It was said when Rosie left the NPG that some members of the group were unkind to her, especially in reference to her weight. I've always, personally, associated it with the Game Boyz, but I don't remember if any real light was ever shed on this topic beyond her initial statement. Google turned up nothing.

I also know her solo album not coming to fruition may have been the straw that broke the camel's back (and Prince's retaliation being to keep her contracted throughout 1992, effectively neutering her debut into pop mainstream off the success of Diamonds and Pearls).

Is that true? I never heard anything like that.....I'd be really surprised that Prince would allow that to occur in his camp. (The contractual part, I can believe.)

Tony M and Damon has been singled out as being particularly cruel, (and not only by Rosie), but it sounds like others went along as well...

And yes, Prince did allow it, since he didn't want to get involved. Rosie mentioned in one of the biographies, that he didn't like it at all when she complained to him, and that she had to threaten to leave the tour before he finally placed her in another tourbus.

They were complete asswholes towards Rosie.

Ones for doing everything, others for saying nothing.

Machismo. Sad.

Aint it ironic that none of them had talent and yet that's who Prince sided with? Poor Ms. Gaines.

sosgemini said:

and yet that's who Prince sided with?

NouveauDance said:

sosgemini said:

and yet that's who Prince sided with?

Damn those Game Boyz are smoove!

sounds like prince wanted to be with the cool kids lmao

even though they arent so cool

prince: fat girls are the best girls

[Edited 1/24/11 17:36pm]

Virgo said:

Tony M and Damon has been singled out as being particularly cruel, (and not only by Rosie), but it sounds like others went along as well...

And yes, Prince did allow it, since he didn't want to get involved. Rosie mentioned in one of the biographies, that he didn't like it at all when she complained to him, and that she had to threaten to leave the tour before he finally placed her in another tourbus.

Not getting involved is NOT the same thing as allowing it. Maybe he didn't want to piss anyone off and just wanted them to work it out amongst themselves. That is sometimes the best way to handle things from a boss/business standpoint. And what are we talking about here...5 year olds or adults? C'mon, going to Prince whining that someone is calling you fat is SO immature! She should have just laid into their asses one good time and they wouldn't have left her alone. Their immature asses only did it cause they knew it bothered her. They were jack-asses for doing it, but really everyone was an adult, Prince should not have to be involved.

DaphneLovesPR1NCE said:

Virgo said:

Tony M and Damon has been singled out as being particularly cruel, (and not only by Rosie), but it sounds like others went along as well...

And yes, Prince did allow it, since he didn't want to get involved. Rosie mentioned in one of the biographies, that he didn't like it at all when she complained to him, and that she had to threaten to leave the tour before he finally placed her in another tourbus.

Not getting involved is NOT the same thing as allowing it. Maybe he didn't want to piss anyone off and just wanted them to work it out amongst themselves. That is sometimes the best way to handle things from a boss/business standpoint. And what are we talking about here...5 year olds or adults? C'mon, going to Prince whining that someone is calling you fat is SO immature! She should have just laid into their asses one good time and they wouldn't have left her alone. Their immature asses only did it cause they knew it bothered her. They were jack-asses for doing it, but really everyone was an adult, Prince should not have to be involved.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

NouveauDance said:

sosgemini said:

and yet that's who Prince sided with?

I was thinking the same thing!

Spinlight said:

I also know her solo album not coming to fruition may have been the straw that broke the camel's back (and Prince's retaliation being to keep her contracted throughout 1992, effectively neutering her debut into pop mainstream off the success of Diamonds and Pearls).

I recall a mid-90s interview where Rosie was really bitter about that situation.She was very blunt,saying "My album wasn't released because I wasn't sleeping with Prince"

I can understand her frustration.Prince spent much of 1992 focused on Carmen Elektra's album,spending over $2 million just to promote it.Not surprisingly,it bombed big time.Meanwhile,Rosie's album was put on the back burner and when it was finally given a release date (March 1994),Paisley Park Records was shut down.She got a raw deal.

Bullying Rosie?

That is sad, low and pityfull. P could have done something. So he was letting these guys getting away with that kind of behavior? As the leader of the pact that doesn't seem the best choice.

Spinlight said:

sosgemini said:

DaphneLovesPR1NCE said:

Not getting involved is NOT the same thing as allowing it. Maybe he didn't want to piss anyone off and just wanted them to work it out amongst themselves. That is sometimes the best way to handle things from a boss/business standpoint. And what are we talking about here...5 year olds or adults? C'mon, going to Prince whining that someone is calling you fat is SO immature! She should have just laid into their asses one good time and they wouldn't have left her alone. Their immature asses only did it cause they knew it bothered her. They were jack-asses for doing it, but really everyone was an adult, Prince should not have to be involved.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

You got me there. I should be thinking from the flip side. It just sucks when 2 of your friends are fighting, even when one is wrong, you don't want to get in the middle.

