*Rival R&B/Funk titans Prince and Rick James maintained a rivalry that was both professional and personal (and let’s face it, petty). But both can cite April 7th as a seminal date in their respective careers.
On this day in 1978, Prince released his debut album “For You,” which reached #163 on Billboard’s album chart, housed his first Hot 100 entry, “Soft and Wet,” which peaked at #92, and launched a career that placed him among legends in the game.
Three years later, Rick James would put out his fifth, yet most successful album, “Street Songs,” which peaked at No. 3 on Billboard’s album chart, No. 1 on its R&B album chart, fueled by such tracks as “Super Freak” and “Fire and Desire,” and cemented his place among legends in the game.
Prince’s first single didn’t start out as the version we have all come to know from the album. Thanks to releases from his estate, we’re able to hear just how the track evolved from its birth.
And that all led to this…
And all that was just eight years removed from this…
The year Prince released his third album “Controversy” in 1981, Rick James gifted us with the masterpiece “Street Songs,” a plump, audio feast that went on to nourish future generations with its timeless grooves and tracks ripe for sampling.
And all of that album’s success heightened the fame that prompted this…
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