This is the discography documenting albums and singles released by American funk/R&B singer/musician Rick James.
Albums
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Certifications[1] | Record label | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [2] | US R&B [3] | AUS [4] | CAN [5] | NLD [6] | NZ [7] | SWE [8] | UK [9] | ||||
| 1978 | Come Get It! | 13 | 3 | — | 35 | — | — | — | — | Gordy | |
| 1979 | Bustin' Out of L Seven | 16 | 2 | — | 16 | — | — | — | — | ||
| Fire It Up | 34 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1980 | Garden of Love | 83 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981 | Street Songs | 3 | 1 | 76 | 24 | 19 | 13 | — | — |
| |
| 1982 | Throwin' Down | 13 | 2 | — | 32 | 41 | 16 | — | 93 |
| |
| 1983 | Cold Blooded | 16 | 1 | — | 67 | — | — | 48 | — |
| |
| 1985 | Glow | 50 | 7 | — | 89 | 36 | — | — | — | ||
| 1986 | The Flag | 95 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988 | Wonderful | 148 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Reprise | |
| 1989 | Kickin' | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997 | Urban Rapsody | 170 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Private I | |
| 2007 | Deeper Still | 185 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Stone City | |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified | |||||||||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Record label | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [2] | US R&B [3] | CAN [5] | ||||
| 1984 | Reflections | 41 | 10 | 96 | Gordy | |
| 1994 | Bustin' Out: The Best of Rick James | — | — | — | Motown | |
| 1997 | Ultimate Collection | — | — | — | ||
| 2000 | The Millennium Collection: The Best of Rick James | — | — | — | ||
| 2002 | Anthology | — | — | — | ||
| 2004 | Greatest Hits | — | — | — | ||
| 2005 | Gold | — | — | — | ||
| The Millennium Collection: The Best of Rick James, Vol. 2 | — | — | — | |||
| 2006 | The Definitive Collection | — | — | — | ||
| 2014 | The Complete Motown Albums | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart | ||||||
Albums credited to The Stone City Band
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Record label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [2] | US R&B [3] | |||
| 1980 | In 'N' Out | 122 | 30 | Gordy |
| 1981 | The Boys Are Back | — | 53 | |
| 1983 | Out from the Shadow | — | 56 | |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart | ||||
Albums recorded as sideman
- Bruce Palmer – The Cycle Is Complete (1970) (vocals and percussion)
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [10] | US R&B [11] | US Dance [12] | AUS [4] | NLD [6] | NZ [7] | UK [9] | ||||
| 1974 | "My Mama" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | rowspan="2" | |
| 1976 | "Get Up and Dance" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978 | "You and I" | 13 | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | 46 | Come Get It! | |
| "Mary Jane" | 41 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Hollywood" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1979 | "High on Your Love Suite" | 72 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | Bustin' Out of L Seven | |
| "Bustin' Out" | 71 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Fool on the Street" | — | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Love Gun" | — | 13 | 32 | — | — | — | — | Fire It Up | ||
| 1980 | "Come into My Life (Part 1)" | — | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Big Time" | — | 17 | 38 | — | — | — | 41 | Garden of Love | ||
| "Summer Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1981 | "Give It to Me Baby" | 40 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 47 | Street Songs | |
| "Super Freak" | 16 | 3 | 26 | 3 | 4 | — | ||||
| "Ghetto Life" | 102 | 38 | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Fire and Desire" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1982 | "Standing on the Top (Part 1)" (with The Temptations) | 66 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 53 | Throwin' Down | |
| "Dance wit' Me (Part 1)" | 64 | 3 | 7 | — | 48 | — | 53 | |||
| "Hard to Get" | — | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "She Blew My Mind (69 Times)" | — | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Teardrops" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Throwdown" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1983 | "Cold Blooded" | 40 | 1 | 17 | — | — | — | 93 | Cold Blooded | |
| "U Bring the Freak Out" | 101 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Ebony Eyes" (with Smokey Robinson) | 43 | 22 | — | — | — | — | 96 | |||
| 1984 | "17" | 36 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 76 | Reflections | |
| "You Turn Me On" | — | 31 | — | — | — | — | 89 | |||
| 1985 | "Can't Stop" | 50 | 10 | 9 | — | — | — | — | Glow | |
| "Glow" | 106 | 5 | 1 | — | 9 | — | 80 | |||
| "Spend the Night with Me" | — | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1986 | "Sweet and Sexy Thing" | — | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | The Flag | |
| "Forever and a Day" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1988 | "Loosey's Rap" (featuring Roxanne Shanté) | — | 1 | 25 | — | 29 | — | 80 | Wonderful | |
| "Wonderful" | — | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Sexual Luv Affair" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1989 | "This Magic Moment"/"Dance with Me" (medley) | — | 74 | — | — | — | — | — | Rock, Rhythm & Blues | |
| 1997 | "Player's Way" (featuring Snoop Dogg & Bobby Womack) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Urban Rapsody | |
| "Turn It Out" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2004 | "On the Run" (with Bump J) | — | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006 | "In the Ghetto" (with Busta Rhymes) | — | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | The Big Bang | |
