(LP) PRINCE - Diamonds And Pearls / 4 LP Deluxe Edition Set / NEW

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(LP) PRINCE - Diamonds And Pearls / 4 LP Deluxe Edition Set / NEW

Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016), known mononymously as Prince, was an American singer, songwriter, musician, dancer, actor, and filmmaker. Often being credited as one of the greatest musicians of his generation, he pioneered the Minneapolis sound and was influential in the evolution of various other genres.[7]

Prince was raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He signed a record deal with Warner Bros. Records at the age of 18, and released his first album, For You, two years later. He achieved critical success with his albums Dirty Mind in 1980, Controversy in 1981, and 1999 in 1982. In 1984, Prince became the first singer to simultaneously have a number-one film, album and single in the United States, with the film Purple Rain, the Purple Rain soundtrack, and the year's best-selling single, "When Doves Cry". The album, recorded with his new backing band the Revolution, spent 24 consecutive weeks atop the United States Billboard 200 chart[8] and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score. After disbanding the Revolution, Prince released his first solo double LP in 1987, Sign o' the Times, widely considered his greatest work and one of the greatest albums of all time.[9][10][11]

In 1993, in the midst of a contractual dispute with Warner Bros., Prince changed his stage name to the unpronounceable symbol , known to fans as the "Love Symbol". Prince was often referred to as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince (TAFKAP), or simply the Artist.[12] After signing a contract with Arista Records in 1999, Prince reverted to his original name in 2000 and continued releasing albums, including the double Grammy Award-winning Musicology in 2004. He released 39 albums during his life, while still having a vast array of unreleased material.[13] On April 21, 2016, at the age of 57, Prince died at his Paisley Park home and recording studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota, after accidentally overdosing on counterfeit hydrocodone/paracetamol pills which were laced with fentanyl.

Prince sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists. His awards include the Grammy President's Merit Award, the American Music Awards for Achievement and of Merit, the Billboard Icon Award, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2016, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2024, and twice into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame in 2022.

Early life

Prince Rogers Nelson was born at Mount Sinai Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on June 7, 1958, to jazz singer Mattie Della (née Shaw) and pianist and songwriter John Lewis Nelson.[14][15] All four of Prince's grandparents were from Louisiana.[16] The jazz drummer Louis Hayes was his paternal cousin.[17]

Prince was named after his father's most popular stage name, Prince Rogers, which was used while performing with Della in a jazz group named the Prince Rogers Trio.[18] In 1991, Prince's father told A Current Affair that he named his son "Prince" because he wanted Prince "to do everything I wanted to do".[19] Prince was not fond of his name during his childhood and called himself "Skipper" instead.[18][20][21] Prince said he was "born epileptic" and had seizures when he was young. He stated, "my mother told me one day I walked in to her and said, 'Mom, I'm not going to be sick anymore,' and she said, 'Why?' and I said, 'Because an angel told me so.'"[22] Prince's younger sister, Tyka, was born on May 18, 1960.[23][24] Both siblings developed a keen interest in music, which was encouraged by their father.[25] His parents were both members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a Protestant Church.[26]

Prince wrote his first song, titled "Funk Machine", on his father's piano when he was seven years old.[25] When he was ten, his parents divorced. His mother remarried Hayward Baker, with whom she had a son named Omarr. Prince had a fraught relationship with Omarr, to the extent that it caused him to repeatedly switch homes, sometimes living with his father and sometimes with his mother and stepfather.[25][27] Baker took Prince to see James Brown in concert, with Prince crediting Baker with improving the family's finances. After a brief period of living with his father, who bought him his first guitar, Prince moved into the basement of the Anderson family, who were his neighbors, after his father threw him out.[28] He befriended the Andersons' son, André Cymone, who would later work with Prince.[29]

Prince briefly attended Minneapolis's Bryant Junior High,[30] after which he moved to Central High School, where he played football, basketball, and baseball. He played on Central's junior varsity basketball team and continued to recreationally play basketball as an adult.[30][31] He was trained in classical ballet at the Minnesota Dance Theatre through the Urban Arts Program of Minneapolis Public Schools.[32] Prince became an advocate for dancers, and used his wealth to save the failing Joffrey Ballet in Chicago during the 1990s.[33][34]

Career

1975–1980: Beginnings and breakthrough

In 1975, Pepe Willie, the husband of one of Prince's cousins, formed the band 94 East with Marcy Ingvoldstad and Kristie Lazenberry, hiring André Cymone and Prince to record tracks.[35][36] Willie wrote the songs, with Prince contributing guitar tracks, both of them co-writing "Just Another Sucker".[37] The band recorded tracks which later appeared in the album Minneapolis Genius – The Historic 1977 Recordings.[37] In 1976, shortly after graduating from Central High School, Prince created a demo tape with producer Chris Moon, in Moon's Minneapolis studio.[38] Unable to secure a recording contract, Moon brought the tape to Owen Husney, a Minneapolis businessman. Husney signed Prince, then aged 19, to a management contract, and helped him create a demo at Sound 80 Studios in Minneapolis, with producer/engineer David Z.[39][40] The demo recording, along with a press kit produced at Husney's ad agency, resulted in interest from several record companies, including Warner Bros. Records, A&M Records, and Columbia Records.[41]

