any word on this project?. I'll be real pissed if it is the case coz Shelby has generated so much love during her 21 nights. CVome on P get your focus on a genuine powerhouse singer.

I would not doubt this if he did.

toots said:

Sadly, I wouldn't doubt it either.

this is from her myspace:

Hey Fam It's me Shelby J. the one & only "blackgypsy"! Da' funky girl with the long braids, Hats & lots of teeth!!
I'm doing a little Experiment. Many of U know me personally & have followed my career for many years. Yal' know I ain't NO ROOKIE I've earned my stripes & the RESPECT of the best folks in & outside of the Music Industry!!
From my early days in Harlem holding down Sylvia's Open Mic, to holding down da background vocals 4 Groove Theory, Mary J. Blige, D'Angelo, Anthony Hamilton, Martin Luther, Larry Graham & Prince. I have learned so much & grown so much. I've been So very very blessed! I mean come on..Da' Superbowl!! What a Blessing!! I'm so grateful!
Here's the question....Yal' know I can sing & have something 2 say....but would U buy a Shelby J. cd??? Would U buy 2?? I'm trying to see how many "YES's" I can get !!!
I currently have several albums worth of material ready to go!!! So what do U think I should do. Would U support my DREAM?? buy my cd?? Come C me in concert as I give EVERYTHING to the people, as I ALWAYS have???
Do Yal' want a serving of my "SouthernFunk & Stuff"?? Let a sista know...like I said, just wondering.
Peace & Blessings 2 U All.
[Edited 1/27/09 12:09pm]

Observe this sentence:

"Hey, Insert protege name here I think we should put out a solo CD for you."

See the word "think" bolded? That's usually the moment in Prince's mind that the project get's canceled. As that word escapes his lips, the project heads for The Vault.

If u have been in the game as long as SJ and u are allowing others 2 control your career, U get what U get.

IstenSzek said:

Well, it doesn't sound like she has Prince helping her. And I was really looking forward to finally hear a female "protegé" with a great, strong voice. Looks like P thought with the wrong part again

no one ever said a CD was recorded ....

VenusBlingBling said:

Much love to Shelby J but are we really surprised at this message? wrong part again is true. celibate JW my ass!!!!! i still luv the lil hornytoad tho- but when it comes to mentoring a successful protege and choosing talent over looks he be all kinds of wrong
p.s. I would buy 2 of the blackgypsy's CDs in a min!!

xenophobia2002 said:

"I currently have several albums worth of material ready to go!!!"

You're right; it sounds like several were recorded to me...

It's like with Rosie Gaines all over again

merrickjones said:

merrickjones said:

I dig Shalby J she a powerhouse. I think she gonna have a CD, the new website looks like somthin he gonna add on to. WORD Rosie was my favorite sanger by far! That girl could blow.

let's give her much love and support. Perhaps being free from P is the best thing that could happen to her. Good luck Shelby.

funkyhead said:

I totally agree. All one need to do is look at his history with the fem protege or even the male groups. There's no shining under someone else's shadow!

wow,thats a shame and prince should be ashamed.
shelby isnt giving him the sex so he said next.
thats how it is with the guy.
he hasnt changed.
in his mind he has but im sure we all see through it.
well...those of us who choose 2 see.
ive seen shelby live and i know for a fact she sings better than bria.
her voice is stronger and much more compelling.
yet,who is getting toted around like a new coat?
...yea.

zoetruluv said:

x 1,000

Maybe,maybe not!

DesireeNevermind said:

You same girls are still at it against Bria and Prince? So sad to see

grown people behaving so childish. There is not a competition going on here,

its pointless speculation at this stage dont you think? How do you know Shelby

doesnt already have a CD in the works or finished already? None of us know, so

why start a thread that is obviously baiting? This is the main reason why

people are discouraged when commenting on these threads. It is sadly more

about personal dating gossip than the music. Live your lives and dont become

obsessed while overanalyzing others lives. It is fruitless. Discuss facts,

why discuss speculatory opinions as if fact just to say something negative

about Bria and/or Prince? Begs the question, are you really Prince fans? Do you

like his music? Do you comment on the music? Prince should be ashamed? YOU

should be ashamed for judging people you dont know personally Zoetrulove and

Desiree. This is very very sad. Give love and get love in return, that is

universal law of nature. Learn from this principle and find peace.

