In the latest episode of Questlove Supreme, the new weekly radio show hosted by Questlove, The Roots percussionist and lover of all things music related travels to Minneapolis and uncovers an unexpected connection between the late Prince and Public Enemy.
“The rapper’s problem usually stems from being tone-deaf. Pack the house then try to sing. There won’t be no one left,” Prince said on the track "Dead On It," originally written in 1987, on which Prince apparently declares his disdain for rap music.
According to sources who spoke with Questlove, Prince was initially cold to hip hop music for its use of samples and turntables over traditional instruments and vocal work. According to Prince's friend and former The Revolution band member Wendy Melvoin, however, Prince embraced hip hop after hearing a certain song.
“I remember, after we had broken the band up, and Do The Right Thing had just come out, and Lisa and I went to Minneapolis and I was a fanatic for the main title song [Fight the Power]," Wendy told Questlove. “I put it on there at [Prince's residence] Paisley ...[Prince] knew it changed, right there."
“It was almost the antithesis of what Prince was trying to do," recalled Lisa Coleman, who also performed with Prince as part of The Revolution. The two former band mates went as far to equate Prince's exposure to "Fight the Power," with the effect that Nirvana had on the alternative rock scene, saying that hearing "Fight The Power" caused Prince to rethink his initial, dismissive opinion of hip hop. Prince's next single after hearing "Fight the Power" was "Sexy MF," a hip hop influenced track that features the multi-talented singer/songwriter rapping throughout the track. "Sexy MF" would go on to be certified Gold by the RIAA.
The Questlove Supreme episode about Prince and The Revolution will be available for streaming on Pandora for the next 48 hours.
By Michael Lacerna for RAPstation.com
