The Prince Estate In Partnership With Legacy Recordings Announce WELCOME 2 AMERICA. Previously Unreleased Prince Album Available July 30
THE PRINCE ESTATE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LEGACY RECORDINGS ANNOUNCE WELCOME 2 AMERICA
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED PRINCE ALBUM AVAILABLE JULY 30
LISTEN TO TITLE TRACK HERE
Enigmatic, Provocative and Prescient Album Recorded in 2010
and Archived in Prince’s Legendary Vault will be Profiled on
CBS’ 60 Minutes Sunday, April 11
Deluxe Edition Includes the 12-Track Studio Album and Complete Previously Unreleased Live Concert Video (Blu-Ray) of Prince and the New Power Generation From His “21 Nite Stand” in Los Angeles
PRE-ORDER ALBUM HERE
“The world is fraught with misin4mation. George Orwell’s vision of the future is here. We need 2 remain steadfast in faith in the trying times ahead.”
—Prince, 2010
April 8, 2021 – Toronto, ON – The Prince Estate and Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, are honored to announce the July 30th release of the enigmatic 2010 Prince album Welcome 2 America – a powerful creative statement that documents Prince’s concerns, hopes, and visions for a shifting society, presciently foreshadowing an era of political division, disinformation, and a renewed fight for racial justice. 60 Minutes correspondent Jon Wertheim got a preview of the album as well as the story behind it for a report airing this Sunday on CBS.
The title track “Welcome 2 America” is available now on streaming platforms here. Throughout the powerful song, Prince delivers a searing, spoken-word soliloquy set to music about golden parachutes, the superficial nature of social media, reality TV-fueled celebrity culture, and corporate monopolies in the music industry, ultimately concluding that America is the “Land of the free / home of the slave.” Explore the full lyrics and messaging in the song here.
Shortly after completing the Welcome 2 America album, Prince embarked on a unique tour of the same name that included multiple performances in several U.S. cities, capped off by the historic “21 Nite Stand” at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The Deluxe Edition of Welcome 2 America includes the complete studio vault album on both CD and black vinyl (accompanied with a hi-res digital download) plus a never-before-released full concert video of Prince’s April 28, 2011 show at The Forum, presented in 1080p HD with stereo, 5.1 surround and Dolby Atmos audio. Pre-order digital, vinyl, CD, and Deluxe editions here. All vinyl editions will have music on three sides with a collectible etching on the fourth side. In addition, there will be two special color variant vinyl editions of the album – gold vinyl available exclusively from the official Prince store and clear vinyl from Target.
As a companion collector single, fans have the opportunity to pre-order a numbered limited-edition gold-colored 7” vinyl exclusively from the official Prince Store. The 7” includes the studio version of “Welcome 2 America,” accompanied by a previously unreleased live version of the song recorded on May 14, 2011 at The Forum. The live version of “Welcome 2 America” is performed in a medley with the Prince composition “Dreamer,” first released on 2009’s Lotusflow3r, and demonstrates how the new material was an extension of his lifelong commitment to social justice.
Welcome 2 America features some of Prince’s only studio collaborations with bassist Tal Wilkenfeld, drummer Chris Coleman, and GRAMMY-nominated engineer Jason Agel, with additional contributions from New Power Generation singers Shelby J., Liv Warfield, and Elisa Fiorillo and keyboardist Morris Hayes, who Prince also recruited to co-produce several tracks on the album.
The live concert video features Prince performing with his 2011-era lineup of the New Power Generation, including Shelby J., Liv Warfield, Elisa Fiorillo, and Morris Hayes, additional keyboardists Renato Neto and Cassandra O’Neal, bassist Ida Nielsen, drummer John Blackwell, and dancers Maya and Nandy McClean (The Twinz). Captured midway through his marathon “21 Nite Stand” at The Forum in Inglewood, California, this performance documents the spontaneity and incendiary energy of that historic portion of the Welcome 2 America Tour – an audiovisual testament to the proclamation he made at the launch of the tour in October, 2010, stating “Bring friends, bring Ur children, and bring foot spray, because… it’s gonna B funky.” The performance features a cameo by recent GRAMMY-winner Ledisi and covers of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” and Roxy Music’s “More Than This” alongside Prince favorites including “17 Days,” “Controversy,” “1999,” and “Purple Rain.”
The Deluxe Edition of Welcome 2 America will be presented as a luxe gold-foil package designed by GRAMMY-nominated artist Mathieu Bitton and GRAMMY-nominated creative director and Prince associate Trevor Guy, complete with a 12”x12” 32-page companion book and embossed vellum envelope containing exclusive Welcome 2 America era ephemera (photographic art print, 23”x36” poster, replica setlist, ticket, VIP invitation and backstage passes). Experienced as a complete package, the Deluxe Edition provides a multidimensional and immersive view of Prince’s creative genius during his spontaneous, energetic, and thought-provoking Welcome 2 America era.