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart | ||||||||||
Writing and production discography
Albums
| Year | Artist | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Notes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [14] | US R&B [15] | CAN [16] | NZ [17] | AUS [18] | UK [19] | ||||||||
| 1979 | Teena Marie |
| 94 | 18 | — | — | — | — | Rick James produced and wrote all the songs on the album | ||||
| 1982 | Bobby Militello | Rick James Presents Bobby M – Blow
| — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1983 | Mary Jane Girls |
| 56 | 6 | — | — | — | 51 |
| Rick James produced and wrote all the songs on the album | |||
| 1985 | Mary Jane Girls |
| 18 | 5 | 67 | 28 | — | — |
| Rick James produced and wrote all the songs on the album | |||
| Val Young | Seduction
| — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| Eddie Murphy |
| 26 | 17 | — | — | — | — |
| Rick James produced and wrote two songs on the album | ||||
2014 (recorded 1986) | Mary Jane Girls | Conversation
| — | — | — | — | — | — | Rick James produced and wrote all the songs on the album | ||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||||||
Singles
| Year | Artist | Title | Peak chart positions | Certification | Album | Notes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [21] | US R&B [21] | US Dan [21] | AUS [22] | BEL [23] | CAN [16] | IRE [24] | NLD [25] | NZ [17] | UK [19] | |||||||
| 1983 | Mary Jane Girls | "Candy Man" | 101 | 23 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 60 | Mary Jane Girls | Rick James wrote and produced all these songs | ||
| "All Night Long" | 101 | 11 | — | — | — | 18 | — | — | 13 | |||||||
| "Boys" | 102 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 74 | |||||||
| 1984 | "Jealousy" | 106 | 84 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1985 | "In My House" | 7 | 3 | 1 | 19 | 8 | 6 | — | 6 | 6 | 77 | Only Four You | ||||
| "Wild and Crazy Love" | 42 | 10 | 3 | — | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Break It Up" | — | 79 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| Eddie Murphy | "Party All the Time" | 2 | 8 | 19 | 21 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 87 | How Could It Be | ||||
| "How Could It Be" (with Crystal Blake) | — | 63 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1986 | Mary Jane Girls | "Walk Like a Man" | 41 | 91 | — | — | 26 | 97 | — | — | 49 | — | Conversation | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||||
Videography
Video albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| The Best of Rick James | |
| Rick James at Rockpalast |
|
| I'm Rick James - The Definitive DVD |
|
Music videos
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | "Give It to Me Baby" | Street Songs |
| 1981 | "Super Freak" | |
| 1982 | "Hard to Get" | Throwin' Down |
| "She Blew My Mind (69 Times)" | ||
| "Throwdown" | ||
| 1983 | "Ebony Eyes" (with Smokey Robinson) (original and edited versions) | Cold Blooded |
| 1985 | "Glow" | Glow |
| 1988 | "Loosey's Rap" (with Roxanne Shanté) | Wonderful |
| "Wonderful" | ||
| 1989 | "This Magic Moment"/"Dance with Me" (medley) | Rock, Rhythm & Blues |
Collaborations in music videos
| Year | Title | Other Performer | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | "Standing on the Top" | The Temptations | Reunion |
| 1985 | "Party All the Time" | Eddie Murphy | How Could It Be |
| 2006 | "In the Ghetto" | Busta Rhymes | The Big Bang |
References
- ^ "Rick James US certifications history". riaa.com. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
- ^ "Rick James Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ "Rick James Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated ed. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 154. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ Canada, Library and Archives (2013-07-17). "Results: RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
- ^ "Dutch Charts – dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
- ^ "charts.org.nz – New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
- ^ "swedishcharts.com – Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
- ^ "Rick James – Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
- ^ "Rick James Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
- ^ "Rick James Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
- ^ "Rick James Chart History: Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
- ^ "Super Freak". 16710-5383-1. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ "Eddie Murphy Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- ^ "Eddie Murphy Chart History – R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- ^ "CAN Charts > Mary Jane Girls". RPM. Archived from the original on 2017-08-24. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
- ^ "NZ Charts > Rose Royce". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated ed. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 212. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "UK Charts > Mary Jane Girls". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
- ^ Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ "Mary Jane Girls Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
- ^ David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "BEL Charts > Mary Jane Girls". VRT Top 30. Archived from the original on 2012-04-09. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
- ^ "IRE Charts Search > Mary Jane Girls". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
- ^ "NLD Charts > Mary Jane Girls". MegaCharts. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
- ^ "Party All the Time" (single). Archived 2021-08-01 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 23, 2017.