The post Alexander O’Neal Revealed ‘Foul’ Way Prince Fired Him From His Group: “I Was Really Hurt” appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Back when R&B legend, Alexander O’Neal, was the lead singer for The Time (formerly named Flyte Time) – the band Prince formulated – he says he was kicked to the curb for a very biased reason. The “If You Were Here Tonight” crooner also made no qualms about his disdain for the way he claims Prince handled the situation. O’Neal also revealed who else reportedly betrayed him and the hurt he felt as a result of their actions. Scroll down to check out the details he gave in his interview with Blues And Soul, years prior to Prince’s passing.

CLAIMS: ‘TOO DARK SKINNED’ AND ‘TOO COMPLICATED’???

According to O’Neal, he was presumably kicked outta the group for being too opinionated, while others around him believe it was because Prince felt that he was too dark skinned to be the lead singer. Thus, replacing him with a lighter-hued brotha, Morris Day.

Alexander’ O’Neal: “Flyte Tyme was a wonderful band, and I felt we were on our way to getting a national deal. You know, I’d been picked to be the lead singer in a group owned by Prince; we’d started recording at Prince’s house… But then I got kicked out the band before I got kicked IN! Some people said it was because I was too black in skin pigmentation. But I still think it was because I was opinionated. I’d started showing I could think and started asking questions about the financial arrangements. But, you know, to be kicked out was heart-breaking.

WHY O’NEAL FELT BETRAYED AND DIDN’T RESPECT PRINCE’S DECISION

O’Neal explained how hurt and betrayed he felt after learning that the other members — including legendary producer duo, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis — were rehearsing presumably with the new lead singer, Morris Day, without telling him he was fired.

AO: “And the main thing I couldn’t respect about it was that Prince hadn’t been man enough to tell me. Because, all of a sudden, Flyte Tyme started rehearsing behind my back so they could become `The Time` without me! And all this time we were still doing gigs together! You know, they’d suddenly start mixing these new songs into the set and I’d be like ‘Where’s THIS coming from?’!”

Terry Lewis eventually came clean with O’Neal:

AO:”And the only one out of all of them with the balls to tell me what was happening was Terry Lewis! But, though when I got the news I was really hurt, a lotta times good things come out of a bad situation. And that was just fuel for the fire for me!”

HOW JIMMY JAM & TERRY LEWIS SAVED O’NEAL’S CAREER…AFTER PRINCE FIRED THEM TOO

According to O’Neal, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were responsible for saving his career and staying true to a promise they’d made him after they had also gotten fired by Prince.

AO: “Because I felt that, if I was good enough to even be CONSIDERED for a group by Prince, then I must be good enough for the music industry! And, when Jimmy (Jam) and Terry (Lewis) came home from LA one summer night – after THEY’D got kicked outta The Time by Prince – they came into this club I was performing at in downtown Minneapolis and were like ‘Alex, when we get our plans off the ground we’re gonna get you a record deal’. And that’s exactly what they DID!”

Wow…if Alexander O’Neal’s story is accurate, then the way he was reportedly fired was unfair, to say the last. But you never know, Prince may have had a different recollection of the way things went down. For example, O’Neal never made it a secret that he’s battled with drug addiction -on and off- for several decades. So, could that have been a contributing factor in this scenario? Who knows? We certainly don’t, but it is worth mentioning.

However, if Prince simply fired O’Neal for being a dark-skinned brotha, then that was incredibly foul on so many levels.

We appreciate Alexander O’Neal for being so transparent about this; and  may Prince continue to rest in peace and power.

-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, old School news with a new point of view

The post Alexander O’Neal Revealed ‘Foul’ Way Prince Fired Him From His Group: “I Was Really Hurt” appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Back when R&B legend, Alexander O’Neal, was the lead singer for The Time (formerly called Flyte Time) – the band Prince formulated – he says he was kicked to the curb for a very biased reason. The “If You Were Here Tonight” crooner also made no qualms about his disdain for the way he claims Prince handled the situation. O’Neal also revealed who else reportedly betrayed him and the hurt he felt as a result of their actions. Scroll down to check out the details he gave in his interview with Blues And Soul, years prior to Prince’s passing.

CLAIMS: ‘TOO DARK SKINNED’ AND ‘TOO COMPLICATED’???

According to O’Neal, he was presumably kicked outta the group for being too opinionated, while others around him believe it was because Prince felt that he was too dark skinned to be the lead singer. Thus, replacing him with a lighter hued brotha, Morris Day.

