B-Side Bangers: Prince

Even though the deaths of our Black music icons hit just as hard as the last one, it’s still hard to wrap our heads around losing Prince Rogers Nelson 10 years ago to the day (April 21).

From mastering all aspects of musicology to redefining what it means to be a rock star through a combination of art, fashion and sex appeal aplenty, there simply was no one that has or ever will do it quite like The Purple One.

RELATED: B-Side Bangers – Michael Jackson

Even though The Prince Estate respectfully opted for a moment of silence to honor his memory by posting a simple-yet-sweet tribute post (seen above), we felt it was necessary to turn up the volume in celebration of his greatest gift to the world.

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It almost seems as if Prince never stopped recording music, starting from his soulful beginnings in 1978 right down to his somber end in 2016. In the near four decades in-between, he dabbled in establishing himself as a pioneer in R&B, rock, pop, electronica, jazz, grunge and even hip-hop culture. His musical output puts everyone to shame, amassing over four dozen studio albums that don’t even include his series of side bands. While his relationship with the politics of the music business never quite meshed, it was his direct love for the music itself that resulted in a equal adoration from all those tuned in.

Even with his untimely death at 57 years old, it still felt like he had so much more to give.

For every hit in Prince’s catalog, there’s about a dozen more diamond deep cuts to discover. We did the tedious task of sifting through all his solo LPs and picking our personal standouts. Let this be the starting point though for your Prince deep dive, as we simply scratched the surface of what he’s blessed us all with sonically.

R.I.P. to The Purple One! Keep scrolling for a special “B-Side Bangers” tribute to Prince with a recap of his best deep cuts:

1. “Crazy You” (1978)
Album: For You

2. “When We’re Dancing Close and Slow” (1979)
Album: Prince

3. “Sister” (1980)
Album: Dirty Mind

4. “Annie Christian” (1981)
Album: Controversy

5. “Free” (1982)
Album: 1999

6. “Computer Blue” (1984)
Album: Purple Rain

7. “Tamborine” (1985)
Album: Around the World in a Day

8. “Life Can Be So Nice” (1986)
Album: Parade

9. “Hot Thing” (1987)
Album: Sign o’ the Times

10. “Dance On” (1988)
Album: Lovesexy

11. “Vicki Waiting” (1989)
Album: Batman: Motion Picture Soundtrack

12. “The Latest Fashion” (with The Time) (1990)
Album: Graffiti Bridge

13. “Walk Don’t Walk” (with The New Power Generation) [1991]
Album: Diamonds and Pearls

14. “I Wanna Melt With U” (with The New Power Generation) [1992]
Album: Love Symbol

15. “Power Fantastic” (1993)
Album: The Hits/The B-Sides

16. “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World (Mustang Mix)” [1994]
Album: The Beautiful Experience EP

17. “Race” (1994)
Album: Come

18. “Superfunkycalifragisexy” (1994)
Album: untitled / The Black Album / The Funk Bible

19. “Rootie Kazootie” (with Madhouse) [1995]
Album: The Versace Experience: Prelude 2 Gold (Mixtape)

20. “Billy Jack Bitch” (1995)
Album: The Gold Experience

21. “She Spoke 2 Me” (with The New Power Generation) [1996]
Album: Girl 6: Music From The Motion Picture

22. “I Rock, Therefore I Am” (1996)
Album: Chaos and Disorder

23. “The Love We Make” (1996)
Album: Emancipation

24. “Da Bang” (Recorded in 1995; released in 1998)
Album: Crystal Ball

25. “Animal Kingdom” (1998)
Album: The Truth

26. “5 Women” (1999)
Album: The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale

27. “Hot Wit U” (featuring Eve) [1999]
Album: Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic

28. “Beautiful Strange” (Recorded in 1998; released in 2001)
Album: Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic (Remix Album)

29. “Muse 2 the Pharaoh” (2001)
Album: The Rainbow Children

30. “U’re Gonna C Me” (2002)
Album: One Nite Alone…

31. “Xotica” (2003)
Album: Xpectation

32. “East” (2003)
Album: N.E.W.S.

33. “Empty Room” (Live from One Nite Alone Tour 2002; released in 2004)
Album: C-Note

34. “On The Couch” (2004)
Album: Musicology

35. “Vavoom” (2004)
Album: The Chocolate Invasion: Trax from the NPG Music Club Volume One

36. “Golden Parachute” (2004)
Album: The Slaughterhouse: Trax from the NPG Music Club Volume 2

37. “Love” (2006)
Album: 3121

38. “Mr. Goodnight” (2007)
Album: Planet Earth

39. “Beggin’ Woman Blues (Live in London at the indigO2 Arena)” [Recorded in 2007; released in 2008]
Album: Indigo Nights / Live Sessions

40. “Love Like Jazz” (2009)
Album: Lotusflow3r

41. “Better With Time” (2009)
Album: MPLSound

42. “Future Love Song” (2010)
Album: 20Ten

43. “Tictactoe” (2014)
Album: Plectrumelectrum

44. “The Gold Standard” (2014)
Album: Art Official Age

45. “Shut This Down” (2015)
Album: Hit n Run: Phase One

46. “Black Muse” (2015)
Album: Hit n Run: Phase Two

47. “Moonbeam Levels” (Recorded in 1982; released in 2016)
Album: 4Ever

48. “Why The Butterflies” (Recorded in 1983; released in 2018)
Album: Piano and a Microphone 1983

49. “Noon Rendezvous” (Sheila E. Demo) [Recorded in 1984; released in 2019]
Album: Originals

50. “1000 Light Years from Here” (Recorded in 2010; released in 2021)
Album: Welcome 2 America