Ever watch Chapelle's Show on Comedy Central? Apparently he's having an unintended impact on a Hattiesburg Mississippi City Council race:

Rick James is the name of both a Hattiesburg City Council candidate and the flamboyant singer of the 1981 hit "Super Freak," who died last August just as he was poised to make a comeback.

The self-described "king of punk funk," jailed later in his career for drug abuse and violence against women, is the subject of a recurring skit on the Comedy Central cable-TV hit "Chappelle's Show," in which host Dave Chappelle, dressed as the singer, acts bizarrely and randomly shouts out "I'm Rick James, b*tch!"

According to the New York Post, people in Hattiesburg have been stealing "Vote Rick James" signs at such a rate that the aspiring city councilman's wife has asked Comedy Central for compensation.
...
"Young children on bikes scream, 'I'm Rick James, b*tch!' as we drive by in our car with our 'Rick James' car signs," she states. "People even drive by our home and scream, 'Super Freak.'"

If he doesn't want the association... maybe he should run as Richard James instead. I'm suddenly reminded of a scene from Office Space:

Michael Bolton: Yeah, well at least your name isn't Michael Bolton.
Samir: You know there's nothing wrong with that name.
Michael Bolton: There was nothing wrong with it... until I was about 12 years old and that no-talent ass clown became famous and started winning Grammys.
Samir: Why don't you just go by Mike instead of Michael?
Michael Bolton: No way. Why should I change? He's the one who sucks.