easy. here in the midwest u get exposed 2 a lotta stuff, and the stuff u don't get exposed 2, u gotta make it up yourself & go yo own way.

DavidEye said:

*Yo David, what's up my friend...
I recall all of that as well in regards 2 the feuding and name callin etc...But that was pretty much a onesided affair on Ricks part. Prince never bought in2 that crap. So Once again I think Prince was only content on making his brand of music being focused on his quest. I think moreless it was pure media hype with the Black Magazines such as Black Beat etc... It helps boost sells bottom line~ The only one person who was fighting or tryin 2 start something was Rick...The interested parties helped spread Ricks personal feelings about Prince. This was not big like the Good Vs Evil feud that Prince & MJ was back in the day. The result of (media creation & fans having 2 much time 2 chatter.) So really Prince's only connection 2 James was that he once opened Ricks "Fire It Up Tour" other then that they were very much different as people as they were talent wise....So I never detected any real competing. Interesting is that Prince came out in "78" with great hype etc...4 that time it was hot talk about a wonder kid who can do it all. Alicia Keys as well with todays (super media) & the inner workings of Clive pullin the strings blew up as this next great thing....I find it funny that Rick takes the time 2 bad-talk against people who have that media buzz flowing with them~ Sounds like a bitter man 2 me...

james brown, jimmy H, and the stylistics

theC said:

santana, hendrix, yeah sure, but most of all me.

theC said:

I would say it has to be Mint Condition and Natural Selection. Maybe I'm wrong.



Peace!

Many comments above point to a heavy JB influence and I would agree with this. Prince has given much credit to James Brown with regards to being a musical influence. I read an interview recently where he stated that James Brown was his biggest influence on his drumming style (not that James was a great drummer) but it was the use of the drums within his arrangements that provided that was unique.

Additionally, Prince's use of the heavy synth sound can be traced back to JB's horn sec. When Prince was younger, he did not have a horn section at his disposal and as a result,he used synths, organs to produce a heavy horn sound to replicate this sound.

His dancing style with the splits and spins goes back to James and Jackie Wilson.

In addition to the examples used above, you can hear JB's influence on P's music dating back to For You. Listen to the guitar licks at the end of "I'm Yours" and then listen to "Soul Power" or "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag". The same with Lady Cabdriver.

I would not agree that Rick James was an influence on Prince. I agree with Supernova that his musical influences were on the scene long before Rick.

Something else to think about. Prince was also heavily influenced by female vocalists such as Patti Labelle and Aretha Franklin. Listen to How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore and then listen to some Aretha. The soulful, gospel wails are reminiscent of those artists.

P.S. Have an open mind young blood

Peace

prince was influenced by M.C. HAMMER!
hammer,hammer,i am....hammer..they put me in the mix!
that's why we pray-prince got doves cry from hammer song pray

James Brown, Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Parliament/Funkadelic/Bootsy Collins, Earth, Wind and Fire, Ohio Players, Santana, Jimi Hendrix, Sly and the Family Stone/Larry Graham, Isley Bros, Issac Hayes,Willie Hutch, and The Impressions/Curtis Mayfield. OL'SKOOL LIVES ON!!! 8)

How come nobody ever metions Al Green? Al's scream sounds almost identical to Prince's and the singing style in some songs is comparable.

divo02 said:

Agree with you. Prince's falsetto is similiar to Al's. Al's heavy use of the organ may have influenced Prince's sound as well.

Peace

nobody hear mentions led zeppelin,larry graham,steve vai,george clinton,stevie wonder,miles davies,chik corea,grand funk railroad ...
hey in dance music sex romance reahearsal in 1988 prince sings,rick james tina marie and me.

thebanishedone said:

Because they in no way compare to Slick Rick's influence on Prince and everyone knows that.

Supernova said:

U full of crap NOVAAAAA ,i just wanted 2 get people thinkin,the main point of the topic was 2 really show that prince in his early years showed no james brown influence in his music.i HAVE an extensive jb collection and i can tell u NOTHIN up 2 the purple rain album has the slightest james brown influence.everybody jumps on the jb bandwagon and use the SECOND Half of his career 2 state their point.i just want people 2 think 4 themselves,i think zeppelin comes closer 2 his eary sound than jb.

Fuck off child.

Supernova said:

u fuck off Stupernova,i'm old enough 2 B yo daddy Boooch

Gawd, you're touched in the head.

Buh bye.

Supernova said:

i'll touch u in the head if u don't get outta my face

Eddie Murphy - "Bubble Hill". Think about it.

i'm feel bad about how i acted back then.

No-one has mentioned Gary Numan, who was an undoubted influence on Prince... Listen to the way he arranges the synthesisers on the 1999 album, its really a funky take on The Pleasure Principle... Prince used to do Cars at soundchecks, and according to Wendy & Lisa, Prince made a tape of cars repeated over and over again.
Numans own 'funk' album, I Assassin, from '82 had similar sounding drum machines, and his '88 album, Metal Rhythm had many of the same synthesiser sounds that Prince had on Lovesexy... so they were kind of absorbing similar influences at more or less the same time...
Prince obviously influenced Numan too... on the aforementioned Jam & Lewis inspired Metal Rhythm, one song callled Devious, is actually built around the riff for Take me with U.
The early '90s demos Numan recorded of U got the look and 1999, were forced by his record company... Numan didnt want to do them and thats probably why they sound crap. lol... 1999 turned up on a B-side and U got the look actually made it onto his disastrous Machine & Soul album. (92)

brothers johnson for sure
check out their hit 'i'll be good to you'
then listen to 'if i was your girlfriend'