The recent release of Extralovable (which is better, btw, sped up to 105%) brings to mind the longstanding debate over whether Prince should use rappers at all.

Here's a few songs that I think would be good, if not great, had the rap been omitted:

Extralovable (2011)

Daddy Pop

Willing and Able

Love 2 the 9s

Sexy M.F.

Others?

EnDoRpHn said:

The recent release of Extralovable (which is better, btw, sped up to 105%) brings to mind the longstanding debate over whether Prince should use rappers at all.

Here's a few songs that I think would be good, if not great, had the rap been omitted:

Extralovable (2011)

Daddy Pop

Willing and Able

Love 2 the 9s

Sexy M.F.

Others?

Oh sweet Jeebus,

JUGHEAD!!!! I remember buying d+p, looking at the tracklist, and knowing i would hate that piece of shit just by the title alone.

Amen to "Love 2 the 9's" and "Willing and Able." Also...

Live 4 Love

Push (I'm realizing D&P would've been much better sans rap)

Acknowledge Me (I don't mind the rap in the middle, but the song should fade before the last one)

Sticky Like Glue

xpertluva said:

Amen to "Love 2 the 9's" and "Willing and Able." Also...

Live 4 Love

Push (I'm realizing D&P would've been much better sans rap)

Acknowledge Me (I don't mind the rap in the middle, but the song should fade before the last one)

Sticky Like Glue

Completely agree with Sticky Like Glue, such a shame because the rest of the song is incredible...

The Latest Fashion.

I had a hard enough time getting my friends to let me play Graffiti Bridge while they were in the car, then that "playing pool with a rope" junk comes on, and they all lose it! I never heard the end of it. That was the last time we listened to Prince in the car with my friends.

EnDoRpHn said:

Extralovable (2011)

Daddy Pop

Willing and Able

Love 2 the 9s

Sexy M.F.

Others?

Agree on "Love 2 The 9s" only.

I love "Willing and Able" and "Sexy MF" as they are.

Nothing would make me love "Extra Loveable" or "Daddy Pop"

[Edited 1/16/12 14:24pm]

I'm actually fine with all of Love 2 The 9s, maybe because I like singing along to it

xpertluva said:

Acknowledge Me (I don't mind the rap in the middle, but the song should fade before the last one)

I agree! This is such a great,fun song but the rap at the end is just corny totally unnecessary

Chas said:

The Latest Fashion.

I had a hard enough time getting my friends to let me play Graffiti Bridge while they were in the car, then that "playing pool with a rope" junk comes on, and they all lose it! I never heard the end of it. That was the last time we listened to Prince in the car with my friends.

that rap makes me cringe

and I'm the cure for any disease,cause ain't nobody funky like me!

Chas said:

The Latest Fashion.

I had a hard enough time getting my friends to let me play Graffiti Bridge while they were in the car, then that "playing pool with a rope" junk comes on, and they all lose it! I never heard the end of it. That was the last time we listened to Prince in the car with my friends.

SoulAlive said:

xpertluva said:

Acknowledge Me (I don't mind the rap in the middle, but the song should fade before the last one)

I agree! This is such a great,fun song but the rap at the end is just corny totally unnecessary

Strange, I like the rap at the end of Acknowledge Me, especially the "titties swingin like a door" line which he mimed with a hand in one of those birthday concerts as he rapped that live.

NeonCraxx said:

Love 2 The 9's has no rap. (other than Prince's) What? Can't Tony ask Mayte a few damn questions?! Sheesh!

Unlike It's a Wonderful Life....I wish Tony M had never been born. If Prince never had the fascination with rap, and didn't think he needed a new album every single year, his reputation would have been a lot better. Yep, I wish Tony M had never been born.

NouveauDance said:

I'm actually fine with all of Love 2 The 9s, maybe because I like singing along to it

yeah love 2 the 9s is great. I really like the music, and it makes me laugh because it's part of that opening trio of strangeness...

When I first listened to the love symbol album, my reactions were

My Name is Prince - holy shit this is ridiculous! I had never really heard Prince in his funky-fresh for the 90s mode, and it's powerfully lame and great and just bizarre to me.

Sexy MF - oh, a cool jazzy numbe-what the hell it just got ridiculous again!? Is this the same song I was listening to a minute ago!? Hilarious!

Love 2 the 9s - it snuck up on me this time, but all of a sudden, in the middle of the 'damn girl let me see that booty boom' chant, I realize 'wow, I really didn't expect this song to end up here, AGAIN... it's (again) so fuckin silly. Why are all these songs ending up this way!?'