Peace and love

"Prince should be ashamed!" (gasps) He about to release some dope music, three cd's worth and dope website for the real fans and yall complainin about this? Are you chicks for real? Emotional wrecks the lot of ya! WORD

I think the Bria Valente CD will be good from what I heard so far. I actually really like her voice and the music Prince made 4 her. It seems other people feel the same way I do.....I aint mad at her. Go girl

http://www.collectionofwo...ia-valente

xtrafab said:

[snip - CarrieMpls]
first off i didnt start this thread so dont fucking quote my shit and then say i started a baiting thread.kaythanx.
second-this fansite is nothing but specualtion.
prince likes it when fans speculate about in the works projects anyway.
and who are you to say i dont know prince personally?
...you wish.
thirdly,prince should be ashamed because he has a habit of finishing an album and then not releasing it.
my opinion...[snip - CarrieMpls]
that does alot to a hopeful artist.
you will learn that soon enough,im sure.
i am still a prince fan but he needs to be more considerate to those around him.
and another thing xtrafab, if people are so discouraged from replying in speculation threads....why are you here?
be easy bum.

[snip - CarrieMpls]

purplecam said:

Shame. Both Tamar and Shelby. And for what? Oh wait, I think I know....

zoetruluv said:

Zoe, I am glad you posted this. It is disconcerting that whenever someone voices a dislike for the Bria project or inquires about a Shelby project, they are branded a Bria hater who is a jealous female who wants Prince to bed them. It actually discourages me and others from even posting. At the end of the day Prince can do whatever he wants with whomever he wants. Given his track record with women, I would not want to be added to his hit list no matter how fine/sexy he is.

However, on a musical level, as a longtime fan I have been disappointed by some of the choices he has made when it comes to "proteges." I always think about the supreme waste of Rosie Gaines in favor of the Carmen Elektra project. I also wish that more was done with Marva King. He's wasted music and money on albums for women like Carmen and Mayte. So, I hope that history does not repeat itself and that Shelby does get a well-promoted album from her time with Prince. She has been a good addition to his shows over the last couple of years, and it would be a good idea to build on that momentum.

I do not know much about Bria, and I am honestly not that impressed with the three tracks that I have heard from her. The music is nice, but her vocals are unremarkable to me. Whether she is Prince's woman or not has no bearing on that. For example, I LOVE me some Sheila E. However, her private relationship with Prince had no bearing on that. Whether Prince was bedding her or not, I just really dug her sound, style and talent. If I was some jealous hater, I would have dogged her out because of the obvious closeness that they share. I also liked the Nona tracks he did, and the fact that she and Prince were together did not affect that. I actually thought they looked cute together in the Love Sign video. However, my focus has always been on the music.

I wish some people would grow up around here and have intelligent discussions about music rather than wage unfounded indictments about people's opinions of the MUSIC.

bellanoche said:

Grow up? Some opinions are not based on the music and that is quite clear by

your comments. Her music is good and her voice is also good. Three well

produced songs thus far and we have yet to hear a full album, yet you have made

your mind up about Prince's motives and future desicions. Preconceived notions

again fruitless to discuss at this point. Be in the now. You mention Sheila E,

well, to most she is not a 'remarkable' singer, as u put it, but her voice

works well with her music. You love her and so do I. Again its when social

stigmas get in the way of reason that intellectual discussions fall by the way

side wouldnt you agree? I think this is an underlying problem here, although

most will not admit to this. A beautiful girl is always scrutinized just for

the way she looks. If she has talent/accomplishments she is labelled gold

digger or manipulating men with sex to acheive fame. If she is spiritual she

could only be faking it. These are all indicative of a jealous or envious

personality trait. They do not uplift, they only tear down. Where is the intellect in that?

Where is the love for music in that? Cursing and calling me

names Zoetrulove is very childish and against forum rules. Mods I hope will put

and end to this.

