Born and raised in Minneapolis, Prince signed a record deal with Warner Bros. Records at the age of 19, soon releasing the albums For You (1978) and Prince (1979). He went on to achieve critical success with the influential albums Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981), and 1999 (1982). His sixth album, Purple Rain (1984), was recorded with his new backing band the Revolution, and was also the soundtrack to the film of the same name in which he starred. Purple Rain garnered continued success for Prince and was a major commercial achievement, spending six consecutive months atop the Billboard 200 chart. The soundtrack also won Prince the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score. After disbanding the Revolution, Prince released the album Sign o' the Times (1987), widely hailed by critics as the greatest work of his career. In the midst of a contractual dispute with Warner Bros. in 1993, he changed his stage name to the unpronounceable symbol logo. Hollow circle above downward arrow crossed with a curlicued horn-shaped symbol and then a short bar (known to fans as the "Love Symbol") and was often referred to as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince (or TAFKAP) or simply The Artist.
After signing with Arista Records in 1998, Prince reverted to his original name in 2000. Over the next decade, six of his albums entered the U.S. top 10 charts. In April 2016, at the age of 57, Prince died after accidentally overdosing on fentanyl at his Paisley Park home and recording studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota. He was a prolific musician who released 39 albums during his life, with a vast array of unreleased material left in a custom-built bank vault underneath his home after his death, including fully completed albums and over 50 finished music videos. He also released songs under multiple pseudonyms during his life, as well as writing songs that were made popular after being covered by other musicians, most notably "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinéad O'Connor and "Manic Monday" by the Bangles. Estimates of the complete number of songs written by Prince range anywhere from 500 to well over 1,000. Released posthumously, his demo albums Piano and a Microphone 1983 (2018) and Originals (2019) both received critical acclaim.
Prince sold over 100 million records worldwide, ranking him among the best-selling music artists of all time. His awards included 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 UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2016, and was inducted twice into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame in 2022.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_(musician)
Studio albums
For You (1978)
Prince (1979)
Dirty Mind (1980)
Controversy (1981)
1999 (1982)
Purple Rain (1984)
Around the World in a Day (1985)
Parade (1986)
Sign o' the Times (1987)
Lovesexy (1988)
Batman (1989)
Graffiti Bridge (1990)
Diamonds and Pearls (1991)
Love Symbol (1992)
Come (1994)
The Black Album (1994)
The Gold Experience (1995)
Chaos and Disorder (1996)
Emancipation (1996)
Crystal Ball (1998)
The Truth (1998)
The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale (1999)
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (1999)
The Rainbow Children (2001)
One Nite Alone... (2002)
Xpectation (2003)
N·E·W·S (2003)
The Chocolate Invasion (2004)
The Slaughterhouse (2004)
Musicology (2004)
3121 (2006)
Planet Earth (2007)
Lotusflow3r (2009)
MPLSound (2009)
20Ten (2010)
Plectrumelectrum (2014)
Art Official Age (2014)
HITnRUN Phase One (2015)
HITnRUN Phase Two (2015)
Posthumous releases:
Piano and a Microphone 1983 (2018)
Originals (2019)
Welcome 2 America (2021)
Prince also released two albums credited to Madhouse, three albums credited to the New Power Generation, and one credited to the N.P.G. Orchestra:
Madhouse:
8 (1987)
16 (1987)
The New Power Generation:
Goldnigga (1993)
Exodus (1995)
Newpower Soul (1998)
The N.P.G. Orchestra:
Kamasutra (1997)
For Serbian singer Princ, please use Princ.
2 Nigs United 4 West Compton
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This is precisely what I intend to do, honey
Oh girl, where did you get those shoes
Maurice, what, what can I serve you
Squirrel meat
Cat, what's happenin' babe
Honey, it's not that type of party
Honey, you see these pumps?
I wanna, I wanna (who you callin' bitch, ho bitch)
I want you to meet some friends of mine (bitch)
No, no you'll like them
They're, they're musicians
Two nigs united for West Compton
Two nigs united for West Compton
The lyrics of Prince's "2 Nigs United 4 West Compton" could be seen as a satirical and ironic commentary on the intersection of race, music, and social class. The dialogue in the beginning of the song sets the scene for a party where different people are mingling, and then the introduction of the "two nigs" suggests a subversive twist to the narrative. The use of the word "nig" can be seen as a provocative statement on racial slurs and stereotypes, and how they are sometimes reclaimed and repurposed by African American communities as a way to resist oppression and express solidarity.
The title itself could be seen as a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Black Nationalist movement, which sought to create a separate and autonomous political and cultural space for African Americans. The mention of West Compton, a predominantly Black and Latino neighborhood in Los Angeles, further emphasizes the racial identity and geographic location of the singers.
The lyrics also reference music and musicians, which could be seen as another way in which Black culture and identity are expressed and reclaimed. The line "two nigs united" suggests a certain level of camaraderie and community among African American musicians, who may have faced similar challenges and obstacles in the music industry. Overall, "2 Nigs United 4 West Compton" can be seen as a provocative and subversive commentary on race, class, and identity in American culture.
Line by Line Meaning
Serve it up, Frankie
This is precisely what I intend to do, honey.
Oh girl, where did you get those shoes
Do you mind sharing where you got those shoes from?
Maurice, what, what can I serve you
What can I get for you today, Maurice?
Squirrel meat
I don't have anything like that in stock.
Cat, what's happenin' babe
Hey there, what's going on?
Honey, it's not that type of party
Sorry, this isn't that kind of gathering.
What cha mean?
What exactly do you mean?
Honey, you see these pumps?
Do you see the shoes I'm wearing, honey?
I wanna, I wanna (who you callin' bitch, ho bitch)
I want to introduce you to some new friends of mine.
I want you to meet some friends of mine (bitch)
I have some musician friends that I want to introduce you to.
No, no you'll like them
Don't worry, you'll enjoy meeting them.
They're, they're musicians
The friends I'm introducing you to are musicians.
Two nigs united for West Compton
The two of us are coming together for our community in West Compton.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Prince Rogers Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
anja june
This is so! good... crazy layering, so multidirectional, multi textural yet lucid coherent.. it's like breathing and pumping and pulsating in a language of funk. Oh, it must have been so crazy fun to be his brain. Amazing. Mindisblown..
Marcus O'Dell
Heard my 20 year old daughter listening to Just as long as we’re together the other day … so proud I dragged her up right !
Andrew James
Drives me crazy that whenever you see a Prince tribute, it's always Purple Rain or Let's Go Crazy. (not even Doves Cry, usually). So that's what the next generation thinks of Prince, some guy who had a few pop hits in the mid-80s. Argh!
Virgil Houston
This is my favorite jam from the Black Album. This jam is so James Brownish! Damn, this is one of Prince’s funkiest jams. Bless his heart for gifting us with his music.
Gavin Wieland
I love this song. Sheila E. On Drums and Cat Glover doing some of the chants and spoken words.
Catherine Glover
Yup thats me lol x
August Greig
Its pretty funny that he says, "I want you to meet some friends of mine... You'll like 'em; they're musicians!" when Prince plays damn near every instrument on this song, including that ridiculously funky bass solo, which just blows me away considering that he was 5'3" with tiny hands, when typically, your great bassist are guys with pretty big, strong hands and long fingers. Just look at Davie504's hands compared to Prince. It's pretty amazing.
The Modster
So Glad I got this Album again the other day! Alongside The Gold Experience a week before! 2 Shit hot Prince albums! 💜
Mark f
Love everything about this song. The organ is so damn good!!! 💜💜💜💜😎
Gustavo P
Love Prince playing Bass.