Alexander’ O’Neal: “Flyte Tyme was a wonderful band, and I felt we were on our way to getting a national deal. You know, I’d been picked to be the lead singer in a group owned by Prince; we’d started recording at Prince’s house… But then I got kicked out the band before I got kicked IN! Some people said it was because I was too black in skin pigmentation. But I still think it was because I was opinionated. I’d started showing I could think and started asking questions about the financial arrangements. But, you know, to be kicked out was heart-breaking.

WHY O’NEAL FELT BETRAYED AND DIDN’T RESPECT PRINCE’S DECISION

O’Neal explained how hurt and betrayed he felt after learning that the other members — including legendary producer duo, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis — were rehearsing presumably with the new lead singer, Morris Day, without telling him he was fired.

AO: “And the main thing I couldn’t respect about it was that Prince hadn’t been man enough to tell me. Because, all of a sudden, Flyte Tyme started rehearsing behind my back so they could become `The Time` without me! And all this time we were still doing gigs together! You know, they’d suddenly start mixing these new songs into the set and I’d be like ‘Where’s THIS coming from?’!”

Terry Lewis eventually came clean with O’Neal:

AO:”And the only one out of all of them with the balls to tell me what was happening was Terry Lewis! But, though when I got the news I was really hurt, a lotta times good things come out of a bad situation. And that was just fuel for the fire for me!”

HOW JIMMY JAM & TERRY LEWIS SAVED O’NEAL’S CAREER…AFTER PRINCE FIRED THEM TOO

According to O’Neal, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were responsible for saving his career and staying true to a promise they’d made him after they had also gotten fired by Prince.

AO: “Because I felt that, if I was good enough to even be CONSIDERED for a group by Prince, then I must be good enough for the music industry! And, when Jimmy (Jam) and Terry (Lewis) came home from LA one summer night – after THEY’D got kicked outta The Time by Prince – they came into this club I was performing at in downtown Minneapolis and were like ‘Alex, when we get our plans off the ground we’re gonna get you a record deal’. And that’s exactly what they DID!”

Wow…if Alexander O’Neal’s story is accurate, then the way he was fired was cold to say the last. But you never know, Prince may have had a different recollection of the way things went down. For example, O’Neal never made it a secret that he’s battled with drug addiction for 30+ years, so could that have been a contributing factor in this scenario as well? Who knows? We certainly don’t, but it is worth mentioning. Now, if Prince simply fired O’Neal for being a dark skinned brotha, then that was incredibly foul on so many levels.

We appreciate Alexander O’Neal for being so transparent about this; and  may Prince continue to rest in peace and power.

-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, old School news with a new point of view

The post Alexander O’Neal Disclosed ‘Foul’ Way Prince Kicked Him Out Of Group: “I Was Really Hurt” appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Back when R&B legend, Alexander O’Neal, was the lead singer for The Time (formerly called Flyte Time) – the band Prince formulated – he says he was kicked to the curb for a very biased reason. The “If You Were Here Tonight” crooner also made no qualms about his disdain for the way he claims Prince handled the situation. O’Neal also revealed who else reportedly betrayed him and the hurt he felt as a result of their actions. Scroll down to check out the details he gave in his interview with Blues And Soul, years prior to Prince’s passing.

CLAIMS: ‘TOO DARK SKINNED’ AND ‘TOO COMPLICATED’???

According to O’Neal, he was presumably kicked outta the group for being too opinionated, while others around him believe it was because Prince felt that he was too dark skinned to be the lead singer. Thus, replacing him with a lighter hued brotha, Morris Day.

Alexander’ O’Neal: “Flyte Tyme was a wonderful band, and I felt we were on our way to getting a national deal. You know, I’d been picked to be the lead singer in a group owned by Prince; we’d started recording at Prince’s house… But then I got kicked out the band before I got kicked IN! Some people said it was because I was too black in skin pigmentation. But I still think it was because I was opinionated. I’d started showing I could think and started asking questions about the financial arrangements. But, you know, to be kicked out was heart-breaking.

WHY O’NEAL FELT BETRAYED AND DIDN’T RESPECT PRINCE’S DECISION

O’Neal explained how hurt and betrayed he felt after learning that the other members — including legendary producer duo, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis — were rehearsing presumably with the new lead singer, Morris Day, without telling him he was fired.

AO: “And the main thing I couldn’t respect about it was that Prince hadn’t been man enough to tell me. Because, all of a sudden, Flyte Tyme started rehearsing behind my back so they could become `The Time` without me! And all this time we were still doing gigs together! You know, they’d suddenly start mixing these new songs into the set and I’d be like ‘Where’s THIS coming from?’!”

