Prince has always had top-shelf taste in women, and nothing shows that more than the impressive list of singers, dancers, and just plain hot girls whom he discovered, changed the names of, and mentored (presumably with his genitals). It was actually tough to narrow it down to ten, but we’re pressed for space (this bandwidth ain’t cheap, people). So, Apollonia, this one’s for you!

APOLLONIA
Real Name: Apollonia Kotero
Prince Era: Purple Rain
Fun Fact: Actually recorded the first version of “Manic Monday” (which Prince wrote), before those filthy Bangles took it and blew up.

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KIM BASINGER
Real Name: uh, Kim Basinger.
Prince Era: Batman soundtrack
Fun Fact: A rumor persists to this day involving Prince, Kim, a recording session, and a pot honey. No, a literal pot of honey.

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DIAMOND AND PEARL
Real Names: Lori Elle and Robia LaMorte
Prince Era: Diamonds and Pearls
Fun Fact: Diamond and Pearl are not actually composed of the mineral substances they’re named after. Shocker, we know.

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SHEENA EASTON
Real Name: Sheena Orr
Prince Era: Between 1999 and Purple Rain
Fun Fact: Prince wrote her hit “Sugar Walls” under the pseudonym “Alexander Nevermind.” We’re guessing he blew his cleverness load on that song’s oh-so-cryptic title.

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CARMEN ELECTRA
Real Name: Tara Patrick (and now you know where Linda Ann Hopkins got her porn name!)
Prince Era: When he changed his name to that glyph that means “I hate Warner Brothers.”
Fun Fact: On her eponymous debut R&B/rap album, Carmen actually didn’t write her own lyrics. We know!

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MAYTE GARCIA
Real Name: Mayte Garcia
Prince Era: Chaos and Disorder, Emancipation, Crystal Ball. (Three albums, 9 CDs, combined sales of 17. We see why they got the marriage annulled.)
Fun Fact: At one time she was considered the world’s youngest belly dancer. And Prince is the world’s oldest woodland nymph!

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TAJA SEVELLE
Real Name: Nancy Richardson
Prince Era: Sign O’ The Times
Fun Fact: Her website claims that she invented a “kitchen appliance that will debut on QVC this holiday season.” Get your credit cards ready.

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TÁMAR
Real Name: Ashley Davis
Prince Era: 3121
Fun Fact: She was one of the original members of Girl’s Tyme, along with Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Rowland. Guess what group that went on to become? If you said Bell Biv DeVoe, you’re right!

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BRIA VALENTE
Real Name: Brenda Fuentes
Prince Era: Planet Earth and Lotusflow3r
Fun Fact: Looks just a teensy bit like a man. Is that a fun fact? It is if you’re into trannies!

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VANITY
Real Name: Denise Matthews
Prince Era: Controversy and 1999
Fun Fact: Before she met Prince, Vanity was the face of Pearl Drops toothpaste. A face full of pearl drops? That’s Prince’s top requirement!

See, deciding you don’t need a record deal anymore isn’t as easy as storing away your throwbacks in the attic. But luckily, there are some other big names who have decided to go the “independent” route whose struggle we can learn from. Take a moment to look back at some of the independent superstars who paved the way for Jay-Z…

PRINCE
Independent Since: 1996
Prince initially signed with Warner Bros. in the late ’70s because they were the only label willing to give him creative control of his music. But by the mid ’90s, tensions with WB were at all-time high. The Purple One changed his name to the unpronounceable Love Symbol and even went as far to write “SLAVE” on his face during performances. Prince’s main gripe with the label was their insistence that he release albums less often, which he felt limited his artistic freedom, and Warner’s poor marketing of the Love Symbol album only fueled the fire. Prince finally achieved independence in 1996 before returning to the majors for stints with Arista, Columbia, and Universal earlier this decade. Nowadays, he’s back to releasing music independently under his NPG imprint.

