Just wondering if Prince ever remade the song without the rap bridge?
Maybe on the npgmc audio shows?
I love the song, but the Tony M rap just doesn't fit. If Prince were doing it I probably wouldn't mind it so much.

He remade it into the title track of Tamar's album, Milk & Honey. I don't know of any other versions, but maybe someone else does.

Efan said:

woah i never realized that. definitely digging the song more now.

p.s. for the record i like the tony m rap in 2 the 9s.

Efan said:

i unno..i think imma argue that. I think the song merely has a distinctive triplet in it. The both have a pronounced one. But I don't think I hear any sharing of a melody.

XNY said:

I swear, I'm going to go edit the raps out of Prince's songs. Some might scream butchery but so be it.

I edited Larry Grahams' DO YOU LOVE US chant out of "Everyday Is A Winding Road" and it's freakin' AWESOME now as a song. Maybe I'll just make it a project to edit down some of those weird shit sections.

ernestsewell said:

I edited Tony M. out of all the D&P & stuff once for a comp I was making(except for Gett Off, of course), and it worked amazingly well. You'd be surprised how easy it is for most of them. It's almost as if Prince would one day want to do it himself and created breaks and repeats just for that purpose

One of my favorite's...Prince knows love songs.

BobGeorge909 said:

Really? I think it's been reworked, but it has the same structre as Love 2 the 9s. Definitely not exactly the same, but just redone enough to be different, like how Everybody Get on Up is based on Cream.

errant said:

I think he might have done it as an F U to the record company!! He created the breaks so he knew where to take Tony out for the remasters he planned to re-release at that time, in the not so distant future...

I'm sorry to the girl...but the only rap I don't like is in "Joint 2 Joint." I have 2 say it because it is so awful.

XNY said:

Their was a late night special that came out on one of the major network channels (abc,nbc, or cbs) in the US when the album was about to drop and if I remember right it ran for an hour or two. It was produced by paisley park and I could have sworn that prince performed this song in one of the segments and he was playing it live in a room surround by people and I think mavis and pops staples may have been playing in on the song with him. Can't remember though if it was the album version or a live version.

Tame said:

oh great, now u think ur my soulmate
u don't even know what kind of cereal i like
WRONG
cap'n crunch, with soy milk

This was the track that pushed me over the edge Prince wise. Up to that point I was a fan with the odd CD, but after I heard 2 the 9s, it was all over. I remember a week or two later buying 8 albums in one go.

Tony was ok, But i could totaly do without his raps

ernestsewell said:

Genius

Tame said:

Ohh yeah hated her rap too

dolorespark said:

I have that performance and I'm pretty sure he doesn't sing '2the9's' but I think Tony/Mayte lip sinc the rap part only.

I should have seen the discussion on what Rap/Hip Hop works in Prince's songs...and I do like most of his choices, Live 4 Love and Gett Off being my favorites. I just never liked 2 the 9's with it, seems to weaken the song, and it's so beautifully torn otherwise, with swirling keyboards and rhythm guitar.

I think it's SUPPOSED to be like that. Almost suite-like. The 2 sections need to contrast, A la Joint to Joint.

one of his best tracks..so un usual

BobGeorge909 said:

Kick ass track.