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The New Power Generation (or '''NPG''' for short) is the current backing group of musician Prince . They debuted on the 1991 album '' Diamonds And Pearls '' (see 1991 In Music ). The name of the group comes from a song on his 1990 album '' Graffiti Bridge ''; however, the phrase "Welcome to the New Power Generation" was already mentioned on the opening track of 1988 's '' Lovesexy ''. HISTORY When Prince began his formal dispute with record company Warner Bros. and changed his Stage Name to in 1993 , the NPG became a side-project for Prince, allowing him to release music outside of his contract. This concept was quite similar to The Time , and the NPG was intended to appeal to a more Urban audience than Prince's mainstream material. The NPG's Debut Album , '' Goldnigga '', featured Tony M. as lead vocalist/ Rapper . The album relied heavily on rap, while the music itself was reminiscent of 1970s Funk . Prince participated heavily in writing and performing the music, while Tony wrote and performed raps. Prince provided co-lead vocals on 2 songs, "Black M.F. in the House" and "Johnny", and the two were often performed by him in his own concerts and aftershows. A reduced NPG returned to the Prince fold when he began performing as in early 1994 , backing him on '' The Gold Experience ''. The following year, this incarnation released '' Exodus '' in 1995 . Now with Prince As Tora Tora as lead vocalist, the focus was more on funk. Although several raps were recorded for the album, they were left out of the final release. again took a role behind the scenes, adopting the guise of the masked "Tora Tora" and performing lead vocals on several tracks, sometimes with an altered voice. His participation in this version of the NPG was much more apparent. Three years later, another NPG album was released titled '' Newpower Soul '' (modifying a song name from ''Exodus''). In fact, a spoken outtake from ''Exodus'' mentions the upcoming album, indicating its planning stages. Featuring an almost totally different version of the NPG (only Morris Hayes was retained), 's participation was not disguised at all this time. He features prominently on the cover and liner notes and provides lead vocals on all songs, begging the question why this was labeled an "NPG" release. Unlike the two previous releases, the album relies heavily on drum programming by Kirk Johnson and features input from Larry Graham and Doug E. Fresh . This combination did not sit well with many long-time fans and the album was viewed negatively by many. Indeed, many consider this album as the lowest point in Prince's career. A fourth album, ''Peace'', due to be released in 2001 , never materialized, although a few songs have been made public through limited-release singles or through Prince's official website . BAND MEMBERS Since 1996, the NPG has had a variety of guest musicians, but this is a list of "official" members, more or less. This article includes the discography of American band New Power Generation , credited as a separate entity from Prince . ALBUMS SINGLES SEE ALSO
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