A read that she says he called her that for continuing to record for Warner Brothers. (For those of you who don't know or have never been black, you may want to look up "house N-word" to understand the meaning and context before flying off the handle)

I think it is possible. I believe it happened in the early 2000's and Prince was still very much sour from his ordeal so any mention of WB's was probably going to enrage him a little. I'm sure he has a different outlook on it now though.

I've always been "disappointed" by Prince's use of the n-word regardless of the context.

I believed Prince implied to Meshell Ndegeocello that she was a house n-word for working with Warner Bros. From Prince's vantage point: this is the company that is withholding my master recordings from me that are rightfully mine. My music is my legacy that my family and those that'll come after me won't benefit from because they are in the slavemaster's possession. I don't think he called her a "house nigga" but something along the lines of "you're eating in the house with 'massa, while I'm in the field on the plantation trying to overthrow the slavemaster". On the Today Show in December of 1999, he mentioned an album that he and Lenny Kravitz talked about doing once Lenny "got off the plantation and heads up North", meaning get off his label and unencumbered by restrictions.

[Edited 3/15/15 10:54am]

the irony is,Prince is now back with Warners.Yeah,I know he owns his master recordings now,but still,he's back with a company that he once considered a 'slave plantation'.

Probably. Prince was fighting a WAR with those cats at WB. You say a lot in the heat of battle. And really, was being on WB really that beneficial to Meshell in the end? From all I've seen, she's an artist who does much better on her own.

And lo and behold, we find out in 2014 that Prince WON that war. He got everything he wanted.

bashraka said:

I believed Prince implied to Meshell Ndegeocello that she was a house n-word for working with Warner Bros. From Prince's vantage point: this is the company that I sold the rights to my master recordings to so they are no longer rightfully mine but I whine about it because I've since spent through my profit. My music is my legacy that my family and those that'll come after me won't benefit from because they are in the slavemaster's possession. I don't think he called her a "house nigga" but something along the lines of "you're eating in the house with 'massa, while I'm in the field on the plantation trying to overthrow the slavemaster". On the Today Show in December of 1999, he mentioned an album that he and Lenny Kravitz talked about doing once Lenny "got off the plantation and heads up North", meaning get off his label and unencumbered by restrictions.

[Edited 3/15/15 10:54am]

Fixed it for you.

funksterr said:

bashraka said:

I believed Prince implied to Meshell Ndegeocello that she was a house n-word for working with Warner Bros. From Prince's vantage point: this is the company that I sold the rights to my master recordings to so they are no longer rightfully mine but I whine about it because I've since spent through my profit. My music is my legacy that my family and those that'll come after me won't benefit from because they are in the slavemaster's possession. I don't think he called her a "house nigga" but something along the lines of "you're eating in the house with 'massa, while I'm in the field on the plantation trying to overthrow the slavemaster". On the Today Show in December of 1999, he mentioned an album that he and Lenny Kravitz talked about doing once Lenny "got off the plantation and heads up North", meaning get off his label and unencumbered by restrictions.

[Edited 3/15/15 10:54am]

Fixed it for you.

funksterr said:

this topic again?

lezama said:

this topic again?

yeah, i know, we just went over this...............and us white people know what a house N-word is but thanks for pointing us in the right direction

iZsaZsa said:

funksterr said:

Fixed it for you.

How so? His better explains what Prince may have been thinking when he may have spoke to Meshell in such a way.

So you think Prince was full of shit, with his plantation references and race bombs and didn't know it?

I think it's impossible for him not to know. He tried to embarass WB. He was just that pissy about WB dialing back his red carpet treatment in the face of several hum-drum projects. He started dropping the race card, when he got put out their inner circle. Really, a lot of folks pull that one out when they are held accoutable for not living up to expectations. Some women drop the gender card, when their performance gets called into question. That's all the SLAVE ERA was with Prince. An extended play of the race card. He didn't give a shit about leaving his masters to the future generation of The Nelson Family. All his statements on the subject are just Prince bullshitting, hoping the bad publicity will cause WB to give him his seat on the board again. He just wanted to be a bonafide mover and shaker, at a time when WB wanted him to fall back. Now I'm going to go watch Dan Akroyd play Prince in Trading Places.

