GoldNigga New Power Generation album

NPG Records

It’s really hard being the best band in the world

Despite all tracks being written by Prince and performing on them throughout this album, GoldNigga is the inaugural album credited entirely to his backing band the New Power Generation.

The recording began at Studios 301 in Sydney, where the title track and Goldie’s Parade and Deuce & A Quarter were laid down whilst Prince and the band were stating the Australia leg of the Diamonds And Pearls Tour in April 1992. Call The Law and Black M.F. In The House were given their public premieres during the tour. The remainder of the album was recorded back at Paisley Park Studios, which was completed in May 1993.

GoldNigga was released at the time Prince was slipping deeper into open dispute with his record label, Warner Bros Records, who felt Prince was producing too much material and diluting sales. Refusing to be constrained, Prince resorted to release the album independently, making GoldNigga the inaugural release of his newly established and self-owned label NPG Records. GoldNigga was issued on CD format only and was sold during the summer of 1993 directly from merch tables at the concerts of Prince’s Act II Tour backed with the NPG. The album was first available for purchase at the Paris-Bercy show on 31 August – the very same day Warner released their single Pink Cashmere. Because of contractual obligations not allowing him to release any material independently, Prince kept his name off the project by crediting it solely to his band NPG. And would do likewise with two more albums.

GoldNigga very much expands (and ends) Prince’s brief experimentation with hip-hop. The band’s rapper Tony Mosley is therefore the album’s lead vocalist, as was a key writing contributor to the Carmen Electra album which was being promoted on the Diamonds And Pearls Tour at that time in reaction to shifting music trends. Because Carmen Electra and Prince and NPG’s Love Symbol album had not achieved their commercial expectations, Prince dropped the hip-hop unit from NPG’s lineup following their US Act I Tour, which had been showcasing tracks from GoldNigga. Europe’s following Act II Tour pressed ahead with the rest of the band sans Tony Mosley, Damon Dickson and Kirk Johnson (a.k.a. TDK). GoldNigga was thusly the last collaboration between Prince and Mosley, but additionally the introductory project for keyboardist Morris Hayes who would remain in Prince’s band up to 2016 and surpass Matt Fink as the longest serving member of any of Prince’s backing bands.

Despite its limited circulation, GoldNigga produced one single 2gether. Created in May 1993 it was the final track recorded for the album. The single comprised several mixes of 2gether and similarly retailed as official merchandise throughout Act II Tour and so owing to this it was ineligible to chart. GoldNigga is noteworthy for the track Johnny, a fan favourite and rollover from a December 1991 session that laid down 3 Chains O’ Gold. Although Prince’s vocals are uncredited on the two tracks he appears and is mentioned in the lyrics – Johnny is a song about condoms and set inside Prince’s Glam Slam Minneapolis nightclub. Hailing from 1990, the album’s oldest track Call The Law was previously available as the B-side for Money Don’t Matter 2 Night, released in March 1992 as the seventh single in promotion of Diamonds And Pearls, for which Call The Law was a session outtake. The track had become popular owing to Prince and the band performing as a late final encore after the main concert throughout the supporting Diamonds And Pearls Tour. The track was subsequently passed over to the configuration of GoldNigga. Despite basing the album being a fusion of jazz and hip-hop, GoldNigga became Prince’s final flirtation with the genre.

Reduced tracking

Originally released containing seventeen tracks, but Guess Who’s Knockin’? was removed from GoldNigga at the behest of Paul McCartney due to it sampling his 1976 Wings hit Let ‘Em In. The few copies of GoldNigga which contain this early configuration and remaining in circulation are thereby greatly prized by collectors.

Performers

Raps

Tony Mosley

Vocals/Guitar

Prince

Drums

Michael Bland

Rhythm Guitar

Levi Seacer Jr.

Keyboards

Tommy Barbarella

Morris Hayes

Bass Guitar

Sonny Thompson

Backing vox

Damon Dickson

Percussion

Kirk Johnson

Trombone

Michael B. Nelson

Tenor sax

Brian Gallagher

Baritone sax

Kathy Jensen

Trumpet

Dave Jensen

Steve Strand

Data

Producer

Prince (credited as New Power Generation)

Label

NPG Records

Distribution

NPG Records

Released

33 years ago on 31 August 1993

Running Time

46:48 (reduced to 43:24)

US Chart Peak

Ineligible

UK Chart Peak

No Release

Orig. Format

Singles from GoldNigga

2gether

NPG Records

12"/Maxi-Single

Released

31 August 1993

US Chart Peak

Ineligible

UK Chart Peak

No Release

Formats

1. 2gether [12 Inch Mix] (6:52)
2. 2gether [Enlightenment] (5:18)
3. 2gether [Instrumental] (5:39)
4. 2gether [Interview] [feat. radio interview with band] (4:21)
5. 2gether [Jeep Mix] (5:35)
6. 2gether [R&B Edit] (3:59)