‘There’s a lot to unpack’: the dark, difficult life of Rick James

In a new documentary, the defining funk artist's ups and many downs are examined with a clear eye and a lack of sugar-coating

In the jarring new music documentary, Bitchin: The Sound and Fury of Rick James, we see a star torn in half. On the one hand, there's the Rick James who created some of the most popular, distinct and outrageous funk music of the late 70s and early 80s. On the other, there's a man so lost to his desire for sex, drugs and recognition that his life became an obstacle course laced with landmines. Rick set up a situation where it would be tough not to have a bad outcome," said the film's director, Sacha Jenkins. It could not have been easy to be Rick James."

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