On April 7, 1981, “Gordy Records” label released “Street Songs”, the fifth Rick James album. It was recorded December 1980 – January 1981, at  the “Record Plant” in Sausalito, California and “Motown / Hitsville U.S.A. Recording Studios” in Hollywood, and was produced by Rick James. In July 1981, the album was certified Platinum in US by “RIIA”.

Personnel:

• Rick James – lead vocals, guitar, bass, drums, timbales, percussion, string and horn arrangements, design concept
• Tom McDermott – guitar, percussion
• Erskine Williams – keyboards, clavinet, organ
• Levi Ruffin Jr – synthesizer, backing vocals
• Oscar Alston – bass, percussion
• Lanise Hughes – drums
• Steve Price – drums
• Armando Peraza, Bugsy Wilcox, Nate Hughes, Raul Rekow – percussion
• Donny Keider – vibraphone
• Daniel LeMelle – alto and tenor saxophone, horns, flute
• Fernando Harkless, Roy Roper – trumpet
• John Ervin – horns, trombone, flute
• Cliff Ervin – horns, trumpet, piccolo flute, flugelhorn
• The Mary Jane Band (JoAnne McDuffy, Lisa Sarna) – singers
• Jane’t DuBois, Jackie Ruffin, Julia Waters Tillman, Lawrence Hilton Jacobs, Levi Ruffin, Jr., Marci Thomas, Maxine Waters Willard, Pattie Brooks, The Mary Jane Band – singers
• Aaron Dublin, California St. Clair, Daniel LeMelle, Levi Ruffin, Jr., Lisa Sarna, Oscar Alston, Teena Marie, Victor Reed – handclaps
• Stone City Band – backing band
• Charles Veal Jr – concertmaster
• Daniel LeMelle – string and horn arrangements
• Reggie Andrews – string arrangements
• Bobby Brooks, Tom Flye – recording, mixing
• Rick Sanches – recording
• Michael Johnson, Tony Autore – engineer assistant
• Johnny Lee – art direction
• Ginny Livingston – design
• Norman Moore – logo design
• Ron Slenzak – photography

Track listing:

All tracks by Rick James, except where noted.

1. Give It to Me Baby
2. Ghetto Life
3. Make Love to Me
4. Policeman
5. Super Freak – Rick James, Alonzo Miller
6. Fire and Desire
7. Call Me Up
8. Below the Funk