to handle both worlds.... when we say crossover today..or in the 90's it meant a certain thing but in the 70's and 80's you could cross over doing pretty much straight R&B ...there was enough going on in R&B to make moves wherever....Stevie Wonder...Earth Wind and Fire ..artists like that were making huge R&B records that were perfect for radio formats back then that played whatever the hip music at the time was happening.....whether it be pop/rock/R&B or even disco....

Rick coming out of that era ..the climate was right for him to hit big, and he had the talent to do it.

I'll compare him to Sly Stone in that he was a super funky artist who also made an in-road to another sub-genre without really compromising the funkiness.... Sly I think stands alone as far as making Funky music and making pop music....a super innovator in both....Prince came on later to do it but Sly had it mastered first... Rick did a similar thing with Funk and R&B.... he had powerful R&B vocals..I mean he was basiclly Eddie Levert on his vocals..making funk that could reach towards Pfunk, and R&B that was as cold as the Ojays and the like...