Aside from Sheila....he's not done so well with his female proteges. Vanity and Apples 6 were collaborative efforts. Don't even get me started on all those other chicas.

Sooo...when Prince offers to produce and promote these wannabe songstresses and puts them either in bands, as solo artists, or has them as backup singers....is it all a ruse to hit the skins or have a female entourage to help boost his ego? Does he really and sincerely believe in their talent or potential?

What say you?

I think he's lying to most of these brawds.

Every woman wants to think she's "The One". U know: "Oh it didn't workout with Jill/Vanity/Apples/Ingrid/Carmen/Rosie/Mayte/Bria/etc but it's gonna be DIFFERENT with me because **insert reason here*.." And I would imagine he makes his current protege feel like that's really the deal. "Oh yeah **insert name here**, I'm gonna record you and make you a star. It didn't work out with those others because of ABC but it's gonna be different with you because you have XYZ." That's PIMP game.

Hell if it was me and hell froze over and I got with P and he told me he was gonna record me and make me a star I'd do it KNOWING that it would probaby never see the light of day. I'd get to be in the same breathing space with Prince in a really tiny studio, working late hours into the night??? Works for me.

[Edited 9/20/10 14:57pm]

But why bother with involving them in music? If the chick can honestly sing and perform live then by all means give her proper promotion and provide her with your best work...cultivate her so that she's a force to be reckoned with. Don't waste the public's time nor insult their intelligence with some wack ass heffa that just looks good and don't deprive us of a musical gem just because you can't write for her type of voice or image.

He is jeopardizing his own reputation as well as hers.

What?

I really like Vanity 6 / Apollonia 6 / Sheila E. / Jill Jones / and Martika too....

great albums

thedance said:

What?

I really like Vanity 6 / Apollonia 6 / Sheila E. / Jill Jones / and Martika too....

great albums

in reality....they were all one hit wonders. Except Sheila....her second album was just as good as her first.

Prince just doesn't get it.

DesireeNevermind said:

I think he's lying to most of these brawds.

I don't think he's lying. He included Bria's album right there with his own!

And Chaka's album was not a hit either. That certainly was not because she can't sing.

Prince can hardly get a hit himself, let alone produce another smash hit like Good Question

i think so, didn't he tell apples she couldn't make it without him or something like that ?

i think its a little bit of both he believes in their talent and or looks but deep down he really doesn't give 2 fucks about their careers

[Edited 9/20/10 15:53pm]

Vanity had a huge hit, and she could barely sing. Obviously, she was his girlfriend, and used her sex appeal to sell records, but more importantly, he wrote her a fantastic song!

I only know one Vanity 6 song, but it is a classic!

^ that's why I called her song with V6 a one-hit wonder....however....they were supposedly great onstage plus Vanity went on to have a successful solo career.

The point still remains that Prince is possibly promising these women somethign he can't deliver on or he's sitting on some raw talent. Either way....he's not giving these chicks the best of himself as a producer, song-writer and promoter all wrapped in one. He can do it for himself but not them?

DesireeNevermind said:

^ that's why I called her song with V6 a one-hit wonder....however....they were supposedly great onstage plus Vanity went on to have a successful solo career.

The point still remains that Prince is possibly promising these women somethign he can't deliver on or he's sitting on some raw talent. Either way....he's not giving these chicks the best of himself as a producer, song-writer and promoter all wrapped in one. He can do it for himself but not them?

This is the question. Can he do it for himself, even? Sure he sells out stadiums, but he's not exactly writing hits these days. Bria's album did just as well as Prince's!

Seems like Tamar got kind of screwed (album never came out-, but otherwise, these girls are lucky for the chance they get...unless it comes at a high, uh, cost.

^ I believe he can do it for himself. He gets good reviews for his albums and sells out stadiums often with music that , unless you're a die hard fan, most people aren't aware of.

He's not commercial because he doesn't go the traditional route for releasing his music but he still manage's to sell. Bria's album was sold with his. If he had released her on her own she'd flop in the worst way.

Tamar was great live and she's a good example of him wanting to hit the skins AND boost his ego. During her solo gigs, she was never on stage without him so he gets the benefit of having his ego stroked because half the folk are looking at him. He had her in the background as well so again it benefits him...his arm candy with a strong voice.

He couldn't pull that shit on Sheila cuz she had a career before him, was used to being on stage, and was an accomplished musician in her own right.

All these other gals are just gettin' played. Somebody prove me wrong please! I hate to dog the dude but I've said it before....he doesn't truly respect any of these women...nor knows what the public wants in a female artist.

I don't think he's selling out stadiums with any music on his new albums. He sells out stadiums because he still sings Purple Rain.