With the help of Husney, Prince signed a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records in 1977.[42] The record company agreed to give Prince creative control for three albums and retain his publishing rights.[43][44] Husney and Prince then left Minneapolis and moved to Sausalito, California, where Prince's first album, For You, was recorded at Record Plant Studios. The album was mixed in Los Angeles and released on April 7, 1978.[45] According to the For You album notes, Prince wrote, produced, arranged, composed, and played all 27 instruments on the recording, except for the song "Soft and Wet", whose lyrics were co-written by Chris Moon. Prince used the Prince's Music Co. to publish his songs. In the United States, "Soft and Wet" reached No. 12 on the Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 92 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song "Just as Long as We're Together" reached No. 91 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.[46]

Around this time, a side enterprise that Prince began to pursue involved a then-teenage singer Sue Ann Carwell, where Prince hoped to mold her career as a solo artist after hearing her talented performances in the Minneapolis R&B scene. However, Carwell resisted his suggestion that she use the name "Susie Stone".[47][48] Recordings he had been working on with her for a projected 1978 album, including "I'm Saving It Up", "Make It Through the Storm", "Since We've Been Together" and "Wouldn't You Love To Love Me?", went unreleased.[49][50] Carwell was subsequently signed by Warner Bros. Records.[49]

In 1979, Prince formed his first band, with André Cymone on bass, Dez Dickerson on guitar, Gayle Chapman and Doctor Fink on keyboards, and Bobby Z. on drums. Their first show was at the Capri Theater on January 5, 1979. Warner Bros. executives attended the show but decided that Prince and the band needed more time to develop their music.[51] On October 19, 1979, Prince released the album Prince, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Top R&B/Black Albums chart and No. 22 on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum. It contained two R&B hits: "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover", the latter of which sold more than a million copies, reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, and stayed at No. 1 for two weeks on the Hot Soul Singles chart. Prince performed both songs on The Midnight Special on January 8, 1980,[52][53] and then on American Bandstand on January 26.[54]

1980–1983: Dirty Mind, Controversy and 1999

In 1980, Prince released the album Dirty Mind, which contained sexually explicit material, including the songs "Head" and "Sister", and was described by Stephen Thomas Erlewine as a "stunning, audacious amalgam of funk, new wave, R&B, and pop, fueled by grinningly salacious sex and the desire to shock".[55] Recorded in Prince's studio, this album was certified gold, with the single "Uptown" reaching No. 5 on the Billboard Dance chart and No. 5 on the Hot Soul Singles chart. Prince was also the opening act for Rick James' 1980 Fire It Up tour.[56] In February 1981, Prince made his first appearance on Saturday Night Live, performing "Partyup". In October 1981, Prince released the album Controversy. He played several dates in support of it, as the first of three opening acts for the Rolling Stones, on their United States tour. In Los Angeles, Prince, who appeared in a trench coat and black bikini briefs, was forced off the stage after just three songs by audience members throwing trash at him.[57][58] The songs on Controversy were published by Controversy Music[59] – ASCAP, a practice he continued until the Emancipation album in 1996. Controversy also marked the introduction of Prince's use of sensational spelling, such as writing the words "you" as "U", "to" as "2", and "for" as "4". By 2002, MTV News noted that "now all of his titles, liner notes, and Web postings are written in his own shorthand spelling, as seen on 1999's Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, which featured 'Hot Wit U.'"[60]

In 1981, Prince formed a side project band called The Time. The band released four albums between 1981 and 1990, with Prince writing and performing most of the instrumentation and backing vocals—sometimes being credited under the pseudonyms "Jamie Starr" or "The Starr Company"—with lead vocals by Morris Day.[61][62]

In late 1982, Prince released a double album, 1999, which sold more than four million copies.[63][64] The title track was a protest against nuclear proliferation and became Prince's first top 10 hit in countries outside the United States. Prince's "Little Red Corvette" was one of the first two videos by black artists—along with Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean"—played in heavy rotation on MTV, which had been perceived as against "black music" until CBS President Walter Yetnikoff threatened to pull all CBS videos.[65][66] Prince and Jackson had a competitive rivalry which lasted for many years.[67] The song "Delirious" also placed in the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "International Lover" earned Prince his first Grammy Award nomination at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards.[68]

