On Episode 109 of the Press Rewind – Prince Lyrics Podcast, Scott Woods and I get busy, too scizzy while discussing anti-rap diss track, “Dead On It” from the infamous Black Album. Prince was clearly not impressed with some of the early rap songs he heard, and I have an unconfirmed theory as to which song might have set him off.
“My bed’s a coffin, Dracula ain’t got shit on me.”
I guess there is some debate as to whether “Dead On It” is either a tribute to early rap or a diss track. I don’t exactly see how it can be interpreted as an homage, considering the scathing lyrical content. Still, I will concede that Prince understood the potential importance of rap music enough to include one on this project, even if it was lampooning the genre. I’m not sure he could foresee just how prevalent hip-hop would be on the pop charts a mere ten or so years later, but it has undoubtedly overtaken rock as the most popular style of music in the world. “Dead On It” may sound like a relic in the 21st century because that’s precisely what it is. A relic from a time when hip-hop was something that not everyone understood and accepted, including Prince.
The goal of each episode of Press Rewind is to:
- Take a track by track look at the lyrical content of Prince’s discography
- Discuss my own interpretation of each song’s lyrics along with any guest I may have
- If submitted, discuss listener’s interpretations of each song’s lyrics
Thank you for joining me on this journey through Prince’s catalog!
