A Prismatic Prince Returns On 'Welcome 2 America'

When Prince died in 2016, he left a massive library of unreleased recordings at his studio Paisley Park, which his estate has been sorting through ever since. On July 30, the world will finally get to hear the album Welcome 2 America, a 2010 project from the artist's vault.

"Welcome 2 America / Where U can fail at Ur job, get fired, rehired / And get a 7 hundred billion dollar tip," the prescient icon speaks-sings with the cadence of a poet in the title track. "Come on in, sit right down / And fill up your pockets."

Although it was recorded over a decade ago, the album grapples with lingering. Although Prince was hugely successful, he was unafraid to confront the same system that benefited him financially, Hayes says.