1984–1987: Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day and Parade

Starting with the release of 1999, the backing band for Prince would be referred to as the Revolution.[69][70] The band's name was printed in reverse on the cover of 1999 inside the letter "I" of the word "Prince".[71] The band consisted of Lisa Coleman and Doctor Fink on keyboards, Bobby Z. on drums, Brown Mark on bass, and Dez Dickerson on guitar. Jill Jones, a backing singer, was also part of the lineup for the 1999 album and tour.[71] Following the tour, Dickerson left the group for religious reasons.[72] In the book Possessed: The Rise and Fall of Prince (2003), author Alex Hahn says that Dickerson was reluctant to sign a three-year contract and wanted to pursue other musical ventures. Dickerson was replaced by Coleman's friend Wendy Melvoin.[69] At first, the band rarely played in studio recordings, but this gradually changed during 1983.[71][72][73]

According to his former manager Bob Cavallo, in the early 1980s, Prince required his management to obtain a deal for him to star in a major motion picture, even though his exposure at that point was limited to several pop and R&B hits, music videos and occasional TV performances. In 1984, this resulted in the hit film Purple Rain—which starred Prince and was loosely autobiographical—and the eponymous studio album, which was also the soundtrack to the film.[70] The album Purple Rain sold more than 13 million copies in the United States and spent 24 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The film won Prince an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score[74] and grossed more than $68 million in the US,[75][76] or $211 million in 2025 dollars.[77] It is regarded as one of the greatest musical films of all time.[78][79] Songs from the film were hits on pop charts around the world; "When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, with the title track reaching No. 2.[80] At one point, Prince simultaneously had the No. 1 album, single, and film in the United States,[81] being the first person to achieve this feat.[82] The album is ranked 8th in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time",[83] and is also included on the list of Time's All-Time 100 Albums.[84] The album also produced two of Prince's first three Grammy Awards earned at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.[68]

In 1984, pop artist Andy Warhol created the painting Orange Prince. Warhol was fascinated by Prince and ultimately created a total of twelve unique paintings of him in different colorways, all of which were kept in Warhol's personal collection.[85] Four of these paintings are now in the collection of The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. In November 1984,Vanity Fair published Warhol's portrait to accompany the article Purple Fame[86] by Tristan Fox, and claimed that Warhol's silkscreen image of Prince with its pop colors captured Prince "at the height of his powers".

After Tipper Gore heard her 11-year-old daughter Karenna listening to Prince's song "Darling Nikki"—which gained wide notoriety for its sexual lyrics and a reference to masturbation—she founded the Parents Music Resource Center.[87] The center advocated the mandatory use of a warning label, now known as Parental Advisory, on the covers of records that have been judged to contain language or lyrical content unsuitable for minors. The recording industry later voluntarily complied with this request.[88]

In 1985, Prince released Around the World in a Day, which held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 for three weeks. From that album, the single "Raspberry Beret" reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Pop Life" reached No. 7.[80]

In 1986, his album Parade, the soundtrack for the movie Under the Cherry Moon released in the same year, reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the R&B charts. The first single, "Kiss", reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.[80] In the same year, the song "Manic Monday", written by Prince and recorded by the Bangles, reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart.

Although the Parade album went platinum and sold two million copies,[89][90] the film received a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture, tied with Howard the Duck, and Prince received Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Director, Worst Actor, and Worst Original Song for the song "Love or Money".[91][92] Some critics later re-evaluated Under the Cherry Moon after Prince's death and declared it a cult classic, comparing it to films such as 8½, Casablanca and It Happened One Night.[93][94][95]

In 1986, Prince began a series of live performances called the Parade Tour.[a] After the tour, Prince disbanded the Revolution and fired Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman.[70] Brown Mark also quit the now-unnamed backing band, with only keyboardist Doctor Fink remaining. Following this, Miko Weaver, Atlanta Bliss, and Eric Leeds would join the band.[72]

1987–1989: Sign o' the Times and Lovesexy

Before disbanding the Revolution, Prince was working on two separate projects, an album with The Revolution titled Dream Factory, and a solo album named Camille.[96] Unlike the three previous band albums, Dream Factory included input from the band members and featured songs with lead vocals by Wendy & Lisa.[96] The Camille project saw Prince create a new androgynous persona primarily singing in a sped-up, female-sounding voice. With the dismissal of the Revolution, Prince consolidated material from both shelved albums, along with other songs, into a three-LP album to be titled Crystal Ball.[97] Warner Bros. forced Prince to trim the triple album to a double album, releasing Sign o' the Times on March 31, 1987.[98]