Terry Lewis eventually came clean with O’Neal:

AO:”And the only one out of all of them with the balls to tell me what was happening was Terry Lewis! But, though when I got the news I was really hurt, a lotta times good things come out of a bad situation. And that was just fuel for the fire for me!”

HOW JIMMY JAM & TERRY LEWIS SAVED O’NEAL’S CAREER…AFTER PRINCE FIRED THEM TOO

According to O’Neal, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were responsible for saving his career and staying true to a promise they’d made him after they had also gotten fired by Prince.

AO: “Because I felt that, if I was good enough to even be CONSIDERED for a group by Prince, then I must be good enough for the music industry! And, when Jimmy (Jam) and Terry (Lewis) came home from LA one summer night – after THEY’D got kicked outta The Time by Prince – they came into this club I was performing at in downtown Minneapolis and were like ‘Alex, when we get our plans off the ground we’re gonna get you a record deal’. And that’s exactly what they DID!”

Wow…if Alexander O’Neal’s story is accurate, then the way he was fired was cold to say the last. But you never know, Prince may have had a different recollection of the way things went down. For example, O’Neal never made it a secret that he’s battled with drug addiction for 30+ years, so could that have been a contributing factor in this scenario as well? Who knows? We certainly don’t, but it is worth mentioning. Now, if Prince simply fired O’Neal for being a dark skinned brotha, then that was incredibly foul on so many levels.

We appreciate Alexander O’Neal for being so transparent about this; and  may Prince continue to rest in peace and power.

-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, old School news with a new point of view

The post Alexander O’Neal Detailed ‘Foul’ Way Prince Kicked Him Out Of Group: “I Was Really Hurt” appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

[kkgallery kid=”2657″ title=”See How Alexander O’Neal’s Caucasian Wife Blasts A Racist In His Defense”]

Source1, Source2, Source3

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The post See How Alexander O’Neal’s Caucasian WIFE Blasts A RACIST In His Defense appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

[kkgallery kid=”1557″ title=”Prince Put Morris Day In ‘The Time’ After Firing This 80s Singer”]

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The post Fired By Prince From “The Time”, This 80s Singer Responds To Prince’s Death appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

He’s addressing his drug use just a few months after his blow up on the show, Celebrity Big Brother, on which he was a contestant. After having a big argument with fellow Big Brother contestant, blogger Perez Hilton, O’Neal called him a “faggot,” and then stormed out of the house and that’s when people began speculating about the current status of his drug addiction.

O’Neal later admitted that the stress of being on that show is what caused him to relapse on crack cocaine again. Immediately after the blow up, O’Neal binged on the drug while staying in a London hotel. It was reported that during his brief stay there, he paid for two deliveries from a dealer within a 14 hour span of time.

Now Alexander O’Neal has finally spoken for the first time since that news surfaced in February (2015) and here is what he revealed about his current addiction (via Mirror):

The soul legend reveals he has fought a desperate 30-year struggle with drug ­addiction and confesses:

“It happens to the best of us and the worst of us. I’m an admitted addict. I don’t make any bones about my life. A relapse is part of addiction. When you are an addict of 30 years you’re a long-term addict, this isn’t a Friday night, out on the town, go get a little something and have a good time. This is very methodical. But it’s also very private. I didn’t go to rehab because I am rehab, I’ve been to enough rehab to teach that shit.”

I know that it’s you against yourself, it’s you against your own morals and values. When you fall, you just got to keep getting up and keep going.”

Alexander on how the music industry holds his drug use against him, while praising other artists who also have a well-known drug history:

“If I’m man enough to say this is one of my demons, surely that’s enough? I didn’t know the music industry was going to hold me hostage with it though for the rest of my career, the rest of my life. I didn’t know they were never going to allow me to go straight or grow up. Everything I do is based on drugs”.

Even today it’s 30 years on, every time they say something about Alexander O’Neal they say seven good things and one thing about drugs. Everything I do has always got drugs attached.

He admits now that in between visits to the recording studio, he was indulging his addiction. But he criticizes A-list stars who use ­interviews to claim they are sober but are secretly abusing drugs.

“I hate celebrities who do ­interviews and lie, sit there and try and pretend they’re some person that they’re not. I’ve come a long way but you can’t give yourself credit for that. Every day I don’t use (drugs) I’m getting closer to where I need to get to.”

