Filed under: Music, News, Celeb Updates
Today, Prince headed to Harlem to the iconic Apollo Theater to announce he would be serving as Master of Ceremonies for a new concert series called 'Welcome To America,' which will be kicking off this December.
Though he was mum on details like dates and tour stops, the 52 year-old singer/songwriter told the crowd that 'Welcome to America' will showcase some of his favorite artists including Maceo Parker, Janelle Monae, Mint Condition, Esperanza Spalding, Cassandra Wilson, Lalah Hathaway and Sheila E.
The Minnesota native also confirmed that he and the New Power Generation would also perform nightly alongside featured acts.
"If you've been to one of my shows, then you know what time it is," the usually media shy artist joked. "You need to come early and come often because every time we play it's always something new. I got a lot of hits. Bring friends, bring children, and bring foot spray because it's gonna be funky."
"I didn't want to talk too much but how many have seen 'Waiting for Superman,' " he asked before bringing out Harlem Children's Zone head Geoffrey Canada who also spoke briefly about how grateful he is Prince chose Harlem as the venue to announce the series. 
Prince will play a special guitar for the duration of the concert series and then auction off the guitar for the benefit of Harlem Children's Zone.
BET's President of Music Programming Stephen Hill, a long-time fan of 'The Purple One,' introduced Prince to the throngs of media outlets present at the press conference. A few months back, the network awarded Prince with a Lifetime Achievement award at the 2010 BET Awards.
Hill reminisced on his first Prince concert in 1982 at the Apollo and more recently flying to Nice, France to see his two-hour set and another two-hour long after-hours set. "I know what I hope he's here to announce," but admitted he was out of the loop on what the big announcement was.
At the press conference, Prince also debuted the full version of his new song 'Rich Friends.'
Earlier this year, he released his album '20Ten' in newspapers across Europe and in the UK, but refused to allow access to the album to digital download services.
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Prince Through The Years
'My Name Is Prince'
In 1984, the Minneapolis-based rock & soul superstar known as Prince made a striking film debut in the Warner Bros. movie 'Purple Rain.' Loosely based on the 'I Wanna Be Your Lover' singer's rise to fame, the Albert Magnoli-helmed film has had an everlasting effect on music and movie lovers alike. In celebration of 'Purple Rain's 25th anniversary, BlackVoices.com pays homage to the man behind the genius throughout the years.
Purple Reign
Not only did the soundtrack to the film 'Purple Rain' spend 24 weeks atop the charts, but it also earned Prince an Academy Award for best original score. 'Purple Rain' sold more than 13 million copies and was the first project Prince recorded with his longtime band, the Revolution. The title track took home the 1985 Grammy for best group rock vocal; other hit singles included 'When Doves Cry,' 'I Would Die 4 U,' and 'Let's Go Crazy.' The landmark album made Prince a household name.
'Pop Life'
Prince Rogers Nelson, the son of a jazz singer and a pianist songwriter, was born and raised in Minneapolis. Prince taught himself how to play piano, guitar and drums - all before the age of 14. He released his debut, 'For You,' in 1978, but it wasn't until 1980 that this eclectic singer-songwriter began making a name for himself with his second release, 'Dirty Mind.' The sexually explicit material included a very suggestive track about oral sex called 'Head.'
'Sign O' the Times'
For two shows at the Los Angeles Coliseum, Prince found himself in the lucky position of opening up for the Rolling Stones. Unfortunately, his style choices got the young singer booed off the stage. Nevertheless, his 'Controversy' album (released later that year), coupled with his side projects with the funk band The Time, fueled the singer's popularity both stateside in addition to internationally.
'Money Don't Matter Tonight'
Prince has never been an artist consumed by celebrity or making money. At the height of his fame, he still managed to incorporate socially conscious records with MTV-friendly videos like 'Little Red Corvette' and 'Delirious.' One song in particular, 'Sister,' broached the topic of incest. His 1982 double disc '1999' sold more than 3 million copies.
'Get Off'
Early in his career, Prince opened for Rick James on the singer's 1981 tour. In his autobiography, 'The Confessions of Rick James: Memoirs of a Superfreak,' James charged that Prince copied his stage act and performed it before he could take the stage. Loyal fans say that Prince's performance, which included peeling off his stockings and throwing them at the audience before stripping down to his underwear while gyrating and stimulating oral sex, won the newcomer fans over the funk music legend.
'Scandalous'
Prince has always had tons of band lineup changes, especially with females. On his first tour, he replaced his keyboardist, Gayle Chapman, with Lisa Coleman. His Revolution girls, Wendy and Lisa, were replaced by Sheila E, with whom he still tours. He then created the New Power Generation and hired new guitarist Levi Spencer. Mostly, though, he allowed his band members to give their input to whatever music he was working on at the time.
'Under the Cherry Moon'
The panned romance movie 'Under the Cherry Moon' starred Prince as a gigolo named Chris who falls in love with an heiress. The 1986 film, which Prince also directed, was shot in Nice, France. Although the film bombed, the soundtrack yielded his hit song 'Kiss.'
'Sexy M.F.'
Throughout his career, Prince has been a flamboyant, attention-grabbing singer, thanks in part to his on-stage outfits. This seven-time Grammy Award winner has never steered away from causing up a stir with his controversial clothes, which at one time included bottomless pants, high-heel shoes and black bikini briefs. Fans have come to expect the unexpected from Prince.
'Adore'
Over the years, Prince has been fortunate to count some of today's biggest singers as fans, friends and collaborators. Not only did he write, produce and provide vocals for a majority of The Time's music, but he also helmed an album for Paisley Park signee Mavis Staple. Vanity 6 and Sheila E were among his protégés, and, at one point, both were members of his backing band. Prince was rumored to be romantically linked to several starlets, including Madonna, who enlisted the singer to write the single 'Love Song,' for her 'Like a Prayer' album. Prince managed to have an equally successful career penning songs for other big-name acts, such as Chaka Khan's 'I Feel for You' and Sinead O'Connor's 'Nothing Compares to You.' Khan, like Prince, was fed up with her label, Warner Bros., and reached out to Prince to help plan her departure. When she was freed from her contract, Khan agreed to let Prince helm her 'Come to My House' album, which was released through his NPG imprint.