The album peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.[98] The first single, "Sign o' the Times", charted at No. 3 on the Hot 100.[99] The follow-up single, "If I Was Your Girlfriend", charted at No. 67 on the Hot 100 and reached No. 12 on R&B chart.[99] The third single, "U Got the Look", a duet with Sheena Easton, charted at No. 2 on the Hot 100 and No. 11 on the R&B chart,[99] and the final single, "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man", charted at No. 10 on Hot 100 and No. 14 on the R&B chart.[99] Sign o' the Times was named the top album of the year by the Pazz & Jop critics' poll and sold 3.2 million copies.[100] In Europe, it performed well, with Prince promoting the album with a lengthy tour. Putting together a new backing band from the remnants of the Revolution, Prince added bassist Levi Seacer Jr., keyboardist Boni Boyer, and dancer/choreographer Cat Glover[101] with drummer Sheila E.[102] to the band, with Miko Weaver, Doctor Fink, Eric Leeds, Atlanta Bliss, and the Bodyguards (Wally Safford and Greg Brooks) remaining in the band for the Sign o' the Times Tour.[103]

The Sign o' the Times tour was a success overseas, with Warner Bros. and Prince's managers wanting to bring it to the United States to promote sales of the album.[104][105] Prince did not approve of a full United States tour, as he was ready to produce a new album.[104] As a compromise, the last two nights of the tour were filmed for release in movie theaters. The film quality was deemed subpar, and reshoots were performed at Prince's Paisley Park studios.[104] The film Sign o' the Times was released on November 20, 1987. The film got better reviews than Under the Cherry Moon, but its box-office receipts were minimal, and it quickly left theaters.[105]

The next album intended for release was The Black Album.[106] More instrumental and funk- and R&B-themed than previous albums,[107] The Black Album also saw Prince experiment with hip hop on the songs "Bob George" and "Dead on It". Prince was set to release the album with a monochromatic black cover with only the catalog number printed, but after 500,000 copies had been pressed,[108] Prince had a spiritual epiphany that the album was "evil" and had it recalled.[109] Surviving vinyl copies of the album have sold for upwards of $10 thousand.[110] The Black Album was re-released in 1994.

Prince went back in the studio for eight weeks and recorded Lovesexy. Released on May 10, 1988, Lovesexy serves as a spiritual opposite to the dark The Black Album.[111] Every song is a solo effort by Prince, except " No", which was recorded with his backing band. Lovesexy reached No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and No. 5 on the R&B albums chart.[112] The lead single, "Alphabet St.", peaked at No. 8 on the Hot 100 and No. 3 on the R&B chart,[98] selling 750,000 copies.[113] Prince again took his post-Revolution backing band, excluding the Bodyguards, on a three-leg, 84-show Lovesexy World Tour; although the shows were well-received by huge crowds, they failed to make a net profit due to the expensive sets and props.[114][115]

1989–1991: Batman and Graffiti Bridge

In 1989, Prince appeared on Madonna's studio album Like a Prayer, co-writing and singing the duet "Love Song" and playing electric guitar without being credited on the songs "Like a Prayer", "Keep It Together", and "Act of Contrition". He also began work on several musical projects, including Rave Unto the Joy Fantastic and early drafts of his Graffiti Bridge film,[116][117] but both were put on hold when he was asked by Batman director Tim Burton to record several songs for the upcoming live-action movie adaptation. Prince went into the studio and produced an entire nine-track album, which was released on June 20, 1989.

The album Batman peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200,[118] selling 4.3 million copies.[119] The single "Batdance" topped the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts.[98] The single "The Arms of Orion", with Sheena Easton, charted at No. 36, and "Partyman" charted at No. 18 on the Hot 100 and at No. 5 on the R&B chart, while the love ballad "Scandalous!" went to No. 5 on the R&B chart.[98] Prince had to sign away all publishing rights to the songs on the album to Warner Bros. as part of the deal to do the soundtrack.[120]

In 1990, Prince went back on tour with a revamped band for his back-to-basics Nude Tour. With the departures of Boni Boyer, Sheila E., the Horns, and Cat, Prince brought in keyboardist Rosie Gaines, drummer Michael Bland, and dancing trio the Game Boyz (Tony M., Kirky J., and Damon Dickson). The European and Japanese tour was a financial success with a short, greatest hits setlist.[121] In 1990, Prince finished production on his fourth film, Graffiti Bridge, and its eponymous soundtrack. Initially, Warner Bros. was reluctant to fund the film, but with Prince's assurances it would be a sequel to Purple Rain, as well as the involvement of the original members of the Time, the studio greenlit the project.[122]

Released on August 20, 1990, the album reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and R&B albums chart.[123] The single "Thieves in the Temple" reached No. 6 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on the R&B chart,[98] with "Round and Round" placing at No. 12 on the United States charts and No. 2 on the R&B charts. The song featured the teenage Tevin Campbell, who also had a role in the film, on lead vocals. The film, released on November 20, 1990, was a box-office flop, grossing $4.2 million.[124] Miko Weaver and Doctor Fink, the last remaining members of the Revolution, would leave Prince's band shortly after.[125]

