Off the top of my head, my favorites are The Time's second album, 'What Time Is It?' and Sheila's first two albums, 'Glamorous Life' and 'Romance 1600'.

I've included Madhouse and NPG, although they're just Prince under another name. I did not include albums that just had a few Prince songs on them, like Elisa Fiorillo, whose I Am had 5 Prince songs, but wasn't a full on Prince produced record. The same goes for Brownmark, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Mavis Staples, etc. Some of these were people who either simply recorded a Prince song, or were signed to Paisley Park, neither of which made them a full on protege act.

This is my quick list in order of preference. I know The Family should be higher to some, but the two instrumentals knock it down a couple of notches.

1. Jill Jones
2. What Time Is It?
3. Exodus
4. The Family
5. The Time
6. Vanity 6
7. 8
8. Sheila E.
9. 16
10. The Glamorous Life
11. Ice Cream Castles
12. Times Squared (also Madhouse 24)
13. Come 2 My House
14. Romance 1600
15. Pandemonium
16. NewPowerSoul
17. Milk and Honey
18. Apollonia 6
19. Children of the Sun
20. Goldnigga
21. GCS2000
22. Elixer
23. Carmen Electra

1. Jill Jones

2. 8

3. What Time Is It?

4. The Glamorous Life

5. The Family

6. Romance 1600

7. Pandemonium

8. Mazarati

9. Vanity 6

10. Taja Sevelle

TrivialPursuit said:

I've included Madhouse and NPG, although they're just Prince under another name. I did not include albums that just had a few Prince songs on them, like Elisa Fiorillo, whose I Am had 5 Prince songs, but wasn't a full on Prince produced record. The same goes for Brownmark, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Mavis Staples, etc. Some of these were people who either simply recorded a Prince song, or were signed to Paisley Park, neither of which made them a full on protege act.

This is my quick list in order of preference. I know The Family should be higher to some, but the two instrumentals knock it down a couple of notches.

1. Jill Jones
2. What Time Is It?
3. Exodus
4. The Family
5. The Time
6. Vanity 6
7. 8
8. Sheila E.
9. 16
10. The Glamorous Life
11. Ice Cream Castles
12. Times Squared (also Madhouse 24)
13. Come 2 My House
14. Romance 1600
15. Pandemonium
16. NewPowerSoul
17. Milk and Honey
18. Apollonia 6
19. Children of the Sun
20. Goldnigga
21. GCS2000
22. Elixer
23. Carmen Electra

You say you didn't include albums that were not fully produced by him and had only a few Prince songs, but you listed Sheila E.'s eponymously titled third album, 'Sheila. E.'. Prince had input into only 5 of the 10 tracks on that. Don't get me wrong -- I think it's a great album. I just don't believe it fits the criteria you laid out for yourself.

Pandemonium and GCS2000 also might not fit your criteria.

lurker316 said:

You say you didn't include albums that were not fully produced by him and had only a few Prince songs, but you listed Sheila E.'s eponymously titled third album, 'Sheila. E.'. Prince had input into only 5 of the 10 tracks on that. Don't get me wrong -- I think it's a great album. I just don't believe it fits the criteria you laid out for yourself.

Pandemonium and GCS2000 also might not fit your criteria.

That was a call on my part because she was still very much in Prince's camp beyond having a couple of his songs on a record. That was smack in the middle of SOTT and Lovesexy, so that's a protege record.

Pandemonium made it because had it not been for GB, they'd have not gotten together to do anything at all. The majority of those songs are Prince songs. Less than half a dozen are non-Prince tracks.
GCS2000 - well. It's at #21 for a reason.

eduJ said:

1. Jill Jones

2. 8

3. What Time Is It?

4. The Glamorous Life

5. The Family

6. Romance 1600

7. Pandemonium

8. Mazarati

9. Vanity 6

10. Taja Sevelle

How is Taja Sevelle a protege? She's done two Prince songs. It's why I ended up not putting Mazarati on my list. One full on Prince song, and two sets of lyrics for existing music.

It's weird because it's muddled in those ways. Dabbles here and there, but should we count only the full on records? Mazarati wasn't really a protege act, just someone on the then-new Paisley Park records. I suppose that's all part of the fun of lists.

26ten said:

I'm trying to figure this out too and will be listening to all the protege albums I can find this week. All I know is that The Time and especially the Jill Jones album (especially this one!) seem to be my favorites. I absolutely LOVE the JJ album.

Jill Jones is one of my fave protege albums too. Violet Blue is such a good song!!

Others:

What Time is It?

Sheila E (3rd album)

The Family

Superconductor

8 & 16

Do Wendy & Lisa albums count? I love their first one and Eroica.

Poplife88 said:

Do Wendy & Lisa albums count? I love their first one and Eroica.

No. They're not on the label, nor did he have input on their records. If that's the rules, then you'd have to include both Brownmark albums, Apollonia's solo record, fDeluxe's two albums, Bobby Z's album, Dr. Fink's album, Jesse Johnson's albums, Morris Day's solo records, anything Jam & Lewis has done, Monte Moir's album, etc.

TrivialPursuit said:

1. Jill Jones

2. Exodus

3. Vanity 6

4. The Time

5. The Family

6. 16

7. Eixer

8. The Glamorous Life

9. Apollonia 6

10. Carmen Electra

TrivialPursuit said:

Poplife88 said:

Do Wendy & Lisa albums count? I love their first one and Eroica.

No. They're not on the label, nor did he have input on their records. If that's the rules, then you'd have to include both Brownmark albums, Apollonia's solo record, fDeluxe's two albums, Bobby Z's album, Dr. Fink's album, Jesse Johnson's albums, Morris Day's solo records, anything Jam & Lewis has done, Monte Moir's album, etc.

Makes sense. I was about to include Jesse's first album as I still play that one from time to time (lol).

Poplife88 said:

toots said:

Poplife88 said:

toots said:

Poplife88 said:

Y’all need to chill…

i havent posted any posts for over a YEAR and you tell me to chill...that is very funny.. Next time before posting you like their first album...maybe look and SEE what the actual title was..was merely stating a FACT! YOU stated in your reply post #8 it was... I corrected you [Edited 12/2/23 1:39am]

Wow. Let's love W&L and let it be

[Edited 12/2/23 9:34am]

toots said:

toots said:

Poplife88 said:

Wendy and Lisa's first album wasnt Eroica...it was the self titled album "Wendy and Lisa"...no they dont count🤣

But they said, "first one AND Eroica."

toots said:

Poplife88 said:

Y’all need to chill…

i havent posted any posts for over a YEAR and you tell me to chill...that is very funny..
Next time before posting you like their first album...maybe look and SEE what the actual title was..was merely stating a FACT! YOU stated in your reply post #8 it was... I corrected you
[Edited 12/2/23 1:39am]

^RJ! You stuck the landing!!!

Actually, RE: Wendy & Lisa, "Are You My Baby" from 'Fruit At The Bottom' is based on a groove that Prince made.

Top 5:

1 What Time Is It?

2 The Family

3 The Time

4 GCS2000

5 Apollonia 6

*Don't know how I feel about Exodus as a "protege" or "Prince-spin off" album (same with the Madhouses) so I didn't include it on my list