Publication: The Star-Ledger
Date: October 3, 1995
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Title: "Former Prince's 'Gold' Strikes The Ire Of Women"
Written By: Marilyn Beck and Stacy Smith

There's rancor within some of the female ranks at WB Records over the company's release of the Former Prince's new "Gold Experience" album with a cut titled "P Control". The P-word is spelled out in the rap, which includes other bits of profanity. That's not the only dissonant note in the ex-Prince's professional life.

The fact is, there's something wrong with the picture that's been painted by the ex-Prince regarding his supposed "war" with Warner Records over the past year or so. This is the battle, we've been told, that caused him to scrawl the word "SLAVE" across his face -- and reportedly led him to pull the plug on his scheduled SNL appearance last week.

If his Purpleness truly has such a beef with the company, why did he give the firm TGE to release? He vowed to fulfill his contractual obligation to Warners by giving it only material he had recorded prior to his name change -- and to release his new material, such as TGE, himself. Then he reneged without a fight. And why, if relations are so hostile between the ex-Prince and Warners, did the company go out on a limb to release an album containing material as questionable as "P Control"? The Warner Music Group has been under such political fire for releasing material deemed obscene, it just sold off its stake in rap's Interscope Records.

The "war" is looking a lot more like publicity posturing than a genuine conflict these days.