1991–1996: Name change, Diamonds and Pearls and The Gold Experience

1991 began with a performance in Rock in Rio II,[126] marking the debut of Prince's new band, the New Power Generation. With guitarist Miko Weaver and long-time keyboardist Doctor Fink leaving, Prince added bass player Sonny T., keyboard player Tommy Barbarella, and a brass section known as the Hornheads to the band, to go along with Levi Seacer, who would be taking over on guitar, Rosie Gaines, Michael Bland, and the Game Boyz.[127] With significant input from his band members, Diamonds and Pearls was released on October 1, 1991. Reaching No. 3 on the Billboard 200 album chart,[128] Diamonds and Pearls saw four hit singles released in the United States. "Gett Off" peaked at No. 21 on the Hot 100 and No. 6 on the R&B charts, followed by "Cream", which gave Prince his fifth United States No. 1 single. The title track "Diamonds and Pearls" became the album's third single, reaching No. 3 on the Hot 100 and the top spot on the R&B charts. "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" peaked at No. 23 and No. 14 on the Hot 100 and R&B charts respectively.[129] The album Diamonds and Pearls would sell more than 2 million copies in the United States.[130]

In 1992, following the success of Diamonds and Pearls, Prince renewed his contract with Warner Bros., agreeing to what was reportedly a $100 million deal to release six more albums with the label.[131] In October, Prince released his 14th studio album, being the second to feature the New Power Generation. It bore only an unpronounceable symbol on the cover, which would later be copyrighted under the title "Love Symbol #2".[132] It was preceded by the releases of the singles "Sexy MF" and "My Name Is Prince", which reached No. 66 and No. 36 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100. The third single, "7", would peak at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.[129] The album, later referred to as Love Symbol, peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200[133] and went on to sell 2.8 million copies worldwide, falling short of expectations.[134]

In 1993, in rebellion against Warner Bros., which insisted upon releasing Prince's enormous backlog of music at a steady pace,[135][136] Prince formally adopted the symbol as his stage name.[132] To use the symbol in print media, Warner Bros. organized a mass mailing of floppy disks with a custom font including the symbol.[137] At this time, Prince was often referred to as "the Artist Formerly Known as Prince", or simply "the Artist".[12] That year, Warner Bros. released a greatest hits compilation with the three-disc The Hits/The B-Sides in 1993. The first two discs were also sold separately as The Hits 1 and The Hits 2. The collection features the majority of Prince's hit singles, and several previously hard-to-find recordings, including B-sides from across Prince's career and previously unreleased tracks such as the Revolution-recorded "Power Fantastic" and a live recording of "Nothing Compares 2 U" with Rosie Gaines. Two new songs, "Pink Cashmere" and "Peach", were chosen as promotional singles.

In 1994, Warner Bros. allowed the single "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" to be released via independent distributor Bellmark Records in February. The release reached No. 3 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 in many other countries. Prince began to release albums in quick succession as a means of releasing himself from his contractual obligations to Warner Bros. This led to the previously aborted Black Album being given a limited official release seven years after its initial recording. Prince pushed to have his next two albums, Come and The Gold Experience, released simultaneously. Warner Bros. accepted both albums, but delayed the release of The Gold Experience, fearing market saturation. In retaliation, Prince began making public appearances with "slave" written on his face.[58] The Gold Experience would not be released until September 1995.

In 1996, the album Chaos and Disorder was released. Prince submitted another album, titled The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale, to Warner Bros. that same year, completing his contract with the label. He would leave the label that same year,[138] though the album would not be released until 1999.[139]

1996–2000: Emancipation, Crystal Ball and Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic

Free of any further contractual obligations to Warner Bros., Prince attempted a major comeback later that year with the release of Emancipation, a 36-song, three-CD set, with each disc being exactly 60 minutes long. The album was released via his own label, named NPG Records, with distribution through EMI. Emancipation was certified Platinum by the RIAA. It is the first Prince record featuring covers of other artists' songs. Prince covered Joan Osborne's top ten hit song of 1995 "One of Us",[140] Thom Bell and Linda Creed's "Betcha by Golly Wow!",[141] James Allen Shamblin II and Michael Barry Reid's " Can't Make You Love Me",[142] and Thom Bell and William Hart's "La-La (Means I Love You)".[143]

Prince released Crystal Ball, a five-CD collection of unreleased material, in 1998. The distribution of this album was disorderly, with some fans pre-ordering the album on his website up to a year before it was shipped; these pre-orders were delivered months after the record had gone on sale in retail stores. The retail edition has only four discs, as it is missing the Kamasutra disc.[144] Newpower Soul was released three months later.[145]