Come on Funksterr, you know Dan was playin Snoop Lion.

This excerpt from his interview with Toure for the now-defunct Icon magazine back in 1998:

Then a moment later, somehow, he was back to money. He expressed admiration for the music of Erykah Badu, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, and D'Angelo. "D'Angelo's really gotta search his heart deeply on being part of the problem or the solution. What's his whole consciousness? He's got to own his masters," he said, referring to master tapes that confer true ownership of a song, and are generally owned by the record label, not the artist. "Black Americans are walking away and getting nothin'! How can you not own your masters and try to uplift the community? Let's all of us be part of the solution. Or we gonna get our problems solved for us. The situation in Africa is testament to that. Twenty-one million with AIDS! Don't that spook you? We got to solve our problems, or they'll be solved for us. And a man can't solve your problems for you. You and your faith will solve 'em for you."

Prince started projecting his grievances with the music industry on other people. Prince like a lot of people took things for granted and by the time he realized what he signed off on, he couldn't undo the transcation that gave Warner Bros. Records his legacy in exchange for the money they gave him for it.

funksterr said:

SoulAlive said:

the irony is,Prince is now back with Warners.Yeah,I know he owns his master recordings now,but still,he's back with a company that he once considered a 'slave plantation'.

Yep, back with Warners. Two Blockbuster multi-platinum albums, and tons of remasters...it sure is great that Prince and WB are working so great together.

The Truth: Two albums that combined for 93 minutes that could have been one nice 75 minute album...no remasters...and wasn't it around April 2014 that the deal was announced? Sad.

Militant said:

Probably. Prince was fighting a WAR with those cats at WB. You say a lot in the heat of battle. And really, was being on WB really that beneficial to Meshell in the end? From all I've seen, she's an artist who does much better on her own.

And lo and behold, we find out in 2014 that Prince WON that war. He got everything he wanted.

Right on Militant, also Prince said that in a African-American to African American context so it was spoken in code and not necessarily meant for public consumption. As a Black person the slavery references run rampant in our discussions with each other about our jobs especially when discussion macro-aggressions or micro-aggressions. MeShell is a fully conscious Black woman....I'm sure she knows where he was coming from. Bottom line, Prince "n" word use to another Black person.....absolute non issue.

SoulAlive said:

the irony is,Prince is now back with Warners.Yeah,I know he owns his master recordings now,but still,he's back with a company that he once considered a 'slave plantation'.

yeah...but the difference is, he gets to sleep in the Master Bedroom and have sex with the Master's wife now...and gets a better share of the plantation harvest profits...so i can dig the irony

3rdeyedude said

and us white people know what a house N-word is but thanks for pointing us in the right direction

--------------------

LMAO

mrgone777 said:

Bottom line, Prince "n" word use to another Black person.....absolute non issue.

.

whoa, really? I'm white, I honestly don't know, but to me, calling a black person a house n****r sounds CRAZY offensive, regardless who says it. If the person doing the name-calling was black, it just means he should have known better.

.

but again, I'm white, I don't know. If "house n****r" is taken to be mild chastizing and not, "you betray our people and keep us in slavery for your own personal gain", I'd be surprised, but I'd be willing to be corrected.

.

and why would prince get a pass for offending MeShell just because he has issues with WB?

Why anyone make this up? Unless u were there, it is 100% irrelevant what u "think" went down.

SoulAlive said:

the irony is,Prince is now back with Warners.Yeah,I know he owns his master recordings now,but still,he's back with a company that he once considered a 'slave plantation'.

Understand that it has nothing to with irony. A black person to do business from a position of power and ownership is infinitely different from working for the white-owned power structure and being subject its whims. No one can tell Prince what to do now. THAT is the differnce for a black man.

Graycap23 said:

Why anyone make this up? Unless u were there, it is 100% irrelevant what u "think" went down.

Why? Because you say so?

