If you were standing in a record store in 1993, the purple landscape looked a lot different than it does today. Prince was in a full-blown war with Warner Bros. He’d changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol. He was appearing in public with the word "SLAVE" scrawled across his cheek. Amidst that chaos, the label dropped a massive triple-disc project: The Hits/The B-Sides. But for most casual fans, Prince The Hits 2 was the one that truly defined the "superstar" era.
It's weirdly overlooked. People talk about Purple Rain or Sign o' the Times as cohesive statements, which they are. But Prince The Hits 2 is something else entirely. It’s a concentrated dose of the peak years where Prince wasn't just a musician—he was the sun that the entire pop music solar system orbited around. Honestly, if you want to understand why people lost their minds over this guy, you don't start with the deep cuts. You start here.
The Tracklist That Reshaped Pop History
Let’s talk about the sequencing. Usually, greatest hits albums are just chronological dumps. The Hits 1 was great, sure, but Prince The Hits 2 feels more aggressive. It kicks off with "Controversy." That song is basically the Prince manifesto. It’s funky, it’s paranoid, and it asks the questions he spent his whole career dodging: "Am I black or white? Am I straight or gay?"
Then it pivots. Fast.
You get "1999" and "Little Red Corvette" back-to-back. Those are the tracks that broke the "color barrier" on MTV. Before those songs, black artists were largely relegated to soul and R&B slots. Prince just walked in with a purple trench coat and a guitar and claimed the rock throne. It’s easy to forget how radical that was in 1982. He wasn't just making hits; he was dismantling the genre boxes that the industry spent decades building.
Then there’s "Purple Rain." What is there even left to say? It’s arguably the most famous power ballad in human history. Including it on Prince The Hits 2 was a move that anchored the entire second disc. It’s the emotional gravity. But the real genius is what comes after. You have "Raspberry Beret," which is basically the perfect psych-pop song. It’s bright, it’s catchy, and it has that incredible string arrangement that still sounds fresh thirty years later.
Why "The Hits 2" Hits Different Than Volume 1
If Volume 1 was the introduction, Prince The Hits 2 is the masterclass. It covers the era where he was untouchable. We’re talking about "Kiss." Think about that song for a second. It has no bass. None. In an era of heavy, synthesized 80s production, Prince turned in a track that was just a dry guitar scratch, a falsetto, and a drum machine. Warner Bros. supposedly hated it. They thought it sounded unfinished. Prince told them they were wrong. He was right. It went to number one.
📖 Related: Break It Off PinkPantheress: How a 90-Second Garage Flip Changed Everything
The sheer audacity of the tracks on this disc is what stands out. You have "Sign o' the Times," which is a grim, minimalist blues song about the AIDS epidemic, gang violence, and poverty. In the middle of a "hits" collection, it sticks out like a sore thumb, but in the best way possible. It reminds you that even when he was selling millions of records, he was deeply attuned to the world's pain.
And then there's "Gett Off."
By 1991, people thought Prince might be sliding into "legacy artist" territory. He responded by forming the New Power Generation and releasing a track so filthy and funky it made everyone else on the radio sound like they were making music for toddlers. Prince The Hits 2 captures that transition from the Revolution era to the NPG era perfectly. It shows a man who refused to be a museum piece.
The "Sexy M.F." Controversy and the New Material
We have to mention the "new" tracks that were included to entice collectors back in '93. "Peach" and "Pope." "Peach" is this gritty, Hendrix-inspired rocker that showed off his guitar chops—something people often forgot about because they were too busy looking at his outfits. It’s a raucous, messy, brilliant track.
But "Sexy M.F." is the one that really signaled where he was going. It was jazz-funk on steroids. It was also a nightmare for radio programmers. Prince was leaning into his "Symbol" persona, becoming more defiant. By putting these tracks on Prince The Hits 2, he was essentially telling the audience, "You like the old stuff? Great. But here is the future, and it's louder than you're ready for."