These are more or less my feelings about Prince-raps. It's not quite fair to say these songs are just pure novelty - I'm not just 'enjoying failure', but on the other hand, they're incredibly goofy and I can't help but laugh. It's a good combination, as far as entertainment goes.

ufoclub said:

SoulAlive said:

I agree! This is such a great,fun song but the rap at the end is just corny totally unnecessary

Strange, I like the rap at the end of Acknowledge Me, especially the "titties swingin like a door" line which he mimed with a hand in one of those birthday concerts as he rapped that live.

Parts of the rap are ok and Prince actually had a nice flow. But like SoulAlive said, it was mostly just corny. Something about a "care bear" was stuck in there just because it rhymed and "even if we're dealing with that time of the month..."

Btw, I agree with whoever said that "Sexy MF" is fine the way it is. Even Tony's rap in that is cool.

1999: The New Master

I love every fu$&@ng thing about Love 2 the 9s. It's perfect. And I wouldn't change Live 4 Love, either.

xpertluva said:

ufoclub said:

Strange, I like the rap at the end of Acknowledge Me, especially the "titties swingin like a door" line which he mimed with a hand in one of those birthday concerts as he rapped that live.

Parts of the rap are ok and Prince actually had a nice flow. But like SoulAlive said, it was mostly just corny. Something about a "care bear" was stuck in there just because it rhymed and "even if we're dealing with that time of the month..."

you can come on over,bring a friend,I don't care bear

and yes,the other line about "even if we're dealing with that time of the month" is just as bad.

I think the verses and chorus/hook are great.It doesn't need the rapping at all.

xpertluva said:

I agree with whoever said that "Sexy MF" is fine the way it is. Even Tony's rap in that is cool.

Unlike many other fans,I didn't have a problem with Tony for the most part.His rap here is great and it fits perfectly.

NouveauDance said:

I'm actually fine with all of Love 2 The 9s, maybe because I like singing along to it

SoulAlive said:

xpertluva said:

Parts of the rap are ok and Prince actually had a nice flow. But like SoulAlive said, it was mostly just corny. Something about a "care bear" was stuck in there just because it rhymed and "even if we're dealing with that time of the month..."

you can come on over,bring a friend,I don't care bear

and yes,the other line about "even if we're dealing with that time of the month" is just as bad.

I think the verses and chorus/hook are great.It doesn't need the rapping at all.

Okay I can understand the care bear hate, but what's wrong with "even if we're dealing with that time of the month"? That's a clear sexual divider amongst men! some would, some wouldn't

EnDoRpHn said:

The recent release of Extralovable (which is better, btw, sped up to 105%) brings to mind the longstanding debate over whether Prince should use rappers at all.

Here's a few songs that I think would be good, if not great, had the rap been omitted:

Extralovable (2011)

Daddy Pop

Willing and Able

Love 2 the 9s

Sexy M.F.

Others?

Actually, as much as I did not like Tony M's style, the flow on "Willing and Able" was quite tight, and fits perfectly with the song, IMHO.

Man you guys really hate Tony M.

Willing and Able is awesome and Sexy MF is on point.

Jughead is just a horrid song. Take the rapping out and the singing it still is not a good tune.

Most of the tracks listed have been de-rapped in my itunes collection, and all sound better for it. I recommend it to all, get yourselves some audio editing software and delete Tony M from existance, it's theraputic

DecaturStone said:

Man you guys really hate Tony M.

Willing and Able is awesome and Sexy MF is on point.

Jughead is just a horrid song. Take the rapping out and the singing it still is not a good tune.

You know it's almost the same song structure as Housequake, right? Same rhythm trick, different voice too. instead of the stomping it has the voices going bop bopbopbop, or are they going ba ba bababa ba?

I would subscribe to the opinion that the rapping on both graffiti and were at the time befitting the particular projects.....Prince and his related artists and proteges are never trying to impersonate anybody else and the individuality of the rapping on all the tracks including sexy mf and my name is prince actually stand the test some 20/22 years on!

kenkamken said:

Tony M is actually very good on Hoop Dreams soundtrack. I don't think he's solely responsible for ruining certain songs. It probably had something to do with the fast pace single take type of recording process Prince is notorious for. He often tosses off songs he probably ought to have spent more time crafting. I guess it probably depended on his mood whether he spent much time on particular songs. Take for instance Rosie's I Want You, the Purple Mix is way inferior to the Inner City version, it probably reflects how much time was spent recording, mixing etc. I'm not saying more time and care would have saved Jughead, but it might have meant Prince would have rethought it and not have released it in the first place, lol.

I would rather have Pee Wee Herman rapping on Prince's albums. That way it would be funny and corny while trying to be. Tony M's rapping was supposed to be serious, but rapping about "Manure" in My Name Is Prince puts an eternal stain on an otherwise decent song.