Tag Archives: Prince

Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Prince

In the world of music, Prince and Michael Jackson were legendary figures and reportedly fierce rivals…just ask Quincy Jones. And despite the public’s anticipation for a collabo’ between the two icons, it never came to fruition.

But why did Prince continuously reject the opportunity to work with the King of Music on his hit song “Bad”? The answer is both intriguing and revealing.

While the 1980s seemed destined to be colored purple with Prince’s rise to fame, he couldn’t bring himself to compromise his credibility by joining forces with Jackson on a track that he perceived as having a “cheesy narrative.”

Quincy Jones, a mutual connection between the two artists, attempted to bring them together for “Bad,” but Prince refused. He was well aware of the song’s future success, but ultimately dismissed it, stating, “You don’t need me on this, it’s going to be a number one anyway”:

“We invited [Prince] out to Michael’s house to sing on ‘Bad’, and he was very intelligent about it,” Quincy Jones explained in a prior interview. “Prince was always competing with Michael. So I told Michael, ‘you sit there and Prince sits there, so it won’t look like we’re ganging up on him to do the record’. It was a beautiful meeting, a funny meeting, and [Prince] said ‘you don’t need me on this, it’s going to be a number one anyway’ – which it was.”

Wesley Snipes and Michael Jackson in “Bad” video

A direct quote from Prince sheds light on his perspective, as he shared with comedian Chris Rock, “That Wesley Snipes character [in Michael Jackson’s “Bad” video]? That would have been me. Now you run that video in your mind.” Clearly, Prince objected to the opening line of the song, “your butt is mine,” and questioned who would sing it to whom. This fundamental disagreement created a bit of a hurdle:

“The first line of that song is ‘your butt is mine,’ Prince explained to Chris. “Now I’m saying, ‘Who’s gonna sing that to whom? Cuz you sure ain’t singing it to me, and I sure ain’t singing it to you.’ So right there, we got a problem,” he continued.

The rivalry between Prince and Michael Jackson was never personal; it was purely a professional competition. Both artists were driven by their creative ambitions and constantly sought to outdo each other. In the end, “Bad” went on to sell 35 million records, solidifying Jackson’s international success, while Prince maintained his artistic integrity.

While fans can only imagine the magic that could have been created through a collaboration between these two music giants, it was ultimately Prince’s refusal to compromise that kept him true to himself.

Rick James; Prince

The legendary, Rick James, detailed in his book, “Glow,” exactly what went down on the night he got into it with the iconic, Prince. It was about to be a clash of thigh high boots, braid extensions, and blouses flying in the air (in a manly type of way though) when Rick and Prince came THIS close to throwin’ blows back in the day! As we all know, Prince was private, but Rick lived his life like an open book, which is why he had no problem revealing that he wanted to -and I quote- “kick Prince’s a$$.” Although it was a serious situation, the way Rick described this is actually pretty funny and a it’s fond memory of two incredibly talented legends gone way too soon.

RICK JAMES CLAIMED PRINCE DISSED HIS MOM?

Prince and Rick James

Rick James wrote about the time he tried to fight Prince backstage at an awards show, after Prince turned down Rick’s mother’s autograph request. To Prince’s credit, he didn’t know that was Rick’s Mom, but that didn’t matter to Rick- he was PISSED after his Mom told him she was dissed by Prince. Here is what Rick James wrote about that night:

That’s all I needed to hear. I chased after that little turd. I caught up with him and was about to lay him out when his manager stepped in.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Rick?” asked the manager. I told him Prince had dissed Mom and that I was gonna kick his scrawny ass. Prince explained that he didn’t know who Mom was. “Well, now you know, motherfucker,” I said.

[…] Prince apologized to Mom and apologized to me. I was a little disappointed ‘cause I really did wanna kick his ass.’

Really? A “turd” Rick?!! LOL…the visual on this Rick James/Prince blow up is hilarious, but that wasn’t the first time they had beef. SEE WHERE THIS TENSION STARTED…

RICK JAMES CLAIMED PRINCE PLAYED HIM

Rick James’ R&B group, Mary Jane Girls

Rick James made it widely known that he wasn’t a fan of Prince. Their issues date back to the late ’70s/early ’80s, when Prince opened up for Rick James’ tour. In his book, “Glow,” Rick alleged that Prince jacked his style on tour, stole his concept for his 80’s girl group, Mary Jane Girls…AND his original lead singer. Rick said he told Prince about his girl group he was building, with it’s lead singer, Denise “Vanity” Matthews. According to Rick, when Vanity saw Prince for the first time backstage at an award show, she left with him instead and never returned to Rick. The next thing he knew, Prince had formed his own girl group, Vanity 6, and made Vanity the lead singer.