JoshuaWho said:

Graycap23 said:

Why anyone make this up? Unless u were there, it is 100% irrelevant what u "think" went down.

Why? Because you say so?

How does what u think impact what actually happened?

iZsaZsa said:

funksterr said:

So you think Prince was full of shit, with his plantation references and race bombs and didn't know it?

I think while talking to Meshell or whomever, the stuff that you're talking about was the last thing on his mind.

I say that even when pressuring Meshell, Lenny, or Anita Baker (Lawd , Prince done ruined this poor woman's mind!)... his advice and comments, were just bullshit he figured would pressure the industry into giving him what HE wanted out of his situation. And when he couldn't flip an artist, he had SOMETHING TO SAY on it. That's for sure. But at the same time, he knew perfectly well that he had legally and legitimately sold the rights to those tapes, and his his entire argument was bogus.

fusk said:

mrgone777 said:

Bottom line, Prince "n" word use to another Black person.....absolute non issue.

.

whoa, really? I'm white, I honestly don't know, but to me, calling a black person a house n****r sounds CRAZY offensive, regardless who says it. If the person doing the name-calling was black, it just means he should have known better.

.

but again, I'm white, I don't know. If "house n****r" is taken to be mild chastizing and not, "you betray our people and keep us in slavery for your own personal gain", I'd be surprised, but I'd be willing to be corrected.

.

and why would prince get a pass for offending MeShell just because he has issues with WB?

Fusk I don't use it but for years it has been a "familial" term especially in majority Black communities of working class or working lower income composition. Its also "in-group" code which is somewhat similar to gay men who refer to each other as "girl" or other perjoratives that I don't have the right to speak of flipped into the familial. Its not a big deal really, happens everyday. Not the way I was raised, but I don't say that to say I'm "better than" other Black folk...our fam just didn't use it and I grew up with a Central American (of African descent) and a military father from the South. In Prince's 'hood it might have been much more common to hear. MeShell is a military brat like me and from my understanding whe was raised in a middle class home which is NOT how I understand Prince was raised? Others feel free to correct me if I'm wrong or comment on this issue if I seem to have mis-characterized Black use of the familial "n-word."

bashraka said:

I believed Prince implied to Meshell Ndegeocello that she was a house n-word for working with Warner Bros. From Prince's vantage point: this is the company that is withholding my master recordings from me that are rightfully mine.

.

No, they're not. WBR paid good money for those rights. Prince could have negociated for them, instead he wanted a CEO title so he could get stock.

Militant said:

Probably. Prince was fighting a WAR with those cats at WB.

.

BS. Dude was throwing a temper tantrum. Couldn't do much else since he knew WBR would crush him in court. See also: the lawsuit George Michael started against his label.

.

And lo and behold, we find out in 2014 that Prince WON that war. He got everything he wanted.

.

No he didn't. WBR have the exclusive license, so Prince still can't do shit with his precious masters until he fullfills his current contract. Considering that he was already bitching about that contract in Summer 2014, mere months after signing, tells you enough.

I googled house-n-word as per op's suggestion

funksterr said:

iZsaZsa said:

funksterr said: How so? His better explains what Prince may have been thinking when he may have spoke to Meshell in such a way.

So you think Prince was full of shit, with his plantation references and race bombs and didn't know it?

I think it's impossible for him not to know. He tried to embarass WB. He was just that pissy about WB dialing back his red carpet treatment in the face of several hum-drum projects. He started dropping the race card, when he got put out their inner circle. Really, a lot of folks pull that one out when they are held accoutable for not living up to expectations. Some women drop the gender card, when their performance gets called into question. That's all the SLAVE ERA was with Prince. An extended play of the race card. He didn't give a shit about leaving his masters to the future generation of The Nelson Family. All his statements on the subject are just Prince bullshitting, hoping the bad publicity will cause WB to give him his seat on the board again. He just wanted to be a bonafide mover and shaker, at a time when WB wanted him to fall back. Now I'm going to go watch Dan Akroyd play Prince in Trading Places.

.

As proven by the fact that Prince was treating Paisley Park artists far worse than WBR had ever treated him.