The late Rick James on his prison stay: "After my conviction, I was sent to Folsom. I was moved into a private part of the prison, the "Rich House," because the warden knew a lot of people would be trying to get to me, but in the end, pretty much everyone loved me. These thug life motherfukkers would come over and start in talking shyt and I would talk shyt right back to them."
"I ended up having all the shot-callers real close to me and they put a blanket of love around me. The Mexican Mafia, the 415, the Crips and the Bloods, even the Aryan Race. I had heard the Mexicans had a hit out on me, so I called the head Mexican Mafia shot caller to my cell and he said, "I've been in prison 25 years and your music helped me get through this shyt, I ain't gonna let anyone touch you man. I'd kill one of our people if they fukked with you."
"Many of the guards hated me, but I just told them, "fukk with me and I'll have your ass. I'm too fukking rich and I have a cousin in Congress, so go ahead and fukk with me." They had bets going; who was going to be the first to write me up, send me to detention, shoot me accidentally."
"But soon, even the CO's were growing fond of me. "One of the females smuggled me in a tape recorder that recorded, so I could write and record. Another female officer would smuggle my tapes back out. When I wanted it, I could get steak, escargot, champagne. The female prison guards loved me, the CO motherfukkers even loved me and the rednecks loved me. A few times, I even sent fruit baskets to their old ladies in the street after my people found out their addresses.