Like we always say, there was rarely a dull day in the lives of some of our favorite icons and this is proof of that. May Prince, Vanity, and Rick James, forever rest in peace and we thank them for the timeless music and the priceless stories, like this one, that put smiles on our faces as we reminisce.

Raphael Saadiq

Singer/musician, Raphael Saadiq, has always been a private dude. So, for decades, not much has been known about his past. There’s one fact he revealed in recent years, that most fans of the former Tony! Toni! Toné! lead singer never knew. He once worked for the late, great Prince and when you see what Prince made him do, you will probably flip out…or at least lightly chuckle.

Raphael Saadiq On Working With Prince Back In The Day

In an interview with The Quietus, Raphael Saadiq revealed that at the age of 18 he auditioned to be Prince’s protege’ and also part of the band Prince created for Sheila E., during their “Parade Tour.” He was shocked when he made it, but didn’t let Prince know:

“I was taught by my dad not to look excited at the point Prince said my name. I played the bass guitar in my audition like Prince meant absolutely nothing to me,” [said Saadiq]. It worked, even if Prince’s non-standard take on masculinity would later come as a surprise.

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What Prince Made Raphael Saadiq Do

The hilarious part is that Saadiq says in order to be in the band, he really had to become one of “The Blouses” that the late Charlie Murphy once spoke about in his infamous “Chappelle Show” skit. Check out what Saadiq said below…

Raphael Saadiq: “To be in the band you had to wear a ton of make-up, it was mandatory. You had to almost sign a contract to wear eyeliner, blusher and basically look like a girl. That Dave Chappelle skit was no joke, we literally were The Blouses!” After the shows with Prince, Saadiq would transform his appearance getting dressed back into a bomber jacket, Detroit Titans baseball cap and white T-shirt while rocking some 501s and Nike Quartet sneakers. “Prince liked that I dressed differently cos’ he could see I was my own person. I knew when I was playing ‘Erotic City’ in Yokohama, Japan, that my life had sort of changed.”

HILARIOUS! So that Charlie Murphy skit was exactly on point! Gotta love Prince..I tell, ya.’ Saadiq had more to say though…

Saadiq Not Fond Of Grammys, Nor Losing To Jennifer Hudson

Saadiq also discussed the #GrammysSoWhite backlash the Grammy Awards received a few years back, and why he chose to skip them. Not only did the talented musician and singer seemingly feel disrespected by losing to Jennifer Hudson in 2016, but he also agrees that the Grammy’s are out of touch with Black music.

“They’ve [The Grammy Awards] 100% lost their way and are out of touch. I remember The Way I See It lost to J-Hud at the Grammys! I wasn’t even surprised. If you have a day job and work in a corporate building then that’s who that show is for. Britney Spears won a Grammy before Steely Dan, that’s crazy!” Rather than ‘fix the Grammys’ as the likes of Kanye West have suggested, Saadiq says we should just let them die: “There’s no point sitting down and talking about it. All awards shows needs to get off TV and just die. Music would be much better if people didn’t make it for an award.”

Also when randomly asked about Donald Trump, Saadiq kept it real: “He is a comedian and a waste of time.”

These days, Raphael Saadiq is scoring several cable television series, including the hit HBO series, “Insecure,” starring Issa Rae. He’s also been in the studio working on FIRE music for true R&B music lovers to vibe to.

(Inset photo) Prince; (R) Alexander O’Neal

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’???

Prince

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

Producer duo, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis

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

Quincy Jones (C) with Michael Jackson (L) and Prince (R)

During a prior interview, Quincy Jones, reminisced about how the beloved Michael Jackson and Prince couldn’t stand each other back in the day. Jones gave a first-hand account of what it was like to be in the same room at that time and detailed just how bad MJ’s and Prince’s decades-long beef really got behind the scenes. In particular, Jones recalled two wild incidents he witnessed between the two icons that will crack you up…although back then it was no laughing matter.

