As a response to the death of Baltimore man Freddie Gray, Prince had announced that he would be writing a track inspired by this event and he was set to perform at Baltimore’s Royal Farms Arena for Rally 4 Peace.
As far as the track goes, The Purple One enlisted POD favorite Eryn Allen Kane as his featured act on “Baltimore.” The way it all went down was very Prince-like, with the legendary artist flying out the Chicago-based songstress to his home state of Minnesota on short notice to lay down her vocals for the track. The uptempo track pays tribute to some of the black men passing away allegedly at the hands of police, but it also plays like a protest song with an optimistic message.
Not only is this collaboration R&B/Soul perfection, thanks to Kane’s warm vocals and Prince’s general Prince-ness, but this was also a partnership that was written in the stars since Prince had shared Eryn’s video for “Hollow” on Twitter back when it came out in November of ’13. Two years in the making, but the wait was well worth it. Hear “Baltimore” below.
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