Sure, what he does generates interest, but ony because he's Prince, not because the album itself is generating interest.

I am not saying his new music sucks, but he seems pretty out of touch with his own career, not just these women.

thedance said:

What?

I really like Vanity 6 / Apollonia 6 / Sheila E. / Jill Jones / and Martika too....

great albums

Nobody's saying that they weren't great, I think the OP is saying why weren't they more popular at that time? I mean come ON, this is PRINCE, so aside from Sheila's albums, these side projects, AT THAT TIME, shoulda been platinum status or at least GOLD or whatever, because they were coming from Prince, songs basically created BY HIM, just like all of his OWN projects.

I remember reading in DMSR that he was so busy with his own shit that he basically put these chicks on the back burner, until the pilot light went out on alot of them, Apples comes to mind (and yeah I know she coudln't sing, but if you ask me, neither could Vanity really...) I'd imagine these chicks sat around and waited for him to be free cause they wanted their albums to be produced by Prince in the hopes of becoming huge stars. I remember reading he'd been working on Jill's album for years, but he was turning out songs for his own projects like one a day. A song a day for his own stuff versus years for Jill's album? Sounds to me like he really wasn't all that interested in developing these chicks.

And how could I forgot about Tamar.. he pushed her CD SO HARD... Chick was EVERYWHERE!!! Then nowhere. And of course he had to put Bria's CD in with his, otherwise it wouldn't have sold either.

It seems everyone knows about the curse of the Prince proteges except for the proteges themselves... either that or they have a mind like me, cause I'd be thinking, who cares if no one ever hears my album. I get to shag Prince!

His success NOW is a totally different monster.

Love me some Princey, but he so lies to these ladies to hit it

jaybendy said:

thedance said:

What?

I really like Vanity 6 / Apollonia 6 / Sheila E. / Jill Jones / and Martika too....

great albums

Nobody's saying that they weren't great, I think the OP is saying why weren't they more popular at that time? I mean come ON, this is PRINCE, so aside from Sheila's albums, these side projects, AT THAT TIME, shoulda been platinum status or at least GOLD or whatever, because they were coming from Prince, songs basically created BY HIM, just like all of his OWN projects.

I remember reading in DMSR that he was so busy with his own shit that he basically put these chicks on the back burner, until the pilot light went out on alot of them, Apples comes to mind (and yeah I know she coudln't sing, but if you ask me, neither could Vanity really...) I'd imagine these chicks sat around and waited for him to be free cause they wanted their albums to be produced by Prince in the hopes of becoming huge stars. I remember reading he'd been working on Jill's album for years, but he was turning out songs for his own projects like one a day. A song a day for his own stuff versus years for Jill's album? Sounds to me like he really wasn't all that interested in developing these chicks.

And how could I forgot about Tamar.. he pushed her CD SO HARD... Chick was EVERYWHERE!!! Then nowhere. And of course he had to put Bria's CD in with his, otherwise it wouldn't have sold either.

It seems everyone knows about the curse of the Prince proteges except for the proteges themselves... either that or they have a mind like me, cause I'd be thinking, who cares if no one ever hears my album. I get to shag Prince!

His success NOW is a totally different monster.

His proteges may have simply been another way for him to release ass loads of music. Maybe he did not care about the projects, aside from the creation of the music itself.

Again, I say this is no different from the latest Prince music. He likes making the music, but not promoting it.

nursev said:

Love me some Princey, but he so lies to these ladies to hit it

The thought of that makes me laugh.. and kinda shudder a little bit too. I mean most of them are hit-worthy, but Rosie? Wonder if he really hit that. Not that she wasn't cute but not really his type.

jaybendy said:

nursev said:

Love me some Princey, but he so lies to these ladies to hit it

The thought of that makes me laugh.. and kinda shudder a little bit too. I mean most of them are hit-worthy, but Rosie? Wonder if he really hit that. Not that she wasn't cute but not really his type.

he hit that too lmao

he had to taste that big girl lovin

PicklesMcMillan said:

jaybendy said:

The thought of that makes me laugh.. and kinda shudder a little bit too. I mean most of them are hit-worthy, but Rosie? Wonder if he really hit that. Not that she wasn't cute but not really his type.

he hit that too lmao

he had to taste that big girl lovin

Bwaaahahahaa! Stop! I can't!

Old Hazel Eyes can try to lead me on if he likes.

I'd date him just for the stories afterwards.

"Hell yeah, we did it in a piano!"

"Yup, we did it on the back of a Harley"

And "Oh lordy, we did it on the front lawn of Paisley Park...I think I heard Morris Day in the shadows too!...Yes...."

Nonsense