While watching YouTube videos of his friend Dr Cornel West, Prince heard the famed American academic and activist say, “I love my brother Prince, but he’s no Curtis Mayfield.”
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The gauntlet had been thrown, and Prince took charge, writing the song Born 2 Die and later recording it in March 2010. Although President Barack Obama was in power, the issues affecting the Black community remained the same. Years before pop culture and the mainstream media would centre social justice, Prince crafted Welcome 2 America, a profoundly prescient statement about what he saw about the state of the nation at the dawn of the new millennium. Recorded in just a week, the record was ultimately shelved, with the artist choosing not to release it.
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However, soon after completing the album, Prince embarked on a world tour bearing its name, capping it with the historic 21 Nite Stand show at The Forum in Inglewood, California on April 28, 2011 – which is available as a live concert video in the deluxe edition. Backed by the New Power Generation (NPG), Prince performed classics likePurple Rain and Kiss as well as covers of Janet Jackson’s What Have You Done for Me Lately and India.Arie’s Brown Skin.
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“It’s extremely satisfying to know that people are going to hear Prince’s words because they are so important, and need to be heard over and over again,” says bassist Tal Wilkenfeld, who played on Welcome 2 America. “Prince wanted to help people and you can hear it in the music.”
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In conjunction with the new, posthumous release of Welcome 2 America (Sony Legacy), we look at the man behind the myth through the stories of NPG keyboardist Renato Neto and bassist Ida Nielsen, who played The Forum show, along with sound engineer Jason Agel and Wilkenfeld, who worked on Welcome 2 America.
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