The release of Welcome 2 America builds upon the partnership between The Prince Estate and Sony Music Entertainment that started in August of 2018. At that time, Sony began globally distributing the works of Prince released from 1995-2010, broadening its scope in January 2021 when the deal was expanded to include U.S. distribution on twelve non-soundtrack catalog albums featuring iconic music recorded by the Artist between 1978-1996.
Prince – Welcome 2 America
Studio Album (CD/LP/Digital)
- Welcome 2 America
- Running Game (Son of a Slave Master)
- Born 2 Die
- 1000 Light Years From Here
- Hot Summer
- Stand Up and B Strong *
- Check The Record
- Same Page, Different Book
- When She Comes
- 1010 (Rin Tin Tin)
- Yes
- One Day We Will All B Free
* Soul Asylum cover
Prince – Welcome 2 America (Live at The Forum, April 28, 2011)
Concert Performance (Blu-Ray):
Joy In Repetition
- Brown Skin (India.Arie cover)
- 17 Days
- Shhh
- Controversy
- Theme From “Which Way Is Up” (Stargard cover)
- What Have You Done For Me Lately (Janet Jackson cover)
- Partyman
- Make You Feel My Love (Bob Dylan cover)
- Misty Blue (Eddy Arnold cover)
- Let’s Go Crazy
- Delirious
- 1999
- Little Red Corvette
- Purple Rain
- The Bird (The Time cover – Prince composition)
- Jungle Love (The Time cover – Prince composition)
- A Love Bizarre (Sheila E. cover – Prince composition)
- Kiss
- Play That Funky Music (Wild Cherry cover)
- Inglewood Swinging (cover of Kool & the Gang’s “Hollywood Swinging”)
- Fantastic Voyage (Lakeside cover)
23. More Than This (Roxy Music cover)
Welcome 2 America
Prince: Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards
Tal Wilkenfeld: Bass
Chris Coleman: Drums
Mr. Hayes: Keyboards, Percussion
Liv Warfield: Vocals
Shelby J.: Vocals
Elisa Fiorillo: Vocals
Co-Produced by Mr. Hayes
_________________
Welcome
WELCOME 2 AMERICA
Where U can fail at Ur job, get fired, rehired
And get a 7 hundred billion dollar tip
Come on in, sit right down, and fill up Ur pockets, yeah
Mass media, in4mation overload
WELCOME 2 AMERICA
(The following message is brought to you by Diacom)
Distracted by the features of the iPhone
Got an application, 2 fix Ur situation
In other words, taken by a pretty face
Somebody’s watching U, Eye c U, Eye c U
WELCOME 2 AMERICA
Hook up later at the iPad
Or we can meet at my place
WELCOME 2 AMERICA (x3)
Where everything and nothing that Google says is hip
(The sales tax 4 the following item will b raised immediately:
Cigarettes, soda, gas, liquor, and medicinal weed…)
We will not raise Ur taxes
Read our lips
WELCOME 2 AMERICA
Welcome 2 the big show
Everybody’s lookin’ 4 somethin’
When there ain’t no place 2 go
WELCOME 2 AMERICA
Xcept inside America, that’s the only place Eye know
Trans4mation happens deep within: yes or no?
Yes!
WELCOME 2 AMERICA
1 of our greatest exports was a thing called jazz
U think 2day’s music will last?
(Dismantle all monopolies, dismantle all monopolies)
WELCOME 2 AMERICA
Welcome
Hope and change
Everything takes 4ever
The truth is a new minority
Truth
Awww, WELCOME 2 AMERICA
WELCOME 2 AMERICA
2day we’d like 2 discuss America’s plan 2 fix the educational system
The Pledge of Allegiance will now read as follows:
Eye pledge allegiance 2 the earth,
Of the United States of the Universe
WELCOME 2 AMERICA
There is no arguing with the book
(When am Eye going 2 learn something new?)
There is no arguing with the book
(Who’s going 2 teach it 2 me? U?)
There is no arguing with the book
(What’s that outside my windowsill?)
There is no arguing
(Could it b our free will?)
U say yes, Eye say no. Let love flow
America can provide many opportunities
4 the young female who wishes 2 work
4 the state!
4 her own advancement up from the underclass
2 become 1
WELCOME 2 AMERICA
Go 2 school 2 become a celebrity
(F-A-M-O-U-S)
But don’t b late
Because everybody and their mama
Got a sex tape
WELCOME 2 AMERICA
We snatch bass players
Not purses
Keep playing
It gets worse
Land of the free
Home of the brave. Oops, Eye mean
Land of the free
Home of the slave
Get down on Ur knees. Hit me
WELCOME 2 AMERICA
Welcome 2 the big show
Everybody’s lookin’ 4 somethin’
When there ain’t no place 2 go
Xcept inside America
That’s the only place Eye know
That’s it U’all. U can either learn Chinese
Or get down on Ur knees
Trans4mation happens deep within:
YES or NO?