Find Out Why Michael Jackson Turned Down Prince’s Show Invitation, Revealed by will.i.am!
will.i.am has shared an intriguing story about the time Michael Jackson turned down an invitation to a Prince show, deeming the “Purple Rain” icon a “meanie.” In a sneak peek of his upcoming Drink Champs interview, the Black Eyed Peas star recounted his attempts to convince Jackson to attend a concert where he would be performing alongside Prince.
“I brought Mike to go see me rock with Prince in Vegas,” will.i.am revealed. “So one time, Mike called me. He’s in Vegas and he’s like, ‘I heard you guys have a show tonight.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, we got a show, going on around 10.'” However, Jackson declined the invite citing that he needed to put his kids to sleep, and emphasized that he couldn’t join midway through the show as it wouldn’t make sense to him.
Despite will.i.am’s efforts to entice MJ by mentioning his collaboration with Prince later in the night, Jackson simply replied, “Oh, I can’t go to that… Prince is a meanie.” This revelation sheds light on the intriguing dynamics between the music legends.
In a related incident, Dr. Dre also disclosed that he had turned down the opportunity to collaborate with both icons, as he couldn’t see how he would fit in with their styles. On Kevin Hart’s Peacock series, he expressed his initial reluctance, saying, “They just asked me to work with them and I just was like, ‘What the f**k am I gonna do with them?’”
Adding to the array of encounters, André 3000 shared his own awkward Prince story recently. Recalling a meeting with the late icon during the era of The Love Below, he revealed a slightly uncomfortable exchange. “I [had] met Prince in passing. [Around the time of] The Love Below, I lived in L.A. I remember me and the homie going out to a club on Sunset [Boulevard],” André recounted on Questlove’s Questlove Supreme podcast.
During their conversation, Prince made a comment about André’s hit song “Hey Ya,” leaving him unsure of the intention behind the remark. “I like that song, ‘Hey Ya.’ I thought I was the only person who did songs in those tempos,” Prince said, to which André was left wondering if it was a subtle dig. The situation escalated as Prince further commented, “In my day, we only had one shot,” suggesting that the outcomes no longer mattered, leaving André in a perplexing position.
These anecdotes provide a glimpse into the complex interplay between music legends, showcasing their individual quirks and encounters that highlight the multifaceted nature of the music industry. Stay tuned for more intriguing stories and revelations from the world of music on Music Nation 365!
