On The Gold Experience, Prince finally reaches some kind of peace with hip-hop. In Rolling Stone, Carol Cooper perceptively noted that “as usual, the attempts at rap come off as part satire and part celebration of the form.” But the spoken word flow on “P. Control” and the (admitt...
Other artists took note. That synthline allegedly inspiredThrillerand Phil Collins has admitted he ripped it off forSussudio. Prince even recycled the riff himself on his 2006 singleFury. The thick chords are the most iconic part of1999– pure stadium-fuel – but they’re so ear-catching, so...
Filled the whole thing up. A new head. A new arm. A leg. He even drew the word “HIPPIE” on the cover. He collaged body parts onto de Kooning’s women. He turned some of de Kooning’s women into men. (The “turn” was what he called “my contribution.”) The contribution was...