May 6, 2016
Prince has never been shy about reaching out to other musicians he respects, which must have been the case in 2014 when he had Kendrick Lamar join him at his estate, Paisley Park, for a celebration of two new albums, Art Official Age and Plectrumelectrum. Just to repeat that again, Prince was releasing two albums at the same time, one by himself and one with his band, 3RDEYEGIRL. Just a normal day in the life of Prince, no big deal.
The performance was live-streamed at the time but was not archived, probably because Prince is historically determined to make digital access to his music inconvenient. Which he could do because he was, you know, Prince.
But now the video has resurfaced, and it's a doozy. Kendrick and Prince collaborate on "What's My Name," an obscure number from Prince's 1998 album Crystal Ball. On a stage bathed in purple light (of course), the performance starts slow, with the band jamming and indulging before Kendrick kicks off with his own verse. As he raps, the song intensifies, the lights flash bright white, and the guitars shred. From there, Prince and Kendrick alternate verses, each bringing the house down. It's an energetic, electric performance.
It's so great to have this video, mostly because Kendrick and Prince did spend time in the studio together, but none of the tracks was ever released. Lamar told Hot 97 that they were "pressed for time" with the new album, but they recorded at Paisley Park, where the "mysterious, mystique man" gave him advice along with their collaboration.
"I didn't trip over getting a song done. I really appreciate the actual game he was giving me," said Lamar. "He took control of his music." He sure did.
http://www.gq.com/story/p .. r-paisley-park
