New Power Generation

Template:Infobox musical artist 2 The New Power Generation (or NPG for short) is the backing group of Prince. They debuted on the 1991 album Diamonds and Pearls (see 1991 in music). The name comes from a song on his 1990 album Graffiti Bridge; however, the phrase "Welcome to the New Power Generation" was mentioned on the opening track of 1988's Lovesexy.

History

When Prince began his formal dispute with record company Warner Bros. and changed his stage name to File:Prince symbol.svg in 1993, the NPG became a side-project for Prince, allowing him to release music outside of his contract. This concept was quite similar to The Time, and the NPG was intended to appeal to a more urban audience than Prince's mainstream material.

The NPG's debut album, Goldnigga, featured Tony M. as lead vocalist/rapper. The album relied heavily on rap, while the music itself was reminiscent of 1970s funk. Prince participated heavily in writing and performing the music, while Tony wrote and performed raps. Prince provided co-lead vocals on 2 songs, "Black M.F. in the House" and "Johnny", and the 2 were often performed by him in concerts and aftershows.

Prince trimmed down the NPG when he began performing as File:Prince symbol.svg in early 1994. This reduced version backed File:Prince symbol.svg on The Gold Experience and released Exodus in 1995. Now with Prince as Tora Tora as lead vocalist, the focus was more on funk. Although several raps were recorded for the album, they were left out of the final release. File:Prince symbol.svg again took a role behind the scenes, adopting the guise of the masked "Tora Tora" and performing lead vocals on several tracks, sometimes with an altered voice. His participation in this version of the NPG was much more apparent.

Three years later, another NPG album was released titled Newpower Soul (modifying a song name from Exodus). In fact, a spoken outtake from Exodus mentions the upcoming album, indicating its planning stages. Featuring an almost totally different version of the NPG (only Morris Hayes was retained), File:Prince symbol.svg's participation was not disguised at all this time. He features prominently on the cover and liner notes and provides lead vocals on all songs, begging the question why this was labeled an "NPG" release. Unlike the two previous releases, the album relies heavily on drum programming by Kirk Johnson and features input from Larry Graham and Doug E. Fresh. This combination did not sit well with many long-time fans and the album was viewed negatively by many. Indeed, many consider this album as the lowest point in Prince's career.

A fourth album, Peace, due to be released in 2001, never materialized, although a few songs have been made public through limited-release singles or through Prince's official website.

Band members

Instrument	Name	Year(s)	Notes
Guitar	Levi Seacer, Jr.	1991–1993	Original member. Played bass before the addition of Sonny T.
	Kat Dyson	1996–1997
	Rev. Michael Scott	1997–1998
Keyboards	Tommy Barbarella	1991–1996	Original member.
	Kip Blackshire	1999–2002	Also provides additional vocals.
	Renato Neto	1999–2005
Organ	Rosie Gaines	1991–1992	Original member. Co-lead vocals on many tracks. Has also worked with Prince on various projects after her departure.
	Morris Hayes	1993–1999
Bass guitar	Sonny T	1991–1996	Original member. Was originally slated to join Prince's band when André Cymone left.
	Rhonda Smith	1996–Present	Took a break in 1999 while Larry Graham performed with Prince.
Drums/Percussion	Michael Bland	1991–1996	Original member.
	Kirk Johnson	1991–1993, 1996–1999	Percussion and additional vocals originally. Later became drummer and producer/drum programmer.
	John Blackwell	1999–Present
Horns	Hornheadz	1992–Present (though sporadic)	Previously known as the NPG Hornz.
	Eric Leeds	1991–Present (though sporadic)	Originally member of The Revolution. Provides saxophone and flute.
	Najee	2000–2001
	Maceo Parker	2001–Present
Additional vocals	Tony M.	1991–1993	Original member. Raps.
	Damon Dickson	1991–1993	Original member.
	Mayte	1992–1996	Provided background vocals and Spanish vocals.
	Marva King	1997–1998

Since 1996, the NPG has had a variety of guest musicians, but this is a list of "official" members, more or less.

This article includes the discography of American band New Power Generation, credited as a separate entity from Prince.