Alexander on taking responsibility for his actions:

“At the end of the day it’s still a decision, I don’t use drugs because I need to, I use drugs because I want to. It’s my decision, I don’t let drugs affect my job, I will not let my addiction affect my job, because I learned many years ago that if you’re true to the game, the game will be true to you. I don’t go on stage high. Back in the day? Shit, I’d go on there any way I want to. But when you’ve been blessed to have great fans like in the UK, they deserve better”.

“When you’re a long-term user that sh*t is like breathing.”

With soul gems like “Fake,” “Criticize,” “A Broken Heart Can Mend,” “All True Man,” and more, Alexander O’Neal has proven that he is an extremely gifted artist. Sometimes artists have really bad afflictions within their personal lives, but that doesn’t make them any less of a great artist. Listening to Alexander give the details of his 30 year addiction now explains a whole lot about his career.

There is such a thing as in a functioning addict, as Alexander has described himself as, but a functioning addict always leaves the unspoken wonder of what could have been, had drugs not been their affliction. In the case of O’Neal, maybe we’ll never know, but he seems like a really genuine soul, so at this point we’ll just keep our fingers crossed that he can continue to push forward with his career and hopefully eventually overcome his addiction for good. In the meantime, let’s keep jammin’ to those Alexander O’Neal classics.

The post Alexander O’Neal Comes Clean About 30yr Drug Use & If He’s Still Using appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Back when R&B legend, Alexander O’Neal, was the lead singer for The Time (formerly called Flyte Time) -the band Prince formulated- he said he was kicked to the curb for a very biased reason. He also made no qualms about his disdain for the way he said Prince handled the situation. In addition to that, O’Neal also revealed who else reportedly betrayed him and the hurt he felt as a result of their actions. Scroll down to check out the details he gave in his interview with Blues And Soul, years prior to Prince’s passing.

He Was Too Dark Or Too Complicated?!!

According to O’Neal, he was presumably kicked outta the group for being too opionated, while others around him believe it was because Prince felt that he was too dark skinned to be the lead singer. Thus, replacing him with a lighter hued brotha, Morris Day.

Alexander’ O’Neal: “Flyte Tyme was a wonderful band, and I felt we were on our way to getting a national deal. You know, I’d been picked to be the lead singer in a group owned by Prince; we’d started recording at Prince’s house… But then I got kicked out the band before I got kicked IN! Some people said it was because I was too black in skin pigmentation. But I still think it was because I was opinionated. I’d started showing I could think and started asking questions about the financial arrangements. But, you know, to be kicked out was heart-breaking.

Why He Felt Betrayed & Didn’t Respect Prince’s Decision

O’Neal explained how hurt and betrayed he felt after learning that the other members, including legendary producer duo, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, were rehearsing presumably with the new lead singer, Morris Day, without telling him he was fired.

AO: “And the main thing I couldn’t respect about it was that Prince hadn’t been man enough to tell me. Because, all of a sudden, Flyte Tyme started rehearsing behind my back so they could become `The Time` without me! And all this time we were still doing gigs together! You know, they’d suddenly start mixing these new songs into the set and I’d be like ‘Where’s THIS coming from?’!”

Lewis eventually came clean with O’Neal:

AO:”And the only one out of all of them with the balls to tell me what was happening was Terry Lewis! But, though when I got the news I was really hurt, a lotta times good things come out of a bad situation. And that was just fuel for the fire for me!”

How Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Ultimately Saved O’Neal’s Career…After Prince Fired Them Too

According to O’Neal, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were responsible for saving his career and staying true to a promise they’d made him after they had also gotten fired by Prince.

AO: “Because I felt that, if I was good enough to even be CONSIDERED for a group by Prince, then I must be good enough for the music industry! And, when Jimmy (Jam) and Terry (Lewis) came home from LA one summer night – after THEY’D got kicked outta The Time by Prince – they came into this club I was performing at in downtown Minneapolis and were like ‘Alex, when we get our plans off the ground we’re gonna get you a record deal’. And that’s exactly what they DID!”

Wow…if Alexander O’Neal’s story is accurate, that was cold the way Prince let him go, but you never know, Prince may have had a different recollection of the way things went down. For example, O’Neal never made it a secret, that he’s battled with drug addiction for 30+ years, so could that have been a contributing factor in this scenario as well? Who knows? We certainly don’t, but it is worth mentioning. Now, if Prince simply fired him for being a dark skinned brotha, then that’s just foul. Nonetheless, we appreciate Alexander O’Neal for being so open about this and we wish him much continued success with his music.

-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, old School news with a new point of view

The post Alexander O’Neal Tells ‘Foul’ Way Prince Kicked Him Out Of Group & How Jam & Lewis Saved Him appeared first on I Love Old School Music.