In 1999, Prince once again signed with a major label, Arista Records, to release a new record, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic.[146] The pay-per-view concert, Rave Un2 the Year 2000, was broadcast on December 31, 1999, and consisted of footage from the December 17 and 18 concerts of his 1999 tour. The concert featured appearances by guest musicians, including Lenny Kravitz, George Clinton, Jimmy Russell, and the Time. It was released to home video the following year.[125]

2000–2004: Internet releases and Musicology

On May 16, 2000, Prince stopped using the Love Symbol as his name, since his publishing contract with Warner Bros. had expired.[147] For several years following the release of Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, Prince primarily released new music through his Internet subscription service, NPGOnlineLtd.com, which later became NPGMusicClub.com.[148] The albums released during this period include remix album Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic and The Rainbow Children in 2001, One Nite Alone... in 2002, and Xpectation in 2003.[149][150][151][152]

In 2001, Warner Bros. released a second compilation album, The Very Best of Prince, containing most of his commercially successful singles from the 1980s.[153] In 2002, Prince released his first live album, One Nite Alone... Live!, which features performances from the One Nite Alone...Tour. The three-CD box set also includes a disc of "aftershow" music entitled It Ain't Over!.[154]

On February 8, 2004, Prince appeared at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards with Beyoncé.[29][155] In a performance that opened the show, they performed a medley of "Purple Rain", "Let's Go Crazy", "Baby I'm a Star", and Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love".[156] The following month, Prince was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[157] The award was presented to him by Alicia Keys along with Big Boi and André 3000 of OutKast.[158] As well as performing a trio of his own hits during the ceremony, Prince also participated in a tribute to fellow inductee George Harrison in a rendering of Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", playing a two-minute guitar solo that ended the song.[159][160][161] He also performed the song "Red House" as "Purple House" on the album Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix.[162]

In April 2004, Prince released Musicology through a one-album agreement with Columbia. The album rose as high as the top five on some international charts, including the US, UK, Germany, and Australia. The United States chart success was assisted by the CDs being included as part of the concert ticket purchase, thereby qualifying each CD to count toward United States chart placement.[163] Three months later, Spin named him the greatest frontman of all time.[164] That same year, Rolling Stone magazine named Prince as the highest-earning musician in the world, with an annual income of $56.5 million,[165] largely due to his Musicology Tour, which Pollstar named as the top concert draw among musicians in the US. He played 96 concerts; the average ticket price for a show was US$61 (equivalent to US$104 in 2025). Musicology went on to receive two Grammy wins, for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "Call My Name" and Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for the title track. Musicology was also nominated for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Album, and "Cinnamon Girl" was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Rolling Stone ranked Prince No. 27 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[166]

2005–2007: 3121

In April 2005, Prince played guitar, along with En Vogue singing backing vocals, on Stevie Wonder's single "So What the Fuss", Wonder's first since 1999. In late 2005, Prince signed with Universal Music Group to release his album, 3121, on March 21, 2006. The first single was "Te Amo Corazón", the video for which was directed by actress Salma Hayek and filmed in Marrakesh, Morocco, with the video featuring Argentine actress and singer Mía Maestro. The video for the second single, "Black Sweat", was nominated at the MTV VMAs for Best Cinematography. The immediate success of 3121 gave Prince his first No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200 with the album.

To promote the new album, Prince was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live on February 4, 2006, 17 years after his last SNL appearance on the 15th-anniversary special, and nearly 25 years since his first appearance on a regular episode in 1981.[167] At the 2006 Webby Awards on June 12, Prince received a Webby Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his "visionary use of the Internet to distribute music and connect with audiences", exemplified by his decision to release his album Crystal Ball (1998) exclusively online.[168][169]

In July 2006, weeks after winning a Webby Award, Prince shut down his NPG Music Club website, after more than five years of operation.[170][171] On the day of the music club's shutdown, a lawsuit was filed against Prince by the British company HM Publishing, who were the then-owners of the Nature Publishing Group, which was also abbreviated as NPG. Despite these events occurring on the same day, Prince's attorney stated that the site did not close due to the trademark dispute.[170] Prince appeared at multiple award ceremonies in 2006: on February 15, he performed at the 2006 Brit Awards, along with Wendy & Lisa and Sheila E.,[172] and on June 27, Prince appeared at the 2006 BET Awards, where he was awarded Best Male R&B Artist. Prince performed a medley of Chaka Khan songs for Khan's BET Lifetime Achievement Award.[173]

