Rick James

Jamie Lidell: Show Preview

G.O.O.D. Music's Cruel Summer: A First Listen

Kanye West has officially become the bad guy, people. He's rich, he's rude, he's entitled, he's a rock 'n' roll legend who's awaiting a legit artistic backlash any year now, and he's also a smart businessperson. After Taylor Swift-gate and record sales of his third Pazz & Jop-winning "masterpiece" f ... More >>

Sizzle & Fizzle: Highs and Lows from the Last Week in S.F. Music

The Top 15 Most Cocaine-Influenced Albums of All Time, Nos. 15-11

"Cocaine," as Rick James famously said, "is a helluva drug." Yup: The white powder's effects have left an influence that's both sublime and downright hideous on decades of pop music. So what happens when you give already-famous musicians a quick burst of energy, ego, paranoia, and euphoria? Most of ... More >>

Theophilus London: Prophet of His Own Greatness, Demigod of Nothing in Particular

Theophilus London is destined for greatness -- at least if you ask him. The 24-year-old Brooklyn dandy sees in himself all things -- pop prophet, fashion demigod, brand icon -- with some evidence to support those claims. There's something compelling about the rapper/singer's deliberately constructed ... More >>

The Top 50 Songs To Get High To

As you might imagine, combing back numbers of my Listen to This While High column and my own vast library for a reasonable stab at the Fifty Stoniest Songs Ever is a labor and hashish intensive experience. Preliminary fossickings unearthed these half-hundred favorites, many of which may seem unfamil ... More >>

Kreayshawn: Overnight Sensation, White Girl Tourist, New Rap Paradigm?

The rapper herself.​ During a five-day promotional stay in New York City earlier this month, a cab driver ran over Kreayshawn's foot. The unceremonious snub came after the Bay Area-raised rapper spent her time in NYC taking meetings, granting interviews, posing for photos, dealing with 100 deg ... More >>

The Nine Best Revelations From the New Prince Biography

Let me preface this by saying that the new Prince biography isn't especially good, insightful or interesting. Jason Draper pretty much digs through the same scant published interviews that fuel all bios of our Purple Sex Dwarf. Draper appears not to have interviewed anyone himself, and every thir ... More >>

Rick James' Estate Follows Eminem's Lead, Sues UMG Records for "Cheating Artists"

Worth every penny ​Universal Music Group is back in court after a new class-action lawsuit states that the record-label company is ignoring a court order and refusing to pay its artists royalties as owed.The estate of R&B artist Rick James is suing UMG, claiming that the music-recording compan ... More >>

Rick James' Estate Suing Universal Music Group for "Cheating Artists" out of Royalties

Pay up.​Rick James' estate is suing his former record label for allegedly paying far fewer royalties than it says it's owed.In a class-action suit filed in San Francisco, the "Super Freak"'s estate claims Universal Music Group is cheating artists out of "tens of million dollars" every year by givi ... More >>

Ten Albums We Dug That Didn't Get Their Due in 2010

A proposition: Finding gems of underdogs far down in the CD pile is way more fun than picking the best of anything. Look around at most Top 10 Albums lists this year, and you'll likely be bored by the (admittedly warranted) sameness. Glaze over at our Top 10 soon (there will be some surprises!) but ... More >>

Trading Places

Richie Rich's Top 5 Collabs: Rick James, Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, E-40, Too $hort

​Richie Rich's credentials as a Bay Area rap pioneer are surpassed by perhaps only Too $hort. When Rich hit the scene back in the late-'80s as a member of the Oakland-based quintet 415, they scored big with the regional classic "41Fivin." Since then, he's journeyed a career arc that's taken in a s ... More >>

Last Night: Chali 2na, Gift of Gab, & Mr. Lif at the Independent

​Chali 2na, Gift of Gab, & Mr. Lif, hosted by Lyrics Born November 7, 2009 The Independent Better Than: This year's VH1 Hip-Hop Honors Indie hip-hop icons still pack them in up in the Bay Area. On Saturday night, the Independent was dominated by indie artists who have spent more than 15 ... More >>

Are You Ready For A Punk Funk Revolution?

The Punk Funk Mob's PR describes their sound as "the Ramones meets Funkadelic with Betty Davis on vocals." If they come close to attaining even a tenth of that in their debut Yoshi's performance June 15, it will be all gravy, baby. Featuring soulstress Femi on vocals and synth, along with Quincy R ... More >>

Ten Known (and Little-Known) Facts about Neil Young

I'm Neil Young, biatch! 10. His middle name is Percival. (This actually explains his often anguished, tortured voice). 9. Before joining Buffalo Springfield, Young was in the Mynah Birds, a band fronted by future funkster Rick James. It's unclear whether he ever told James, "I'm Neil Young, biatc ... More >>

Oh, Brother

Hey DJ! Friday Q&A: DJ M3

If you've cruised along Upper Market lately, you might've noticed a cool little dance club opened recently right off Octavia, directly across the street from Martuni's. The bar's called the Triple Crown, and it's a cozy, classy spot to soak up your beverages 'n' beats. Adding to Triple's cred is th ... More >>

The Year in Music: 2008's Top Ten Pop Songs

By Annie ZaleskiPop music often gets a bad rap for being disposable or vapid, and in many cases that's true. (Katy Perry, Danity Kane and the Pussycat Dolls, step right up!) But every year, a few irresistible bits of innovative ear candy rocket up the charts and seep into our subconscious. The foll ... More >>

George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic to Play SF NYE Show

Ike Turner Died of Cocaine Overdose

Snoop's Got a New Video and Single and It's Off The Chain

Superbad: Soundtrack Way Funkier Than First Thought

Plugged In’s Ballin'-ass Baller Edition: No shows under 40 bucks, player!

Betty Davis

Betty Davis

The Blow and the Bootie

Funk, Revisited

Luv 'n' Haight's 50th release adds to local music lore

Band of Brothers

Presenting the 27-year career of Stone Vengeance, the most ass-kickin' metal band ever to come out of Bayview-Hunters Point

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

Bang Thy Head Carefully

A survival guide for the summer's more vigorous music festivals

Dance, Dance, Revolution

Hip hop, clowns, and war dances meet on the street in Rize

Family Drama

Oh my godfather!

213

The Hard Way

Get Your Freak On

If you think rapper Dopestyle's debut album is compellingly weird, try talking to the man himself

Restoration Project

At "R_xehab," there's sure to be a cure for whatever ails you

Planet Rock

Break out the dance pants and hide your jewelry: You're about to meet the Crack Emcee

Pop Philosophy

Indie Tunes Apt for Ads You'd Hate

The Mix

Night Tripping

The House of Tudor

To Prison, To Prison

Night + Day

The House of Tudor

Recordings

Boys Will Be Boys

The Book of Lists

SF Weekly contributors salute the best (and worst) music of 1995

Slap Shots