2 MINS READ
If you take a look in the Guinness Book of Records Prince has more name changes than any other entertainer. Now he has gone full circle. At the LA Sports Club in Manhattan he announced to a packed press conference he had reclaimed his birth name Prince.
New Year’s Eve 1999 was the last day in his last remaining contract through Warner Brothers, a publishing arrangement with Warner-Chappell Music. Prince originally signed that contract, worth $100m, in 1992. The restrictive terms in the contract caused his relationship with Warner to break down, and eventually bringing Prince to change his name to Prince Love Symbol on his birthday in 1993 and writing ‘Slave’ across his face until the contract expired in 1996. Upon its expiration he released a triple album Emancipation through rival label EMI – Warner still own his material recorded during his days when he was called Prince. But the glyph remained and became his trademark for free music.
In 1998 Warner released the album The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale consisting of previously unreleased material of material owned by them under the contact. In the credits of his 1999 album Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic the Producer was listed as Prince. Now that the “name” Now Prince is no longer bound by his contract with Warner, he has now cast aside his unpronounceable moniker (which, in recent years bought him more press coverage than his music) and has reverted to his birth name Prince Rogers Nelson. Welcome back, Prince.
Read Goldies Parade's unique and complete biography chronicling Prince's life, from his early career success, acrimonious split with Warner Brothers, resurgence as an independent artist and his shocking and untimely death in 2016.