QUINCY JONES REVEALED TENSE FILLED INCIDENTS HE WITNESSED BETWEEN MJ & PRINCE

Before we get into why Prince to try to run over Michael Jackson with his car, here’s one more OLD SCHOOL fun fact Quincy Jones revealed: MJ wanted his hit, “Who’s Bad,” to be a collaboration with — get this — Prince! That would have been MAJOR, but also disastrous, because MJ and Prince had already had a long history of beef, which is where Quincy’s story gets really interesting below…

JONES ON WHY PRINCE TRIED TO HIT MJ AND LA TOYA WITH HIS LIMO!

Prince and Michael Jackson

Quincy Jones recalled the time that he witnessed Prince try to hit Michael and La Toya Jackson with his limo. And apparently, Prince did so gangsta style…by waiting for them in the parking lot after James Brown’s concert!

Quincy Jones: “Have you ever seen the video of them [Prince and Michael] at James Brown’s gig? [Prince] always had this thing with Michael (laughs), they would CLASH (laughs). But [at that time] Michael had 25 years of experience, Prince had 5 years. So Michael went up there [on stage with James Brown] sang for about 15 seconds then moonwalked for about 15 seconds. And then he whispered in James Brown’s ear to ‘Let Prince come up.’

Prince jumped up on the back of his bodyguard, took his gloves off and threw ’em at them [Michael and his crew], then they threw ’em back at him…and then [Prince] came up and tried to challenge Michael. That’s not the way you do cameos, man. You join the family, you don’t fight with each other or try to compete with each other. He made a fool out of himself that night. So Prince] waited for them [Michael, Latoya and their crew] after the show in his limousine and he tried to run over La Toya and Michael (laughs). That was some drama Mama! There was ALWAYS some drama. Michael loved drama! -Source

QUINCY JONES RECALLS TIME PRINCE TRIED TO CLOWN MJ

Prince; Michael Jackson

Jones explains what happened when he called a meeting with Prince and MJ to convince Prince to be in MJ’s “Bad” video:

“We had a meeting at Michael’s house. I said ‘Michael let’s invite him out and try to talk him into this.’ I had envisioned a fight breaking out in the video, you know some drama, that’s all…and then Michael and Prince coming up to each other and [squashing it]. That’s what videos are all about- tension and release.

Jones continued:

“So Prince comes out and I say ‘Michael you sit on that side. I’ll sit on the other side. And let him sit there so he doesn’t feel like we’re ganging up on him (laughs). He [Prince] came in with a big box of stuff, he’d just finished “Under The cherry Moon…directing it- He had this box of stuff, it was WEIRD man. He had some Tootsie rolls and some cuff links and stuff like that…a lot of stuff, Michael thought it was voodoo (laughs). And then he said ‘I’m sorry to keep you all [waiting] this long..and then he called Michael ‘Camille’ (LOL),” explains Jones.

This was crazy…and hilarious! Through it all, Prince and MJ respected each other’s talents, and years later they thankfully squashed their beef.

-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, old school news with a new point of view. Come join our ILOSM fam’ on Facebook at @iloveoldschoolmusic

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Patrice Rushen

The ’80s “Forget Me Nots” hitmaker/musician, Patrice Rushen, reportedly had a mega-superstar trying to get with her back in the day. Apparently she wasn’t really feelin’ him in that way, but it’s been said that he wanted her so badly, he even wrote a song about her. You know the song very well, because it was a big hit for him.

He’s more than just an R&B icon, he’s a world icon, who stepped into the music game in the late ’70s. Keep on scrolling to find out who…

OMG! Prince Wrote His Hit Song For Patrice Rushen???

It’s ‘The Purple One’…Prince! Yep, the word on the Old School curb is that he wanted Patrice Rushen something serious! But he just wasn’t successful in his conquests, so he ended up  dealing with his urge for the woman affectionately known as “Babyfingers,” in the best way he knew how. He wrote a hit song about her, which was the ’80s jam, “I Wanna Be Your Lover.”

You’ve gotta love this dude for being straight to the point with the ladies. Ms. Rushen isn’t the only known singer he wrote a hit song about by the way, there was one more.

It’s understandable why Prince was reportedly so attracted to Patrice Rushen though – not only is she a very pretty woman, they both have a strong passion for great musicianship and are very gifted artists/musicians themselves. So they would have bonded on a much deeper level. It would have been interesting to see them as a power couple back in the day, but we’ll settle for the timeless Old School CLASSICS they both graced us with us instead.