NINE INCH NAILS
Independent Since: 2007
Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails’ front man and only official member, has been critical of record labels since he first signed with TVT two decades ago. Reznor even resorted to secretly recording under pseudonyms as a coping mechanism for record label conflicts early in his career. Nine Inch Nails’ signing with Interscope only led to more disputes that came to a head in 2007. Reznor was pissed at Universal (Interscope’s parent company) for a pricing and distribution structure for NIN’s Year Zero album that he deemed “absurd” in a highly publicized blog post. Reznor maintained that true fans were getting ripped off and encouraged them to “steal” his music during live shows. Nine Inch Nails became free agents with no contractual ties to any record labels later that year. The band has been touring and releasing music independently ever since.

RADIOHEAD
Independent Since: 2004
Everyone knows the story of Radiohead’s shift to releasing music independently, but that doesn’t make it any less significant. After fulfilling contractual obligations with EMI, the band went on a four year hiatus before announcing (10 days before its release) a new album, In Rainbows, that fans could purchase for whatever amount they desired. The album was successful digitally and physically, receiving millions of downloads but also charting at #1 in the US and UK. Radiohead’s decision to release music independently was less about label strife and more about abandoning a “decaying business model.” As put by Thom Yorke: “I like the people at our record company, but the time is at hand when you have to ask why anyone needs one.” Good point.

GARTH BROOKS
Independent Since: 2000
Garth Brooks may not get a lot of play around the office, but we can still acknowledge a G move when we see one. The country music icon retired in 2000 with no plans to tour or record new material until his youngest daughter graduates high school in 2015. But instead of letting Capitol Nashville cake off his catalog for another decade, Garth, who owns all of his masters, left the label and inked an exclusive deal with Wal-Mart in 2005. The deal made Wal-Mart the only retailer with the rights to sell his back catalog and allowed Garth to earn profits with no record label interference. We getting Wal-Mart money!

JOE BUDDEN
Independent Since: 2007
After the disappointing sales of his self-titled Def Jam debut, Jersey’s most emotional MC made the mistake of having a lyrical battle with Jay-Z, the man who would soon become his boss. When his follow-up, The Growth, subsequently slid to the bottom of Def Jam’s priority list, the rapper started throwing jabs at his label in songs and interviews. Both parties agreed to part ways, and Joey quickly signed with burgeoning internet-centric indie label Amalgam Digital (after which his sophomore album was delayed for 3 more years. D’oh!). Okay, so maybe Joey didn’t exactly choose to go independent, but he does deserve credit for being one of the first rappers who chose to go with a non-traditional label after being dropped.

The trend got us thinking that some of these struggling rookie rappers could benefit from the strategy. Granted, big dog retailers like Best Buy and Target probably won’t cut exclusive deals with newcomers like Kid Cudi and Asher Roth, but we thought of some less obvious stores that might jump at the chance. Read on to see marketing plans for ten of our favorite up-and-coming MCs…

BLU
Album Sold Exclusively At: Whole Foods
Sales Promotion: Get the album for 20% more than it would cost anywhere else! What?! It was recorded organically. Be cool, man.

KID CUDI
Album Sold Exclusively At: 7-11
Sales Promotion: The Lonely Stoner Special: Buy the album and get half off a footlong/Big Gulp combo. Don’t worry–we’re open day and night!

DRAKE
Album Sold Exclusively At: International Male
Sales Promotion: Type in promo code PIERCINGGREENEYES at checkout and get a free sample of Drake’s new cologne, Eau D’Grassi.

JAY ELECTRONICA
Album Sold Exclusively At: The Apple Store
Sales Promotion: Goes great with every other cool-but-overhyped piece of electronica. Baby Mama Drama Lightning Deal: Trade in any common Zune and get an autographed picture of Erykah and Jay’s baby!

CHARLES HAMILTON
Album Sold Exclusively At: Gamestop
Sales Promotion: Walk out of the store now and preserve the chances of losing your virginity!

Click NEXT to see our suggestions for Nipsey Hussle, OJ Da Juiceman, Asher Roth, Tyga and Wale.