In November 2006, Prince was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame;[29] he appeared to collect his award but did not perform. Also in November 2006, Prince opened a nightclub called 3121, in Las Vegas at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino. He performed weekly on Friday and Saturday nights until April 2007, when his contract with the Rio ended.[174] On August 22, 2006, Prince released Ultimate, a greatest-hits album. The double-disc set contains one CD of previous hits, and another of extended versions and mixes of material that had largely only previously been available on B-sides. That same year, Prince wrote and performed a song for the hit animated film Happy Feet (2006). The song, "The Song of the Heart", appears on the film's soundtrack, which also features a cover of Prince's earlier hit "Kiss", sung by Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. In January 2007, "The Song of the Heart" won a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.[175]

2007–2010: Super Bowl XLI show, Planet Earth and Lotusflower

On February 4, 2007, Prince played at the Super Bowl XLI halftime show in Miami, on a large stage shaped like his symbol. The event was carried to 140 million television viewers, his biggest-ever audience.[176] His 12-minute performance in the rain began with an intro of the Queen song "We Will Rock You" and concluded with "Purple Rain".[177] In 2015, Billboard ranked it the greatest Super Bowl performance ever.[178]

Prince played 21 concerts at the O2 Arena in London during the Earth Tour in mid-2007. Tickets for the 20,000-capacity venue were capped by Prince at £31.21 ($48.66). Featuring Maceo Parker in his band, Prince's residency at the O2 Arena was increased to 15 nights after all 140,000 tickets for the original seven sold out in 20 minutes,[179] before it was then further extended to 21 nights.[180]

Prince performed with Sheila E. at the 2007 ALMA Awards. On June 28, 2007, the Mail on Sunday stated that it had made a deal to give Prince's new album, Planet Earth, away for free with the paper, being the first to publish it. This sparked controversy among music distributors and also led the UK arm of Prince's distributor, Sony BMG, to withdraw from distributing the album in UK stores.[181] The UK's largest high street music retailer, HMV, stocked the paper on release day due to the giveaway. On July 7, 2007, Prince returned to Minneapolis to perform three shows. He performed concerts at the Macy's Auditorium on Nicollet Mall, the Target Center arena, and First Avenue.[182][183]

On April 25, 2008, Prince performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, where he debuted a new song, "Turn Me Loose". Days after, he headlined the 2008 Coachella Festival. Prince was paid more than $5 million for his performance at Coachella, according to Reuters.[184] Prince canceled a concert, planned at Dublin's Croke Park on June 16, 2008, at 10 days' notice. In October 2009 promoters MCD Productions went to court to sue him for €1.6 million to refund 55,126 tickets. Prince settled the case out of court in February 2010 for $2.95 million.[185][186] During the trial, it was said that Prince had been offered $22 million for seven concerts as part of a proposed 2008 European tour.[187] In October 2008, Prince released a live album entitled Indigo Nights, a collection of songs performed live at aftershows in the O2 Arena.

Prince premiered four songs from his new album on LA's Indie rock radio station Indie 103.1 on December 18, 2008.[188] The radio station's programmers Max Tolkoff and Mark Sovel had been invited to Prince's home to hear the new rock-oriented music. Prince gave them a CD with four songs to premiere on their radio station. The music debuted the next day on Jonesy's Jukebox, hosted by former Sex Pistol Steve Jones.[189]

On January 3, 2009, the new website LotusFlow3r.com was launched; streaming and selling some of the recently aired material and concert tickets. On January 31, Prince released two more songs on LotusFlow3r.com: "Disco Jellyfish", and "Another Boy". "Chocolate Box", "Colonized Mind", and "All This Love" were later released on the website. Prince released a triple album set containing the album Lotusflow3r, MPLSoUND, and an album credited to Bria Valente, called Elixer, on March 24, 2009, followed by a physical release on March 29.

On July 18, 2009, Prince performed two shows at the Montreux Jazz Festival, backed by the New Power Generation, including Rhonda Smith, Renato Neto and John Blackwell. On October 11, 2009, he gave two surprise concerts at the Grand Palais in Paris.[190] On October 12, he gave another surprise performance at La Cigale. On October 24, Prince played a concert at Paisley Park.[191]

2010–2016: Final albums

In January 2010, Prince wrote a new song, "Purple and Gold", inspired by his visit to a Minnesota Vikings football game against the Dallas Cowboys.[192] The following month, he let Minneapolis–St. Paul public radio station 89.3 The Current premiere his new song "Cause and Effect" as a gesture in support of independent radio.[193]

In 2010, Prince was listed in Time's annual ranking of the "100 Most Influential People in the World".[194] He released a new single on Minneapolis-St. Paul radio station 89.3 The Current called "Hot Summer" on June 7, his 52nd birthday. The same month, Prince appeared on the cover of the July 2010 issue of Ebony magazine,[195] and he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 BET Awards.[196]