The irony was that the Game Boyz were the most RIDICULOUSLY UNTALENTED group of people that Prince has ever worked with. They're not in a whole lot of a position to ridicule anyone for anything.

Acrylic said:

The irony was that the Game Boyz were the most RIDICULOUSLY UNTALENTED group of people that Prince has ever worked with. They're not in a whole lot of a position to ridicule anyone for anything.

That would make sense, though, right?

They probably didn't get a whole lot of play unless they were on tour or shooting videos. And even then, they were simply taking direction from Prince. Hell, did Tony M even write his own raps? I've never been clear on that, just never occurred to me that Tony M would write anything.

Would make sense to me that they would be jealous of her. Prince was really hard for Rosie and the Game Boyz had been around, in some fashion, since 1984 and barely got any kudos at all while Rosie gets instantly recognized after the release of D&P, possibly poising her to be Prince's next big famous bandmember (next to Wendy, Lisa, Sheila, etc).

In short, haters gonna hate.

Well they must had made up because she was singing with him in his Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic concert on NYE 1998.

Seems like Prince, over time, has made up with alot of people. Sometimes things happen during certain periods in your career and you fall out with people but then as time moves on and that part of your life is over, then sometimes you can forgive and forget.

Do they talk now?

Spinlight said:

Acrylic said:

The irony was that the Game Boyz were the most RIDICULOUSLY UNTALENTED group of people that Prince has ever worked with. They're not in a whole lot of a position to ridicule anyone for anything.

That would make sense, though, right?

They probably didn't get a whole lot of play unless they were on tour or shooting videos. And even then, they were simply taking direction from Prince. Hell, did Tony M even write his own raps? I've never been clear on that, just never occurred to me that Tony M would write anything.

Would make sense to me that they would be jealous of her. Prince was really hard for Rosie and the Game Boyz had been around, in some fashion, since 1984 and barely got any kudos at all while Rosie gets instantly recognized after the release of D&P, possibly poising her to be Prince's next big famous bandmember (next to Wendy, Lisa, Sheila, etc).

In short, haters gonna hate

Agree. The audiences loved Rosie on that tour. The Gameboyz were at best tolerated. They were critisized in reviews, while Rosie was praised. Record company didn't like them either, I think it was Benny Medina from W.B. who said, that he repeatedly told Prince to get rid of Gameboyz, whom he found completely embarrising, but that he absolutely adored Rosie.

So Rosie was pretty much universally admired, while they were loathed. So they had plenty of reason to feel insecure and jealous.

Rosie and Prince made up in 1996. He called her and said something to the effect that "This is crazy we love each other" and invited her to the studio to sing on some songs. She said there was a whole different atmosphere at Paisley now that these people were out of the band.

I never liked the macho atmosphere of the Paisley Park entourage in early/mid 90's. Swearing, card playing, gun-mics as displayed in videos like Gett Off and Sexy MF.

It was also reflected in the bombastic music (Michael B's woodchooper drums and Sonny T's ultra low 5 string bass).

I can easily imagine that Rosie was not at ease in that wanna-be-gangsta environment....

Virgo said:

Spinlight said:

Acrylic said:

The irony was that the Game Boyz were the most RIDICULOUSLY UNTALENTED group of people that Prince has ever worked with. They're not in a whole lot of a position to ridicule anyone for anything.

That would make sense, though, right?

They probably didn't get a whole lot of play unless they were on tour or shooting videos. And even then, they were simply taking direction from Prince. Hell, did Tony M even write his own raps? I've never been clear on that, just never occurred to me that Tony M would write anything.

Would make sense to me that they would be jealous of her. Prince was really hard for Rosie and the Game Boyz had been around, in some fashion, since 1984 and barely got any kudos at all while Rosie gets instantly recognized after the release of D&P, possibly poising her to be Prince's next big famous bandmember (next to Wendy, Lisa, Sheila, etc).

In short, haters gonna hate

Agree. The audiences loved Rosie on that tour. The Gameboyz were at best tolerated. They were critisized in reviews, while Rosie was praised. Record company didn't like them either, I think it was Benny Medina from W.B. who said, that he repeatedly told Prince to get rid of Gameboyz, whom he found completely embarrising, but that he absolutely adored Rosie.

So Rosie was pretty much universally admired, while they were loathed. So they had plenty of reason to feel insecure and jealous.