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

Sheila E. with her ex-fiance, Prince

Sheila E. and Prince had a very extensive, lengthy history together. She was his drummer and his fiancée at one point in time. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Sheila E. explained how Prince finally talked her into being his lady, and what she and her “best friend,” Prince eventually did to hurt each other. It’s pretty interesting to learn about this side of the late, great musical genius. Check out excerpts of Sheila E.’s interview below.
Rolling Stone: Back when you met, Prince pursued you, right?

Sheila E.: Oh yeah, big time [laughs]. He pursued me for a long time.

RS: Was it that you weren’t attracted?

SE: Oh, yes I was! Are you kidding? No, oh my God. The first time we saw each other, we looked at each other like – [laughs]. He was beautiful, and he was talented. I had this thing for guitar players. But I had just gotten out of another relationship with a guitar player and I was like, “Not another musician.” I kept saying no [to Prince], but it was hard. After a while it was just like, “OK, well maybe.” And that was it. He wooed me very well [laughs].

Sheila E. performing with Prince back in the day

RS: What did he do?

SE: He did so many beautiful things. During the Lionel Richie tour in 1982, he sent me flowers at every place, every single day. Whatever city we were in, there were beautiful arrangements of flowers from [Prince] the entire tour. The entire tour. I couldn’t bring anymore flowers on the bus. There were some I couldn’t even lift. Each arrangement was different. There was nowhere to put them, so I started giving them away to either shelters or the housekeepers, because there was no room on the bus. It was a lot – and I loved it [laughs]. He knew how to get me. And every arrangement came with a card from him.

RS: Do you still have them?

SE: I kept every single card.

What Sheila E. Says Hurt Prince The Most

Sheila E. says that after she and Prince had broken up, they were still touring together, but their emotions for each other remained incredibly deep — with her comparing it to a divorce — so she opted to leave the tour -and Prince’s life – instead, which “really upset” him.

RS: When you reflect on your relationship – as friends, collaborators, lovers – what did you learn?

SE: The learning experience is really about forgiveness. That’s the only way you’re gonna be able to live your life. And it’s a hard thing. About a year or two after we broke up and hadn’t spoken, I went to Paisley. This is when he was doing Batman. He was having a party and everyone was like, “How are you gonna go to the party, you guys haven’t talked,” and I said, “It’s fine.” I felt like it was fine. I was like, “No, we’re good.” I just felt it. So I walked into the building and I saw him. He looked at me, I looked at him and we fell in love all over again.

It was forgiveness. It was more important to love him as a friend. People do say, you want to marry your best friend – and he was my best friend. But I also loved him enough to let him go, and that was hard. It was very hard, like I said, it was like a divorce. It felt like I lost someone deeply. It was hard for him too, it was horrible. It was a horrible time for him [pauses].

We had a great life together, we really did, good and bad, the ups and the downs, there were a lot of downs. But at one point I told him, “I’m not here to play your music to get paid because it’s money, money has nothing to do with it, I’m here because I love you. I don’t care about your money.” So I told him to stop paying me when we were out on tour. That really upset him. That was during the LoveSexy Tour.

Sheila E. continued…

SE: That’s when I knew I was gonna leave, that was about ’88, ’89. […] I don’t care about the money, I never did. I’d be there because I love the music, I love the hang, and we all get along. But just to be there because it’s a paycheck? I didn’t want to be in that position, so I chose to leave. On the personal side, we started growing apart. And he started seeing other people while I was there playing in the band. That was very hurtful, very hard.

Sheila E. Remade Song In Prince’s Honor

The following year after Prince’s passing in 2016, Sheila E.released her album, “Iconic,” which included a passionate cover version of Prince’s 1985 song, “America,” in Prince’s honor. Check it out below.

(inset photo) Clarence Williams and Prince in scene from “Purple Rain”, (R) Clarence Williams decades after “Purple Rain”

The late, Clarence Williams III, was a legend in the acting the game for decades. As most of us know, Williams was cast in a number of major moves and some of his best work were in films like Purple Rain, I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, Sugar Hill, Blue Hill Avenue, and American Gangster, Williams has left his mark on the film industry. But, most fans probably have no clue he married this amazing Matrix actress…and their story was beautiful until the end…

“The Matrix” actress he was married to…

Actress, Gloria Foster in “The Matrix”

Clarence Williams III married actress, Gloria Foster, who was best known for her performance in the box office hit The Matrix. In the film, which has grossed more than $463.5 million since its 1999 release, Foster portrayed the vital role of the “Oracle,” a mysterious older lady with the power to guide humans in The Matrix. The pivotal role serves as yet another accomplishment on Foster’s filmography. The Matrix film franchise is now considered one of the most successful in film history, with all of the films grossing more than $1,632,989,142, collectively.