Prince released his album 20Ten in July 2010 as a free covermount with publications in the UK, Belgium, Germany, and France.[197] He refused album access to digital download services and closed LotusFlow3r.com. On July 4, 2010, Prince began his 20Ten Tour, a concert tour in two legs, with shows in Europe. The second leg began on October 15[198] and ended with a concert following that year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 14.[199] The second half of the tour had a new band, with John Blackwell, Ida Kristine Nielsen, and previous band member Sheila E.[200] Prince let radio station Europe 1 debut the snippet of his new song "Rich Friends" from the new album 20Ten Deluxe on October 8, 2010.[201] He embarked on the Welcome 2 Tour on December 15, 2010.[202] Prince was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame on December 7, 2010.[203]

Prince presented Barbra Streisand with an award and donated $1.5 million to charities on February 12, 2011.[204] On the same day, it was reported that he had not authorized the television show Glee to cover his hit "Kiss", in an episode that had already been filmed.[205] Prince headlined the Hop Farm Festival on July 3, 2011, marking his first UK show since 2007 and his first-ever UK festival appearance.[206] Despite having previously rejected the Internet for music distribution, on November 24, 2011, he released a reworked version of the previously unreleased song "Extraloveable" through both iTunes and Spotify.[207] Purple Music, a Switzerland-based record label, released a CD single titled "Dance 4 Me" on December 12, 2011, as part of a club remixes package including the Bria Valente CD single "2 Nite" released on February 23, 2012. The CD features club remixes by Jamie Lewis and David Alexander, produced by Prince.[208]

In January 2013, Prince released a lyric video for a new song called "Screwdriver".[209] In April 2013, Prince announced a West Coast tour titled Live Out Loud Tour with 3rdeyegirl as his backing band.[210] The final two dates of the first leg of the tour were in Minneapolis-St. Paul, where former Revolution drummer Bobby Z. sat in as guest drummer on both shows.[211] In May, Prince announced a deal with Kobalt Music to market and distribute his music.[212] On August 14, 2013, Prince released a new solo single for download through the 3rdeyegirl.com website.[213] The single "Breakfast Can Wait" had cover art featuring comedian Dave Chappelle's impersonation of him, from a 2004 second-season Chappelle's Show comedy sketch on Comedy Central.[214]

In February 2014, he performed concerts with 3rdeyegirl in London titled the Hit and Run Tour. Beginning with intimate shows, the first was held at the London home of singer Lianne La Havas, followed by two performances of what Prince described as a "sound check" at the Electric Ballroom in Camden,[215] and another at Shepherd's Bush Empire.[216] On April 18, 2014, Prince released a new single entitled "The Breakdown". He re-signed with his former label, Warner Bros. Records after an 18-year split.[217] Warner announced that Prince would release a remastered deluxe edition of Purple Rain in 2014 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the album. In return, Warner gave Prince ownership of the master recordings of his recordings with the company.[218][219]

In February 2014, Prince began what was billed as his "Hit N Run Part One" tour. This involved Prince's Twitter followers keeping an avid eye on second-by-second information as to the whereabouts of his shows. Many of these shows would only be announced on the day of the concert, and many of these concerts involved two performances: a matinée and an evening show. These shows began at Camden's Electric Ballroom, billed as "Soundchecks", and spread throughout the UK capital to KoKo Club, in Camden, Shepherd's Bush Empire and various other small venues. After his London dates, he moved on to other European cities. In May 2014, Prince began his "Hit N Run Part Two" shows, which followed a more normal style of purchasing tickets online and being held in music arenas. In Spring 2014, he launched NPG Publishing, a music company to administer his own music and that of other artists without the restrictions of mainstream record companies.[220]

In May 2015, following the killing of Freddie Gray in police custody and the subsequent riots, Prince released a song, "Baltimore", in tribute to Gray and in support of the protesters in that city.[221][222][223][224] He also held a tribute concert for Gray at his Paisley Park estate called "Dance Rally 4 Peace" in which he encouraged fans to wear the color gray in honor of Freddie Gray.[225] On May 10, he performed a special concert at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore called "Rally 4 Peace", which featured a special appearance by Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby, and one set performed by Prince alone at a keyboard.[226]

Prince's penultimate album, Hit n Run Phase One, was first made available on September 7, 2015, on the music streaming service Tidal before being released on CD and for download on September 14.[227] His final album, Hit n Run Phase Two, was meant as a continuation of this, and was released on Tidal for streaming and download on December 12, 2015.[228] In February 2016, Prince embarked on the Piano & A Microphone Tour, a tour that saw his show stripped back to only him and a custom piano on stage. He performed a series of warm-up shows at Paisley Park in late January 2016 and the tour commenced in Melbourne, Australia, on February 16, 2016, to critical acclaim.[229] The Australian and New Zealand legs of the tour were played in small-capacity venues, including the Sydney Opera House. Hit n Run Phase Two CDs were distributed to every attendee after each performance. The tour continued to the United States but was abruptly cut short by illness in April 2016.[230]