The rare Prince b-side “United States of Division” has finally received an official wide release, hitting streaming services today as part of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Musicology . “United States of Division” was originally released on July 4, 2004 as the “virtual b-side” to the Musicology cut, “Cinnamon Girl,” while it later appeared on “Cinnamon Girl” CD single released in the U.K. The track is funky protest anthem steeped in the
Iraq War era, as Prince takes stock of the international conflict and violence, as well as domestic discord and disunity, and tries to find hope in love, faith, and music. Musicology will officially celebrate its 20th anniversary on April 20, 2024. The LP marked Prince’s 28th studio album, and though he’d released a near-constant stream of
music during the Nineties and early 2000s, Musicology was seen as a return to form. It was also both a critical and commercial success where many of its immediate predecessors weren’t. Prince even dropped his long-standing grudge against record labels and let Columbia distribute and help market the LP, declining an advance but maintaining full ownership of the LP. In a Rolling Stone cover story at the time, Prince said, “One advantage of writing ‘slave’ on my face back then is that when I meet with a label now, they already know they’re not going to be owning anything. Maybe at one time, they could get Little Richard for a new car and a bucket of chicken. We don’t roll like that no more.” Along with dropping “United States of Division,” the Prince estate shared a short video featuring clips of an archival interview with Prince, as well as footage from his Musicology tour. In the interview, Prince says of the LP, “This record, remember it’s made by someone who’s been there and back. Hopefully people feel that and listen to it with that set of ears. Music is music ultimately. If it makes you feel good? Cool.”