Will.i.am is bringing a previously discussed, though no less headlineable, Michael Jackson and Prince story to Drink Champs.
In a new episode of N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN’s routinely-in-the-news podcast, out in full later this week, the Black Eyed Peas frontman recalled a time when he and the King of Pop were both in Las Vegas, with MJ giving him a call.
"I brought Mike to go see me rock with Prince in Vegas," Will.i.am said, as seen in the clip below. "So one time, Mike called me. He’s in Vegas. He’s like, 'I heard you guys have a show tonight.' I’m like, yeah. We got a show, going on at 10."
According to Will, Jackson responded with "Oh, rats!" while noting that he had to put his kids to sleep. From there, Will recalled, he proposed to MJ that he simply show up later into the show.
"I’m like, yeah, you can come later, like in the middle of a show," he said. "'No, if I don’t see the show from the beginning there’s no way for me to know what’s actually going on.' I was like, okay, so why don’t you come, I’ll be rocking with Prince like around 12:30. 'Oh, I can’t go to that.' I’m like, why? 'Prince is a meanie.' I’m like, what? 'He’s a meanie.'"
While the Drink Champs clip cuts off here, Will previously told this story on a 2016 episode of The Graham Norton Show. This iteration of the story saw him revealing that Jackson did indeed end up coming to see him perform with Prince, albeit not without his alleged "meanie" assessment remaining intact.
At one point during the evening’s show, per Will, Prince stepped off the stage and proceeded to "rip the freakin’ bass" in MJ’s face. When meeting for breakfast the following morning, Will said that MJ immediately mentioned this in-face shredding.
"First words he says, 'Why was Prince playing the bass in my face?'" Will said back in 2016. "I was like, Prince, he was just being nice, you know? 'No. Prince, he’s always been a meanie.'"
Both MJ and Prince’s respective legacies remain on full display across pop culture, with films centered on each currently on the horizon. In March, Jeff Sneider reported that Ryan Cooler had signed on to produce an upcoming jukebox musical featuring Prince’s songs. Next year, Antoine Fuqua's Michael biopic will hit theaters, starring Jaafar Jackson, MJ's nephew, in the title role.
