I must say I was quite surprised at this joint - especially the way P's bridge vocals are oh so reminiscent of Fergie's work of late.."she want the BOX of chocolates every day!..."

This is showing Prince does listen to current radio, and in some ways, is trying to do cuts that have a somewhat modern/urban vibe young listeners will dig. In this case, I think It does not work.

It is quite obvious that Will.I.Am and Fergie would die to work with Prince, and we know are both huge fans - to hear a hero of theirs immulate their style has got to be interesting to them.

Remember a few years back when P was diggin Gwen Stefani and No Doubt? he called her and did a few cuts together, one on his "Rave UN 2 Joy Fantastic" album, and one of the No Doubt "rock steady" album. For this song, I think P should have just called up Fergie and Will and done the cut together, even have Will.I.AM help with drum programming, to add a more hip, current/modern urban feel. Q Tip is one of my favorite rappers of all time, and his verse is cool, but definitely done in the Vibe/Tone of Fergie/Will.I.Am. He should have got Q-Tip on a more jazzy/message laden track - a la "Dear. Mr Man", "Colonized Mind", or even a funky one - "Feel Good, Feel Better, Feel Wonderful"...

Overall, I dig MPLSoUND and LOtUSFLOW3R - and I am extremely happy to be bumpin some new music from the best musician to ever do it. I have accepted the fact there is not going to be another "Purple Rain", "Controversy", "Sign O The Times", so i accept these albums for what they are - new music from a genius who has been creating incredible music for over 30 years, who manages to re-invent trends and sounds, and explore musical styles as time goes on.
[Edited 3/29/09 23:19pm]

that's all I got to say about that...

A lot of what you said I disagree with

Jakeasaurus said:

As you have your opinion to. You must not listen to or have heard Will.I.AM, Fergie, or Black Eyed Peas. If you did, it would be obvious to you what I am talking about.

The bass synth on the hook sounds similar like the hook on "Fergalicious", and a few other of Will.I.Am's produced songs. The way P sings/raps that bridge..come on, that is dead on. Go listen to/watch "Fergalicious" On youtube to see what I am saying.

But the irony is, so so so so many people have been inspired by, and bitten P since the 80's on, it's really all relative, And I mean on a double set disc this deep musically, who gives a shit if he was inspired on one song by these cats - they could only dream and wish to reach his level in the game one day. They make good dance music for todays youth - P does not. His joints and jams are for his devout fans of years, and a song like "chocolate box" is a direct attempt at a younger audience. Dance cuts like "$" and "Feel Better" are aimed at Prince's loyal, older fanbase. I am wrong??

In the instance of "Chocolate Box" it is just super obvious for those parts...."she want the B O X of chocolates every day!!!" That is too too obvious.

Maybe that's why I don't like it.

Just tell me something...



















what the fuck kind of sound does Fergie have, exactly?!

KidaDynamite said:

Melting, meth-faced, bowel-stirring gastroenteritis.

Moonbeam said:

Oh damn!

KidaDynamite said:

NMuzakNSoul said:

BEP are the MC Hammer of our time (or at least yesterday's time). Clawing at other people's hooks to serve as a foundation for their lame and trite 'raps'. Yawnfest.

THe dumbest thread on the site. Those artists are so young that they are ripping off other artists who ripped off Prince. Chocolate Box is vintage electronic Prince music which goes back to Controversy in the early 80s - before these punks were even born.

The way he phrases the "B-O-X of chocolates" line reminds me of Stefani far more than it does BEP or Fergie (and that's the only line in the song that harkens to another artist, IMHO). I really don't see the similarity between this song and anything by BEP, since I don't automatically feel the need to vomit when I hear "Chocolate Box".

unkleg said:

Amen! One of the crappiest "bands" to emerge on the pop scene in years. Fergie makes Vanilla Ice look like Mozart!

Fuck Fergie! 'Beat It' 2008 is the worst thing i've ever heard. or definately one of them at least.

Why would Prince try to emulate her?

It's crystal clear that his delivery in parts of this song is 'influenced' by the Black Eyed Peas stuff.

It is quite, quite hideous.

NouveauDance said:

I don't know. I just don't see it. It isn't my favorite song on the discs, but it doesn't seem nearly as bad as the garbage I've heard from BEP and Fergie. Their stuff is the audio equivilant of a painful bowel movement.