Rosie and Prince made up in 1996. He called her and said something to the effect that "This is crazy we love each other" and invited her to the studio to sing on some songs. She said there was a whole different atmosphere at Paisley now that these people were out of the band.

True, but some old habits die hard. Rosie gave Prince 3 chances to owe up to his commitment to her and he never pulled through. In '91, '96, and '99, Prince had endeavored to work more with Rosie, but refused to pay her accordingly. This is why she has never been back and likely never will be back. Prince, in typical Prince-fashion, completely takes his peers for granted.

^

That's Prince in a nutshell

Spinlight said:

just never occurred to me that Tony M would write anything.

Just like never ocurred to me that Tony M could actually write...

But Prince called him 'the wittiest pen of the Twin Cities', and he said 'pen', not 'voice' or 'flow'.

So he must've written the raps.

DaphneLovesPR1NCE said:

sosgemini said:

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

You got me there. I should be thinking from the flip side. It just sucks when 2 of your friends are fighting, even when one is wrong, you don't want to get in the middle.

they were employees

adults or not, people can be cruel of all ages, and your boss should make sure it stops if it keeps happening...please

vitriol said:

Spinlight said:

just never occurred to me that Tony M would write anything.

Just like never ocurred to me that Tony M could actually write...

But Prince called him 'the wittiest pen of the Twin Cities', and he said 'pen', not 'voice' or 'flow'.

So he must've written the raps.

Not that that is high praise anyway.

"You jumped on my D I C K, that's one thing I don't play."

....

This was a rehearsal for his duet with Michael Jackson on BAD.

This was the part that MJ sang... "your butt is mine"

not that there is anything wrong with that?

NouveauDance said:

sosgemini said:

and yet that's who Prince sided with?

WTF?

This shit really happened. Damn P.

Yeah, I heard they made fun of her and she had to share a tourbus with Mavis Staples..

jazzz said:

I never liked the macho atmosphere of the Paisley Park entourage in early/mid 90's. Swearing, card playing, gun-mics as displayed in videos like Gett Off and Sexy MF.

It was also reflected in the bombastic music (Michael B's woodchooper drums and Sonny T's ultra low 5 string bass).

I can easily imagine that Rosie was not at ease in that wanna-be-gangsta environment....

Yes,I hated that atmosphere, too, and I think it was in stark contrast to all the imagery/aura that Prince had created before and after that phase. The card playing, the swearing (even when it was totally unnecessary sometimes), the embarrassing rapping, the gun mic, all of that.

The one part I disagree with you is the music though...I really liked Michael B. and Sonny together with Prince, that bombastic, raw sound they created.

Don´t really know whether Sonny was cruel, too. I doubt it, because you know he actually chose Sonny T. as his bass player after Andre Cymone left the band, and he told Sonny to lose some pounds, so Sonny exercised and followed a diet, only to be replaced by Brownmark without any notice...so in a sense, he should have felt a bit more sympathetic to Rosie´s situation, but who knows...

The Game Boys, Tony M, etc., all those guys, even going way back to Wally and Greg Brooks, were just really unnecessary, in my opinion, and had a strange influence on Prince, even though I can kind of relate to why he would hang with them.

KoolEaze said:

jazzz said:

I never liked the macho atmosphere of the Paisley Park entourage in early/mid 90's. Swearing, card playing, gun-mics as displayed in videos like Gett Off and Sexy MF.

It was also reflected in the bombastic music (Michael B's woodchooper drums and Sonny T's ultra low 5 string bass).

I can easily imagine that Rosie was not at ease in that wanna-be-gangsta environment....

Yes,I hated that atmosphere, too, and I think it was in stark contrast to all the imagery/aura that Prince had created before and after that phase. The card playing, the swearing (even when it was totally unnecessary sometimes), the embarrassing rapping, the gun mic, all of that.

The one part I disagree with you is the music though...I really liked Michael B. and Sonny together with Prince, that bombastic, raw sound they created.

Don´t really know whether Sonny was cruel, too. I doubt it, because you know he actually chose Sonny T. as his bass player after Andre Cymone left the band, and he told Sonny to lose some pounds, so Sonny exercised and followed a diet, only to be replaced by Brownmark without any notice...so in a sense, he should have felt a bit more sympathetic to Rosie´s situation, but who knows...

The Game Boys, Tony M, etc., all those guys, even going way back to Wally and Greg Brooks, were just really unnecessary, in my opinion, and had a strange influence on Prince, even though I can kind of relate to why he would hang with them.

I saw an interview with them they were SOOOOOOOOOO ANNOYING!!!! I'm glad they're gone. They suck.