10 Artists That Channel Prince in Their Music

The Purple One's musical DNA lives on in these stars.

10 Artists That Channel Prince in Their Music - Prince's musical influence was felt even at the time of his death — every music artist imaginable had something to say about the shocking death of the legend.In some cases the musical influence went into artists' records and it was obvious and in total honor of the Purple King. Whether it was through the sounds of funk and falsetto vocals or stylistic homage, the influence of Prince is a stamp you couldn't miss. In the case of these artists, the inspiration couldn't be stopped. — Jon Reyes & BET Staff(Photo: Neil Lupin/Redferns)

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10 Artists That Channel Prince in Their Music - Prince's musical influence was felt even at the time of his death — every music artist imaginable had something to say about the shocking death of the legend.In some cases the musical influence went into artists' records and it was obvious and in total honor of the Purple King. Whether it was through the sounds of funk and falsetto vocals or stylistic homage, the influence of Prince is a stamp you couldn't miss. In the case of these artists, the inspiration couldn't be stopped. — Jon Reyes & BET Staff(Photo: Neil Lupin/Redferns)

Janelle Monae, 'PrimeTime,' Featuring Miguel  - Even though Prince actually features on one song off Janelle Monae's Electric Lady, his presence is felt throughout, especially in the melodic wailing of this chest-thumping slow jam. (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images for BET)

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Janelle Monae, 'PrimeTime,' Featuring Miguel  - Even though Prince actually features on one song off Janelle Monae's Electric Lady, his presence is felt throughout, especially in the melodic wailing of this chest-thumping slow jam. (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images for BET)

Miguel, 'Adorn'  - Miguel's crescendo from a relaxed vocal performance to a howling falsetto made this song a Grammy-winning cut.(Photo: Brad Barket/Getty Images for BET)

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Miguel, 'Adorn'  - Miguel's crescendo from a relaxed vocal performance to a howling falsetto made this song a Grammy-winning cut.(Photo: Brad Barket/Getty Images for BET)

Music Man - D'Angelo continues on his summer of live music at his one-night concert at E-Werk in Cologne, Germany. (Photo: WENN.com)

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D'Angelo, 'Untitled (How Does It Feel)'  - D'Angelo and Raphael Saadiq wrote this as a tribute song to Prince's earlier work. It was a '90s version of "Do Me Baby," not only through D'Angelo's vocal delivery, but also through the provocative content. (Photo: WENN.com)

"A Woman's Worth," Alicia Keys  - Alicia Keys first proved she was a triple threat with her debut, Songs in A Minor. The album's second single, "A Woman's Worth," for example, featured Keys's talents not only as a singer, but a songwriter and producer as well. Her hard work paid off — the song was granted an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Song the same year of its release. (Photo: WENN.com)

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Alicia Keys, 'Like You'll Never See Me Again'  - In the heart-aching love song category, Alicia's "Like You'll Never See Me Again" is reminiscent of one of Prince's most popular, "Purple Rain." The fluttering keys and drums help to give it that unique hip-hop edge that she's most known for.(Photo: WENN.com)

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Ready for the World, 'Oh Sheila' - As legend has it, this infectious 1985 Billboard 100 No. 1 hit sounded so much like a Prince song it fooled even those that worked closely with the Purple One. After hearing the song on the radio for the first time, Sheila E., Prince's one-time protege, reportedly called the music legend to ask him if he'd written the song about her. Nope. The funky groove was, instead, the handy work of the Flint, Michigan, based band Ready for the World. (Photo: MCA)

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Ready for the World, 'Oh Sheila' - As legend has it, this infectious 1985 Billboard 100 No. 1 hit sounded so much like a Prince song it fooled even those that worked closely with the Purple One. After hearing the song on the radio for the first time, Sheila E., Prince's one-time protege, reportedly called the music legend to ask him if he'd written the song about her. Nope. The funky groove was, instead, the handy work of the Flint, Michigan, based band Ready for the World. (Photo: MCA)

Bilal, 'Soul Sista'  - Before he was tapped to honor Prince at a tribute held at Carnegie Hall earlier this year, sultry R&B crooner Bilal channeled his "inner Prince" way back in 2000. His Raphael Saadiq-produced debut single, "Soul Sista," which reminds us of the Purple One, broke into the Billboard Top 20 and has become one of Mr. Oliver's signature hits. (Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

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Bilal, 'Soul Sista'  - Before he was tapped to honor Prince at a tribute held at Carnegie Hall earlier this year, sultry R&B crooner Bilal channeled his "inner Prince" way back in 2000. His Raphael Saadiq-produced debut single, "Soul Sista," which reminds us of the Purple One, broke into the Billboard Top 20 and has become one of Mr. Oliver's signature hits. (Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Maxwell - This past July, Maxwell deaded a short summer tour after being diagnosed with vocal cord damage. "I've temporarily damaged my voice. I’ve had issues before during other tours, but was able to power through. I've been strongly advised to rest and undergo treatment," Maxwell said in a statement.  (Photo: Vince Bucci/PictureGroup)

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Maxwell, 'Fortunate'  - Although it was R. Kelly who wrote, produced, arranged and composed the hit song "Fortunate," it was Maxwell's Prince-inspired vocal performance that snagged the smash hit a Grammy nod along with a No. 1 spot on Billboard's R&B chart in 1999. (Photo: Vince Bucci/PictureGroup)

Justin Timberlake, 'Sexy Back'  - Though JT and Timbaland often referenced James Brown's "Sex Machine" as the main influence for "Sexy Back," Prince knew what it was. The Purple One Kanye'd the 2006 Emmy's, taking the stage to tell everyone, "whoever is claiming that they are bringing sexy back, sexy never left!" To his credit, Timberlake did recognize Prince as a vocal influence as well, during an interview the month before the Emmys.(Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for BET)

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Justin Timberlake, 'Sexy Back'  - Though JT and Timbaland often referenced James Brown's "Sex Machine" as the main influence for "Sexy Back," Prince knew what it was. The Purple One Kanye'd the 2006 Emmy's, taking the stage to tell everyone, "whoever is claiming that they are bringing sexy back, sexy never left!" To his credit, Timberlake did recognize Prince as a vocal influence as well, during an interview the month before the Emmys.(Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for BET)

Pharrell Williams, 'Frontin''  - There's not much that can hide the obvious Prince influence in Pharrell Williams's music, like on 2003's "Frontin.'" Skateboard P's performance is a clear nod to Prince. In 2006, Williams noted the superstar as one of his inspirations and hoped to work with him one day. (Photo: Mark Davis/Getty Images for BET)

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Pharrell Williams, 'Frontin''  - There's not much that can hide the obvious Prince influence in Pharrell Williams's music, like on 2003's "Frontin.'" Skateboard P's performance is a clear nod to Prince. In 2006, Williams noted the superstar as one of his inspirations and hoped to work with him one day. (Photo: Mark Davis/Getty Images for BET)

Luke James - He penned songs for Chris Brown and Keri Hilson before he ever splashed onto the scene himself, and now, by all intents and purposes, Luke James seems to be every much as a threat in front of the mic. His self-titled album, Luke James, shows glimpses of James’s solid music and a high ceiling on just how good the New Orleans-born singer can get. (Photo: D Dipasupil/Getty Images for BET)

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Luke James, 'Strawberry Vapors'  - Whether he intended to or not, Luke James paid homage to Prince with "Strawberry Vapors." The New Orleans crooner lets his vocals drip over the seductive clap beat before finishing off with a high note sure to make the Purple One proud. (Photo: D Dipasupil/Getty Images for BET)