Previously unreleased Prince song “Born 2 Die” has been released.
The Prince Estate has shared the second single from the upcoming album, Welcome 2 America, following the release of the title track in April.
The late music legend — who passed away in April 2016 at the age of 57 from an accidental fentanyl overdose — recorded the slow number in 2010, when then-President Obama was just a year into his first term.
A press release states that: “Prince was reflecting deeply on the issues affecting the Black community and the role he hoped to play in the social justice movement.”
Morris Hayes of the Purple Rain hitmaker’s backing group, The New Power Generation, who worked his magic on the production of the track, recalled: “We got to ‘Born 2 Die,’ and Prince said, ‘I’ll tell you how that came about.’ He had been watching videos of his friend Dr. Cornel West on YouTube, and during one speech Dr. West said, ‘I love my brother Prince, but he’s no Curtis Mayfield.’ So Prince said, ‘Oh really? We will see.'”
It’s now available to stream on all major platforms.
The title track saw Prince sing about people being addicted to their smartphones, the state of education across the US and the country’s taxes.
After he had originally completed the Welcome 2 America album, Prince headed on a tour of the same name, where he performed across the US at a number of huge venues including the Forum in California.
The deluxe edition of the release features the album on both CD and black vinyl, while fans can also digitally download a hi-res copy and they can also watch the never-before-released full concert video from Prince’s April 2011 show at The Forum. There will be two special versions — gold vinyl available from the official Prince store and clear vinyl from Target.
It has been presented as a luxe gold-foil package designed by GRAMMY-nominated artist Mathieu Bitton and GRAMMY-nominated creative director and Prince associate Trevor Guy.
It comes complete with a 12×12 inch 32-page companion book and embossed vellum envelope containing Welcome 2 America era content such as a photographic art print, 23×36 inch poster, replica setlist, ticket, VIP invitation and backstage passes.
Welcome 2 America is set for a July 30 release.
Give “Born 2 Die” a listen on the following page and let us know your thoughts in the comments.