---
[Edited 4/2/09 6:14am]

NouveauDance said:

Thank you! finally someone with some sense who feels what i am saying..

everybody else..shut up already...DAMN!
lol.

whatever, I hate those people´s music and still like Chocolate
Box a lot

lostangel078 said:

No, not even close. Fergie doesn't have a "sound", and will.i.am is seriously over rated. However, I posted an thread on here about that very line in "Chocolate Box" sounding almost exactly like The Pussycat Dolls "When I Grow Up".

Here ya go: http://prince.org/msg/7/303079

lostangel078 said:

Well, people with sense don't listen to Black Eyed Peas, so whatever...

garganta said:

precisely

garganta said:

You are generous to even refer to the sounds that BEP make as "music"!

lostangel078 said:

To understand history, you have to know at least a little of it.
Music did not begin with what you just listened to on the radio the last couple of years

"Fergelicious" is a cute version of an old 80's girl group style of early hip-hop music, unabashed ode to songs like "Supersonic",.. same with MY Humps and most of their work.
Fergies and The Black Eyed Peas style of music is unabashedly oldschool.
[Edited 4/3/09 5:56am]

Of Course, I agree. "Fergalicious" is a dead rip off of Supersonic, and her whole vibe is based on early 80's hip hop. It has been "chic" within the past few years for new pop artists to have a retro vibe..it shows that todays artists are weaker artistically, but i am not mad, cause I love that 80's sound everyone is immulating these days.

That is why I said in an earlier thread that I am not mad at P for what he did, and how it is all relative if he lifts an idea for a vocal bridge or hook from a modern artist, cause 95% of all modern artists have material that was inspired by someone who has inspired by Prince - make sense?


That being said, P still used that same "fergalicious/supersonic" vibe, whatever you wanna call it, and incorporated into the Chocolate Box song. Does it matter..not really? The man is a damn genius, he gets a pass every now and then, and that is probably the least listenable song out of LOTUS/MPLS to me. When I think of uptempo/electronic drum based Prince, I think of "private joy", "sexuality", "dirty mind", "controversy", "kiss", and all the other classic 80's Prince joints. The weakest shit P has done over the past 15 years is when he tries to be "modern" and immulate current hip hop trends. That NPG "freaks on this side" comes to mind..i hated that. He needs to quit fooling with current hip hop trends and just stick to doing him - the ballads on MPLS are amazing, NO MORE CANDY 4 U is freaking incredible, all the rock joints on LOTUS are sizzlers...P, just leave hip hop alone it is it's own animal, and if you were not raised up with hip hop as your main form of music, or as a part of hip hop culture, you should'nt really try your hands at it, thats why when he tries it sounds corny.He has mastered every other form of music - rock,jazz,pop ballads, funk, rnb, just leave hip hop alone - musically, it is beneath P - he is too musically inclined really to understand what makes a good hip hop record a hit in the streets..not his fault.

PS - don't ever doubt my music history knowledge - still waters run deep homie.
[Edited 4/3/09 8:40am]
[Edited 4/3/09 8:45am]

Jakeasaurus said:

yeah ^^

Just because the phrasing is the same in that part doesn't make it so.

I didn't know who he was trying to immitate but I knew it was somebody current but it definately does not sound like the way Prince usually delivers his lyrics. I wouldn't necessarily say that it was one particular current artist he was trying to immitate because sooooo many of them sound exactly the same.



I know. And that's the problem.



It's not going to work. The majority of them don't like him and never will. He's just making a fool of himself trying to please them. He's got a good thing already and just doesn't know it. He has a large loyal fanbase that buys every single album he makes the very first day it comes out. Very few older artists have that and would be happy and satisfied with that. Instead, he wants to try to get new young listeners. He should try to please his fanbase. If the youngsters happen to like the music, that's fine. But if they don't, fuck 'em. But if he thinks he's going to be a big star with these youngsters of today like he was when I was growing up, he needs to wake up and smell the coffee. He might possibly get a one-time big hit but these youngsters won't be back for the next one. In the meantime, he'll lose more and more of his older fans that used to always come back.

http://prince.org/msg/7/220303?pr
http://prince.org/msg/7/268127?&pg=1

vainandy said:

Intelligent, well thought out response. I agree totally with you.