Following various rumours, Prince has officially announced his new album Hit N Run, the follow-up to last year’s ARTOFFICIALAGE.
Set to land on Jay Z’s TIDAL platform as an exclusive release next month, Hit N Run was first announced by Prince’s band 3RDEYEGIRL last month following the praise by the record’s lead single HARDROCKLOVER. Last week, Prince further surprised fans by sharing another track from the album, Stare, which harked back to his 80s classic hit, Kiss.
The Prince/TIDAL partnership has been in the works for some months, but was quickly cemented out of mutual admiration and respect and a profound belief in artists’ rights. The relationship began in May with TIDAL live streaming the first hour of Prince’s RALLY 4 PEACE concert in Baltimore. TIDAL hosted live audio of the event and matched funds for donations made on TIDAL.com.
The music icon stated, “After one meeting, it was obvious that Jay Z and the team he has assembled at TIDAL recognize and applaud the effort that real musicians put in2 their craft 2 achieve the very best they can at this pivotal time in the music industry. Secondly, TIDAL have honored Us with a non-restrictive arrangement that once again allows Us to continue making art in the fashion We’ve grown accustomed 2 and We’re Extremely grateful 4 their generous support. And lastly, in the tech-savvy, real-time world We all live in 2day, everything is faster. From its conception and that one & only meeting, HITNRUN took about 90 days 2 prepare its release. If that’s what freedom feels like, HITNRUN is what it sounds like.”
JAY Z added, “Prince has always been a visionary, a free-thinker. We’re honored to offer his breadth of work, “1999,” “Purple Rain,” etc., music that has inspired so many, on TIDAL. We’re also excited to be the home for his new upcoming album, HITNRUN. Both Prince and TIDAL share the belief that all creatives should have the opportunity to speak directly to those that love and support them. This partnership with Prince represents TIDAL’s philosophy in its truest form, a 1 to 1 connection and direct delivery of artistry to the world.”
Hit N Run drops on TIDAL on 7th September (though we wouldn’t be surprised if an Apple Music release follows soon after).
Stream HARDROCKLOVER below:
