Super Freak
Three Temptations sang backup on Rick James' signature hit -- and its bassline would go on to make more money for James a second time, nine years later, as someone else's No. 1.
By Song Reviews · September 10, 2026
Greatest of All Time!Three Temptations sang backup on Rick James' signature hit -- and its bassline would go on to make more money for James a second time, nine years later, as someone else's No. 1.
Rick James recorded “Super Freak” for 1981’s Street Songs, co-written with L.A. DJ Alonzo Miller, who reportedly toned down James’s more explicit improvised lyrics and earned a co-writing credit for the edit. The background vocals belong to three members of the Temptations – Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin, and Richard Street – a Motown legacy act singing behind a record built on the kind of “punk-funk” sound that had little to do with the label’s classic era. It peaked at No. 16 on the Hot 100, No. 3 on the Hot Soul Singles chart, and No. 1 on Dance Club Play.
The record’s afterlife is the more interesting story. In 1990, MC Hammer sampled “Super Freak”’s bassline wholesale for “U Can’t Touch This,” which meant James received a songwriting credit on someone else’s single nine years after his own – and, by most accounts, more than a million dollars plus a share of Hammer’s 1991 Grammy. The song that made Rick James famous the first time made him money a second time as someone else’s chart-topper, off the same bassline, without him writing a new note.
Greatest of All Time. – a funk landmark that paid its writer twice, the second time as somebody else’s No. 1.
Hero image: “Super Freak” French 7” single cover, 1981, Gordy Records (Motown). Used under fair use for editorial commentary.