"New Power Generation", or "N.P.G.", is a song by American musician

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

from the 1990 album and film '' Graffiti Bridge''. It is an anthem for his backing band,

The New Power Generation The New Power Generation, also known as The NPG, was the backing band of musician Prince from 1990 to 2013. They were replaced by 3rdeyegirl as his backing band in 2013. In 2015, the New Power Generation reunited as Prince's backing band for h ...

, who were officially co-credited on his album covers for a time, and continued to back him up until 2013, albeit with a changing lineup. The song saw minimal chart attention, and was not as successful as its predecessor, "

Thieves in the Temple "Thieves in the Temple" is a song by American musician Prince from the 1990 soundtrack album '' Graffiti Bridge''. Added at the last minute, it was the final song recorded for the album. "Thieves in the Temple" topped the US R&B chart and became ...

". "N.P.G." is a

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

number featuring

drumming Drumming may refer to: * the act of playing the drums or other percussion instruments * Drummer, a musician who plays a drum, drum kit, or drums * ''Drumming'' (Reich), a musical composition written by Steve Reich in 1971 for percussion ensemble ...

Morris Day Morris E. Day (born December 13, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time. Music career Morris Day is best known as the lead singer of The Time, a group associated with Prince. Day and Pri ...

, and vocal help by

Rosie Gaines Rosie Gaines (born Rosemary Gaines; June 26, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer from Pittsburg, California. Gaines is a former band member of Prince's group, The New Power Generation. She duetted with singer Prince on th ...

. The funk is cut by some carnival-like

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

playing and distorted

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

. The song is generally a positive message of overcoming odds. The part two continuation of the song features contributions from a number of artists, as well as samples of several unreleased songs.

Tevin Campbell Tevin Jermod Campbell (born November 12, 1976) is an American singer and songwriter. He performed gospel in his local church from an early age. Following an audition for jazz musician Bobbi Humphrey in 1988, Campbell was signed to Warner Bros. Re ...

and

Mavis Staples Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress, and civil rights activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's band The Staple Singers (she is the last surviving member of that band). Durin ...

sing in part two, and a rap is delivered by T.C. Ellis. Unreleased songs sampled include "My Tree", "Oobee Doop", and "Positive Place". The

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

for the single was "New Power Generation, pt. 2", also from ''Graffiti Bridge''. The 12" and CD maxi release contained numerous previously unheard remixes and bonus material. It began with a "Funky Weapon Remix" of "N.P.G.", which combined parts one and two of the song, but removed all other vocals other than Prince and Rosie Gaines. Next was "T.C.'s Rap". This mix was the "True Confessions"

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

by rapper T.C. Ellis, whom Prince would later assist on a 1991 album. Another rap follows called "Brother with a Purpose". The main song was slowed down, and

Tony M. The New Power Generation, also known as The NPG, was the backing band of musician Prince from 1990 to 2013. They were replaced by 3rdeyegirl as his backing band in 2013. In 2015, the New Power Generation reunited as Prince's backing band for h ...

delivers an original rap atop the tune. "Get Off" is next, which is a new song over the beat of "N.P.G." Some ideas from this track would later be incorporated in the similarly titled "

Gett Off "Gett Off" is a song written and produced by American musician Prince for his thirteenth album, ''Diamonds and Pearls'' (1991). The album was his first with his backing band the New Power Generation. "Gett Off" was released as the lead single fro ...

" from ''

Diamonds and Pearls ''Diamonds and Pearls'' is the thirteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince, and the first with his new backing band The New Power Generation. It was released on October 1, 1991, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. ...

''. "Get Off" is then incorporated into "The Lubricated Lady". The final track is a song about a threesome called "Loveleft, Loveright", which itself was sampled in "New Power Generation, pt. 2". The song ends with the same spoken segment from Prince that begins the EP. The 12" single released in the UK included "Melody Cool" (Extended Remix), sung by

. In

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, the CD maxi single included all the tracks from the US maxi single, plus those from "

Critical reception

Andy Healy from Albumism stated that

"delivered" on the "

heavy" song, "with its mix of social consciousness and

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

grooves".

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' wrote, "The master of funk/

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

dips into his "'' Graffiti Bridge''" disc and pulls out another multiformat gem. Imaginative and ethereal track emphasizes his unique vocal stamp, and features guest appearances by

and

Greg Kot Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...

from ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' described it as "the record's manifesto-like lead track". Duncan Holland from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' commented, "Take all above styles, mix them all together, and you get Prince. Although a fairly routine track, this is the one that could give him his tenth Top 10. Is there anything this man cannot do?" A reviewer from ''

People Magazine ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People ...

'' noted "the up-side-your-head funk" of the song.

Chart performance

"New Power Generation" failed to make the Top 40 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, however on the R&B/Hip-Hop singles chart, the song reached number 27, and it peaked one spot higher in the UK, but the track was still considered a commercial disappointment.

Track listing

* 7" #"New Power Generation" – 3:39 #"New Power Generation" (Part II) – 2:57 * UK 12" #"New Power Generation" – 3:39 #"New Power Generation" (Part II) – 2:57 #"Melody Cool" (Extended Remix) featuring Mavis Staples – 6:04 * Maxi single #"N.P.G." (Funky Weapon Remix) – 5:01 #"T.C.'s Rap" (featuring T.C. Ellis) – 3:11 #"Brother with a Purpose" (featuring Tony Mosley) – 4:18 #"Get Off" – 4:41 #"The Lubricated Lady" – 2:39 #"Loveleft, Loveright" – 5:00

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:New Power Generation (Song) Prince (musician) songs 1990 singles Songs written by Prince (musician) Music videos directed by Prince (musician) Paisley Park Records singles Warner Records singles Songs written for films Song recordings produced by Prince (musician) 1990 songs