The Source |Chaka Khan, Doug E. Fresh, Chuck D, D-Nice And More Celebrate Prince Over The Weekend

Over the weekend, Prince lovers from around the world gathered at Paisley Park to celebrate and honor Prince’s life on what would have been his 65th birthday and 7th year of his passing. The 7th Annual Celebration event was a major success thanks to star-studded programming, uplifting performances, and engaging panels, all in celebration of Prince’s outstanding legacy and once-in-a-lifetime cultural impact. 

Over June 8-11, Paisley Park hosted exclusive presentations of unreleased music from the famous Prince Vault and special appearances by and conversations with Grammy-winning artist Chaka Khan and Hip-Hop legends Chuck D and Doug E. Fresh. Guests were also treated to live performances from powerhouse Minnesota super group Sounds of Blackness, R&B star Stokley of Mint Condition, artist, DJ, and BDP co-founder D-Nice, members of Prince’s band New Power Generation (NPG), Prince protegé Shelby J, and Minneapolis youth choir Known MPLS, and an exciting showcase of new artists Nunnabove and Nur-D. Supporting new, and young artists was something that was extremely important to Prince, and remains one of Paisley Park’s core values. Celebration included a special Prince Legacy Tribute to one of the founding members of NPG—the beloved vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Rosie Gaines, accepted by her daughter and grandson. The event also honored both Prince and Tina Turner through a unique tribute led by Prince’s longtime DJ and collaborator DJ Rashida. 

Attendees were gifted special cassette-shaped USB keys with two previously unreleased tracks from the Prince Vault– “All A Share Together Now,” recorded on September 4, 2006, and “7 (E Flat Version),” recorded on August 9, 1992. Both tracks are set for a worldwide DSP release on July 7, 2023. 

Prince’s former attorney, manager and friend, L. Londell McMillan on Celebration 2023: “Thank you to all who contributed to a monumental Prince Celebration 2023.  We celebrated Prince and lifted his name, in his house, with many who loved him, on the 7th Anniversary of his transition — we miss him dearly.  The music, conversations, events, food, and fellowship were all done with love and gratitude to honor Prince. We look forward to Prince Celebration 2024, the 40th Anniversary of Purple Rain.”