They started dating in 1990 and had a child together, Tazman, in 1993. They married in 1996 and divorced in 2002. James also maintained a close professional, and sometimes romantic, relationship with Tina Marie, with whom he began working in 1979.
James also had a number of notable friendships, including Eddie and Charlie Murphy. He is also friends with Debbie Allen, Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye. Many of his friends were concerned about James’ reputation for partying and living a tough lifestyle. He started using drugs as a teenager and continued into adulthood. His drug use led to health problems and legal problems. In 1991, James and his then-girlfriend Tanya were arrested for holding Frances Allie hostage and torturing her for six days. He was later charged with kidnapping and beating Mary Sorger for 20 hours. Although the torture charges were eventually dropped, James was still found guilty of two counts of kidnapping and sentenced to five years in prison, but was released after serving two years.
On August 6, 2004, James was found dead at his Los Angeles home by his caregivers at the age of 56. Although drugs were found in his system, an autopsy found none of the drugs in concentrations high enough to be life-threatening. they themselves. He is said to have died of pulmonary heart failure due to complications from some of his pre-existing conditions. A public viewing was held for fans before James was buried in Buffalo, New York, followed by a private service in Hollywood. James’ memoir, Confessions of Rick James: Memoirs of a Super Freak, was published in 2007.
