Prince & the New Power Generation

Prince introduced the New Power Generation by declaring “Welcome to the New Power Generation” in “Eye No,” the first track on his 1988 album Lovesexy. The 1990 Graffiti Bridge soundtrack later featured a song also called “New Power Generation,” listing a group bearing that exact name among its background vocalists. The ensemble appeared on Prince’s Diamonds and Pearls (1991) and The Love Symbol Album (1992) before issuing its own recordings, including Goldnigga (1993), which spotlighted rapping associate Tony M, Exodus (1995), and New Power Soul (1998); all three projects came out on Prince’s NPG label. Although the collective added a pair of live albums, tracks to an equal number of NPG compilations, and a credit on 3121, its identity remains tied most closely to Prince’s early-’90s work.