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But the Prince Estate didnt plan any of this, of course.
Its a fitting testament to Princescontinued relevance as a musicianover four years after his death.
Nobody knew it existed, he says.
Read an exclusive excerpt from Chappelles liner notes below, in conversation with photographer Mathieu Bitton.
I was listening to Casey Kasem on a local Dayton, Ohio, radio station.
I remember being struck by the way Kasem introduced the song.
He actually read the lyrics before he played the record.
That really impressed me.
When would you ever hear a DJ read lyrics on a Top 40 countdown?
The words were profound.
Our story was being told in hip-hop, but as a genre, it was still in its infancy.
He literally was a sign of the times.
Thats a true story, by the way, to which the DJ asked, So you got game?
He responded, Oh definitely!
And he [Murphy] dont!
And 2 be honest, it aint that Im that great, hes just so bad.
and I say, Yeah, yeah, come over and sit down.
Theres a thing I say that the last sane man on earth is going to think hes crazy.
He was the only one I knew who had already done it.
He was the first person I knew who didnt question my choices.
In fact, he didnt even ask me about them.
He just told me, Whatever it is, youre right.
Or, as he would say, U gotta B free.