Gloria Foster [center] and Keanu Reeves [L]  in “The Matrix”
She and Williams met on the set of the television show Mod Squad back in the 60s and tied the knot in 1967. The two were actually married more than 15 years before they divorced in 1984. However, even after their divorce, the two remained really close friends. In fact, Williams III was the one to publicly announce his ex-wife’s death on Sept. 29, 2001.

Throwback photo of then-husband and wife, actors Clarence Williams and Gloria Foster

At the time of her death, Gloria was in the middle of filming The Matrix Reloaded, which ultimately released in 2003. Some of Gloria’s previously filmed scenes were still included in the 2003 movie though. At her funeral, many iconic actors attended to pay homage to Gloria Foster- an actor they highly respected for her acting abilities. Author, Martin B. Duberman, commended Foster for her work in the stage play, In White America. “Gloria didn’t act the part,” said Duberman, “she embodied it. At the end of the scene each night, there were tears streaming down her face, her body was trembling, but her dignity was intact.”

One of Gloria Foster’s closest friends was the iconic Cicely Tyson…

Cicely Tyson was one of Gloria Foster’s good friends. She also spoke at Foster’s funeral, doting on her “unceasing dedication to her profession and her talent.” She also shared intimate details about their friendship revealing they often indulged in three hour-long conversations regularly.

Other celebs who spoke at Foster’s funeral included actresses Mary Alice (who ended up playing the same “Oracle” role in The Matrix Revolution after Foster passed away), the iconic Ruby Dee; and actors, Al Freeman (played Elijah Muhammad in “Malcolm X”), Geoffrey Holder (from “Boomerang” and “Annie” movies), and others.

Clarence Williams passed away on June 4, 2021, from colon cancer, at age 81. He and Gloria Foster were the epitome of true love in Hollywood. The bond they shared – even decades after their divorce – is proof of that. May they continue to rest peacefully.

(L) Tyka Nelson, Prince’s sister; (R) Prince

Upon first glance at Tyka Nelson’s story, some would probably think that she was a little off of her rocker. She is the younger sister of Prince; she declined Prince’s help for her singing career; she used to carry around a stuffed dinosaur -on a leash- named Jazz, which she’s done past interviews with the dinosaur on a leash, claiming that it made her feel ‘safe’; and she once publicly admitted to having an imaginary lover named Marc Anthony.

The fact is that Tyka isn’t necessarily crazy, but she was battling many inner struggles throughout the years that ultimately led her to drug addiction and prostitution.

In 2003, Tyka Nelson did an interview, with the National Enquirer, that raised many eyebrows after she revealed why she was once selling her body. At that time, she’d also made some pretty harsh claims about her big brother, Prince. Below is what was reported in 2003:

Via N. E.- ‘Prince’s younger sister is a recovering crack addict who sold her body to support two sons while her brother lived in luxury.

Tyka Nelson [then 43] says the rock star has helped her financially at times, and he recently enrolled her in the drug rehap program that’s kept her clean and sober for months.

But at other times, [then-45-year-old] Prince has turned his back on her, Tyka said…

(L) Prince’s sister, Tyka Nelson; (R) Prince

“I love my brother,” she told the ENQUIRER in an exclusive interview. “But I’m not a yo-yo. He can’t just keep spinning me in and out of his life.

Prince and his sister spent their early years together in northern Minneapolis before Tyka’s life spun out of control. While Prince was building a musical empire and earning millions, Tyka was often homeless, working as a prostitute.

“I was a single mother and my boys were babies,” Tyka recalled. “I sold my body for food, money and pampers.”

Tyka said her lowest point came three years ago, when she was living in a crack house. “I pawned the car Prince had given me and sold the kids’ TV for drugs,” she told The ENQUIRER.

In April, Prince entered her into an expensive rehab program.
“I relapsed once, but I’ve been clean for three months now,” she said. “It’s the longest I’ve been sober and drug-free in years.”

(L and R pics) Prince’s sister Tyka Nelson; (inset photo) Prince

All too often we hear about siblings of superstars, who are in really jacked up positions in their lives, while their celebrity sibling is simultaneously soaring in their careers. It’s typically sparked by watching their sibling(s) reach heights that they will never reach, and living in their siblings shadow is sometimes too much for them to bear. But was it Prince’s fault that his sister, Tyka, had trouble living in his shadow and ultimately became addicted to crack cocaine? NO, not at all.