The Engineering of a Legend
From a technical standpoint, the mastering on the original 1993 release was... interesting. Digital mastering in the early 90s could be a bit harsh. If you listen to the original CD today, it has that "thin" 80s sheen. However, the 2023 Atmos mixes and the recent remasters have breathed new life into these versions. If you’re listening to Prince The Hits 2 on a modern hi-fi system, you’ll notice things you missed on the radio.
👉 See also: Bob Hearts Abishola Season 4 Explained: The Move That Changed Everything
The layering in "Cream," for instance. There are these subtle vocal harmonies and percussive ticks that only an obsessive like Prince would spend forty hours perfecting. He was a notorious perfectionist. He famously lived in the studio, often staying awake for 48 hours straight to finish a mix. You can hear that exhaustion-fueled brilliance in "U Got the Look." It’s frantic. It’s desperate. It’s incredible.
What Most People Get Wrong About Prince's Hits
A common misconception is that Prince was just a "pop" star who got lucky with a few catchy tunes. Prince The Hits 2 disproves that immediately. You can't listen to "I Would Die 4 U" followed by "Sign o' the Times" and think this is just a pop act. He was a multi-instrumentalist who played almost everything on these records himself.
People also tend to think his "hit" period ended in 1984. Look at the timeline on this album. It spans from 1981 all the way to 1993. That’s over a decade of consistent, culture-shifting relevance. Most artists get three years if they're lucky. Prince stayed at the center of the conversation for thirteen years straight, and that’s just what’s covered on this specific disc.
The "B-Sides" Factor
While we're focusing on Prince The Hits 2, it's impossible to ignore that it was part of a larger set. The third disc in that original box set, The B-Sides, is where the real fanatics live. But the "Hits" discs were the gateway drug. They were designed for the person who didn't want to dig through the vaults of Paisley Park but wanted to feel the energy of a Prince concert in their car.
It worked.
The album went platinum almost immediately. It became the definitive primer. If you didn't own a single Prince record, you bought this one. And honestly? You still should. Even in the age of streaming, where you can make your own playlists, there is something about the flow of Prince The Hits 2 that feels intentional. It feels like a story.
✨ Don't miss: Black Bear by Andrew Belle: Why This Song Still Hits So Hard
The Legacy of the Purple Reign
Prince's death in 2016 changed how we hear these songs. They no longer feel like "hits"—they feel like artifacts. "7," which closes out the newer versions of these collections, feels prophetic. "And I will die before I let you tell me how to live." He meant it. He fought for his masters, he fought for his name, and he fought for his creative freedom until the very end.
Prince The Hits 2 isn't just a compilation. It’s a testament to what happens when you don't compromise. It’s a collection of songs that should not have worked on top 40 radio but did because they were too good to ignore.
How to Truly Experience Prince The Hits 2 Today
If you really want to get into this, don't just put it on as background music while you're washing dishes. That’s a waste.
- Listen on high-quality headphones. Prince’s use of stereo panning (moving sounds from left to right) was revolutionary. In "Little Red Corvette," the way the synth swells move across the soundstage is intentional.
- Watch the videos. Prince was a visual artist. "Kiss" isn't just a song; it's a performance. The minimalism of the track makes more sense when you see the charisma he brings to the screen.
- Read the liner notes. If you can find a physical copy or a scan of the original 1993 booklet, do it. It contains stories from his bandmates and collaborators that provide context for how these songs were built from nothing in the middle of the night in Minnesota.
- Compare the versions. Listen to the "Single Edit" of "Purple Rain" on this album versus the full album version. You'll see how he trimmed the fat for radio without losing the soul of the track.
The bottom line is that Prince was a singular force. We won't see someone like him again—someone who could write, produce, perform, and market themselves with that level of intensity. Prince The Hits 2 is the best evidence we have of that peak. It’s loud, it’s purple, and it’s perfect.
To get the most out of your listening session, start by comparing the studio version of "Cream" on this collection to any live recording from the Diamonds and Pearls tour. You'll see how he took a polished pop song and turned it into a gritty, improvisational jam, proving that the "hits" were just the starting point for his real work.