Purple Reign: PRINCE Signs With Warner Bros & Regains Creative Control

Spring solstice is actually the “New Year” and is the universal/astronomical fact that the sun is in constellation Aries (beginning March 21 through April 20). Aries (the first sign of the zodiac) is the sign of the “infant” because it is “first born” of the constellations. It’s kind of like when we “spring clean” : we clean out all the clutter and set out to start anew. Spring is the first season. Flowers blossom and the birds chirp like spring. If there is any great time to start fresh, start anew (or start something new) as per astrology (the planets, and constellations); March 21 through April 20 would be that time (see Chapter 3 /82-91).

Looks like just in time before the sun leaves Aries, our guy Prince is: starting anew.

In a statement released on Friday, April 18, our royal highness stated: “A brand-new studio album is on the way and both Warner Bros. Records and Eye are quite pleased with the results of the negotiations and look forward to a fruitful working relationship.”

Yes, I know the difference between “I” and “eye”-and I didn’t mistype “eye” for ‘I.” That’s a quote by Prince himself. And ‘eye’ assure you-that Gemini was thinking “eye” as in “eye-to-eye”–what he and Warner Bros are seeing now: eye-to-eye.

If you’re a long time Prince fan (or music aficionado) then you know all too well the big fallout Prince had with his record label: Warner Brothers. He was offered one of the biggest recording contracts unknown to any artist back then (1992) yet, even with the lucrative offer, he would not be in control of his masters, nor would he be able to have creative control of his music going forward. That upset him pretty badly, and that Gemini’s mental and synapses started going to work. If anybody is a master of communication, over-communication, miscommunication, the transmitting of communication or cutting it off (abruptly or otherwise) it’s Gemini (see Chapter 3/Gemini. And like I explained at the beginning (with Aries-starting anew/blossoming lesson), as astrology would have it: anyone (or thing) born during a time when the sun is in that constellation has the qualities of that time period.

One of the best (or worst) things you can do for, or to dual-natured Gemini is let him “think” (depending on the situation pending). When Gemini begins to “think” something’s going to be transmitted. They’re like that red and blue split wire-trying to touch and make a connection while the sound of a radio dials knob is turning from left to right–trying to make that connection. With Gemini, I promise you this-something “electric” tends to happen…when they get to “thinking.” Some some form of communication (or miscommunication), some form of connection…or disconnection. (For the record, some notorious Gemini’s are: Lauryn Hill/Fugees, Angelina Jolie, Left-Eye/TLC, Coko/SWV, LaToya Jackson, Ice Cube/NWA, Alanis Morrisette, Kanye West…you get the idea).

At any rate, and back to the subject.

For our June 7 royal highness, to remedy his problem (with Warner Bros.), Prince changed his name to a symbol and for years. We had to make due and get uncomfortable with referring to him in one syllable: “Prince” and get used to referring to him in nine: “The Artist Formerly Known As Prince” (and a true artist-he was).

Like said in the move [Purple Rain] “just like his old man (Francis L.),” Prince has artistic ammunition for your a$$. To free himself of the contract, he notoriously rushed the released of five albums in a two-year time span beginning in 1994 (when he changed his name).

“The Artist Formerly Known As Prince” went on a public crusade letting it be known how he felt about Warner Bros., all the way down to wearing the word “slave” across his face at times (when in public).

Fast forward, Prince refused to be pimped my his record label and as time passed, and the Internet opened its doors to free music being passed around (on MySpace and You Tube and such), that Gemini kicked it into overdrive and made sure his music would not be included in this free-market music [just because the Internet said so]. If you were lucky to snag “Do Me Baby” to play on your MySpace background at opening of your page, your “doing” time-was-a-tickin’ baby, because Prince’s goons were coming for it-stat! Thought you were going to copy those lyrics for your hot night at karaoke? Think again. Better pop that CD in and have at those ears of yours to that speaker to learn those lyrics because, you were not getting some site’s “free lyrics” to any of Prince’s songs. He was not having it!

It’s been many years since Prince’ fight with his label, and through it all, he still wrote and composed music and he still toured and performed.

Over the years since social media, the reclusive, intensely private multi-talented genius began to peek his head out a little more than ever and gave of a glimpse into Prince” …and of course, I wrote about ‘em all. I’m a Prince freak, okay? Just 3 days ago I bragged this: when the question was proposed: “What was your first concert?” Prince broke my concert-cherry (and I was only 13, envy be b|tches).

Well, from the looks of things, he’s also breaking records all over again and signing yet another landmark record deal with non other than Warner Bros (who, according to his new contract, will turn over ownership of all his originally recorded music back over to him right back over to him).

As well, under his new contract, we should be looking forward to an album of all new material, and even one of my timeless FAVORITES: music from the Purple Rain soundtrack (which will be sold as a deluxe edition in honor of its 30^th anniversary this year).

I can’t wait, but in the meantime, between time, and until then follow him @3RDEYEGIRL and enjoy his melodicly genius and funky hot cakes: “Breakfast Can Wait.”