Tyka’s prior predicament could have been due to something that she could have been lacking long before Prince was ever a superstar. In fact, Tyka admitted having very low self-esteem as a child, and that Prince would try to talk to her about it sometimes, to no avail though.

Tyka’s pain of watching her brother succeed also probably stings a little bit harder than normal because she was trying to get her career poppin’ at the same time Prince was, but she didn’t achieve the same success. Here is what People Magazine reported in a 1998 interview with Tyka:

‘After graduating from Minneapolis’ North High, Tyka packed some songs and headed for California. “It was the same year [1977] Prince got his record deal,” she says. “I thought I’d be a star. I met Jimmy Durante’s piano tuner. That’s as close as I got to the stars.”

Returning to Minneapolis, Tyka spent a year in college studying art and psychology. While working as a bank teller, she became pregnant by a former classmate. Never married, she won’t reveal her sons’ father’s name, saying only that he left when she was pregnant with their second son and, unlike Uncle Prince, who always remembers the boys’ birthdays, rarely calls.

“Inside of me, it was like my soul and what I had to do to feed my family was always split,” Tyka says. “I was writing lyrics while I was supposed to be working. I’d look up and there’s my supervisor.”‘

As far as we know, up until Prince’s last days, Tyka Nelson was still trying to nurture her singing career, without the help of her big brother, who clearly loved her very much. She is 60 years young and has released six albums throughout her career. She has totally changed her life around and is a devoted Christian as well. We’re not sure what the future holds for her singing career, but we wish her the best with it. Tyka’s ambition to still keep striving for her goals and for her sobriety is very inspiring and we respect her for being able to be so open about her trials and her triumphs.

Rick James; Prince

The legendary, Rick James, detailed in his book, “Glow,” exactly what went down on the night he got into it with the iconic, Prince. It was about to be a clash of thigh high boots, braid extensions, and blouses flying in the air (in a manly type of way though) when Rick and Prince came THIS close to throwin’ blows back in the day! As we all know, Prince was private, but Rick lived his life like an open book, which is why he had no problem revealing that he wanted to -and I quote- “kick Prince’s a$$.” Although it was a serious situation, the way Rick described this is actually pretty funny and a it’s fond memory of two incredibly talented legends gone way too soon.

RICK JAMES CLAIMED PRINCE DISSED HIS MOM?

Prince and Rick James

Rick James wrote about the time he tried to fight Prince backstage at an awards show, after Prince turned down Rick’s mother’s autograph request. To Prince’s credit, he didn’t know that was Rick’s Mom, but that didn’t matter to Rick- he was PISSED after his Mom told him she was dissed by Prince. Here is what Rick James wrote about that night:

That’s all I needed to hear. I chased after that little turd. I caught up with him and was about to lay him out when his manager stepped in.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Rick?” asked the manager. I told him Prince had dissed Mom and that I was gonna kick his scrawny ass. Prince explained that he didn’t know who Mom was. “Well, now you know, motherfucker,” I said.

[…] Prince apologized to Mom and apologized to me. I was a little disappointed ‘cause I really did wanna kick his ass.’

Really? A “turd” Rick?!! LOL…the visual on this Rick James/Prince blow up is hilarious, but that wasn’t the first time they had beef. SEE WHERE THIS TENSION STARTED…

RICK JAMES CLAIMED PRINCE PLAYED HIM

Rick James’ R&B group, Mary Jane Girls

Rick James made it widely known that he wasn’t a fan of Prince. Their issues date back to the late 70’s/early 80’s, when Prince opened up for Rick James’ tour. In his book, “Glow,” Rick alleged that Prince jacked his style on tour, stole his concept for his 80’s girl group, Mary Jane Girls (pictured in the photo)…AND his original lead singer. Rick said he told Prince about his girl group he was building, with it’s lead singer, Denise “Vanity” Matthews. According to Rick, when Vanity saw Prince for the first time backstage at an award show, she left with him instead and never returned to Rick. The next thing he knew, Prince had formed his own girl group, Vanity 6, and made Vanity the lead singer.

Like we always say, there was rarely a dull day in the lives of some of our favorite icons and this is proof of that. May Prince, Vanity, and Rick James, forever rest in peace and we thank them for the timeless music and the priceless stories, like this one, that put smiles on our faces as we reminisce.