Peace and love

When i say beautiful girls are scrutinized, im referring to society in general.

xtrafab said:

If our opinions should be "based on the music," and U read posts stating that her vocals are mediocre, isn't that perspective "based on the music?" As far as I'm concerned: yes, it is. A preference for voices like Shelby (or even his latest back-up singer Liv Warfield), has nothing to do with people disliking Bria for being "close to Prince." (Comparatively, from what has been shown, both she and Shelby are equal in proximity to him anyway, as both have been seen next to him in public.) And it's even more nonsensical to assume people are jealous of Bria's supposed relationship with Prince when some want him to work closer with another woman in his group in the first place (which is what this topic is about).


Your statement of her voice being "good" is not definite fact, but is your opinion, which others do not have to agree with. To constantly call people "jealous" of Bria Valente just because they disagree with Prince's decision to spotlight her over others is absurd. Like I've stated before, the terms "jealous" and "hater" are always the two main ridiculous descriptions thrown at people who don't like her voice. I could easily analyze your deep positivity for Bria, and turn it around and say "U're just zealous!"....But I won't. Discussions about this woman shouldn't always resort to that type of judgment (i.e. "You're jealous," or "Stop hatin'!") just because we have different viewpoints.

xtrafab said:

That is certainly not true. Even though beauty is relative, the most beautiful female entertainers with outstanding substantive talent are NOT always scrutinized for their appearance, and overall are positively acknowledged and applauded for their work. The ones who only have the "looks," but lack actual skill (yet are still prosperous...) are the ones who are usually labeled negatively (and often treated facetiously) by the public and media.

xtrafab said:

Jealousy is not the reason for all non-positive reactions posted about Bria Valente. I doubt credible music journalists who may dislike Bria's music feel that way because they are "jealous" of her, but only because they don't like or don't understand what they are hearing.


I'm never envious of other people, or anyone's status. It's a waste of time, and leads to personal destruction. But, if I had to make the mistake and unfortunately choose between Bria or Shelby to be "jealous" of, I'd choose Shelby: Her live vocals are phenomenal.

WaterInYourBath said:

Thank you Water... I knew when I posted my response last night that xtrafab would find her/his way her to lodge another baseless accusation of jealousy and hateration at me. I also knew that I would not bother to respond to such an illogical misinterpretation of my comments. Thankfully you summed up what my response would have been. Maybe folks who vehemently accuse those who are not impressed with Bria's vocals of jealousy are projecting their own psychotic Prince desire on us. Just because they might want to be with Prince does not mean that everyone else who critiques his musical/business choices shares the same sentiment. As I have said countless times, I could care less if Bria is his woman or not, what does that have to do with the fact that I am not impressed with her vocal ability? Also, why would I be jealous of her relationship with Prince as a girlfriend or singer? When all is said and done, we know how this story ends. It has repeated itself multiple times.

bellanoche said:

bellanoche said:

Yes, it's strange. It seems to be a combination of them intensely desiring Prince, highly complimenting Bria in all aspects, and desperately hoping Prince and Bria get married. Hmm....It's always the same ones too, in every thread about her, and they consistently mis-conflate neutrality and/or criticism towards Valente (from both girls and guys, LOL) with their accusations of envy towards her image or personal connection with Prince. ..... Just like we have posted here, and some other members in different threads: Personal envy and jealously is not the case for all of us who are not fans of her voice so far. Especially not for me, LOL, as I do not covet Bria's looks/physical appearance. Musically, being a female singer and recording an album with Prince seems to garner more negative business results than positive, so I don't want her position as his "protege" either (that title alone would bother me, LOL). And romantically speaking, I personally do not want to take Bria's or anyone's place in Prince's arms or love. He may be 20 if I ever daydream about him, and he may still look 20 in the face, but he's decades beyond that in reality, and I do not desire to be with him maritally (or even during any kind of romantic dating) in current or future time. Sure he's still handsome now, and 50 is still a young mental age....but, well...dude is old .....for me anyway. It's cool I guess to have a platonic relationship with him, but that's it, LOL.

He can cherish and adore Bria as his lover. Looking at her image, and his past choices, I expected that. However, I would have appreciated it if he would have deferred musical attention away from her, and aimed it towards someone he knows with amazing vocals that should be on a solo album (like Shelby).

zoetruluv said:

I remember Rosie Gaines said the same thing. He promised to help her with her album, but since he was involved with Carmen, he ignored Rosie. How sad.