Albums

Year	Album Cover	Album	US	UK	Worldwide Sales (when available)	Additional Information
1990	File:Prince graffiti-bridge 250.jpg	Graffiti Bridge	6	1	2.2m	Unnamed New Power Generation members provided backing vocals on the song "New Power Generation".
1991	File:Prince diamonds-and-pearls 250.jpg	Diamonds and Pearls	3	2	6.5m	Album by Prince and the New Power Generation.
1992	File:Prince symbol-album 250.jpg	File:Prince symbol.svg a.k.a. Love Symbol	5	1	2.7m	Album by Prince and the New Power Generation.
1993	File:Npg goldnigga 250.jpg	Goldnigga	-	-	-	Album by the New Power Generation. Tony M. performs lead vox.
1995	File:Prince exodus 250.jpg	Exodus	-	-	-	Album by the New Power Generation. Prince as Tora Tora performs lead vox.
1996	File:Prince girl6 250.jpg	Girl 6	75	-	-	Includes "Count the Days", from Exodus and title track is credited to the New Power Generation, with File:Prince symbol.svg on lead vox.
1998	File:Prince nps 250.jpg	Newpower Soul	22	-	-	Album by the New Power Generation. Not a "Prince" release, though File:Prince symbol.svg is now the band's lead singer.
2004		The Chocolate Invasion	-	-	-	The New Power Generation is credited for the track "Gamillah".
2004		The Slaughterhouse	-	-	-	The New Power Generation is credited for the tracks "Peace", "2045: Radical Man" and "The Daisy Chain".
2006		3121	1	9	3.0m	The New Power Generation is credited for "shouts" on the song "Lolita".

Singles

Year	Song	US	US R&B	US Dance	UK	Album
1990	"New Power Generation" Provided backing vox	64	27	-	26	Graffiti Bridge
1991	"Gett Off" by Prince and the New Power Generation	21	6	1	4	Diamonds and Pearls
1991	"Cream" by Prince and the New Power Generation	1	-	-	15	Diamonds and Pearls
1991	"Diamonds and Pearls" by Prince and the New Power Generation	3	1	-	25	Diamonds and Pearls
1992	"Money Don't Matter 2 Night" by Prince and the New Power Generation	23	14	-	19	Diamonds and Pearls
1992	"Insatiable" by Prince and the New Power Generation	77	3	-	-	Diamonds and Pearls
1992	"Thunder" by Prince and the New Power Generation	-	-	-	28	Diamonds and Pearls
1992	"Sexy M.F./Strollin’" by Prince and the New Power Generation	66	76	-	4	File:Prince symbol.svg
1992	"My Name Is Prince" by Prince and the New Power Generation	36	25	9	7	File:Prince symbol.svg
1992	"My Name Is Prince" (remixes) by Prince and the New Power Generation	-	-	-	51	-
1992	"7" by Prince and the New Power Generation	7	61	-	27	File:Prince symbol.svg
1992	"The Morning Papers" by Prince and the New Power Generation	44	68	-	52	File:Prince symbol.svg
1992	"Damn U" by Prince and the New Power Generation	108	32	-	-	File:Prince symbol.svg
1993	"2gether"	-	-	-	-	Goldnigga
1993	"Nothing Compares 2 U" by Prince and the New Power Generation	-	62	-	-	The Hits/The B-Sides; B-side to "Peach"
1995	"Purple Medley" The New Power Generation contributes "additional music"	84	74	-	33	-
1995	"Get Wild"	-	-	-	19	Exodus
1995	"The Good Life"	-	-	-	29	Exodus
1995	"Count the Days"	-	-	-	-	Exodus
1996	"Girl 6"	-	78	-	-	Girl 6
1997	"The Good Life" (re-issue)	-	-	-	15	Exodus
1998	"The War"	-	-	-	-	-
1998	"Come On"	-	-	-	65	Newpower Soul
2001	"Peace / 2045:Radical Man"	-	-	-	-	The Slaughterhouse
2001	"The Daisy Chain / Gamillah"	-	-	-	-	The Slaughterhouse/The Chocolate Invasion

See also

• List of number-one hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart