Prince shows support for Tidal, says record deals are "slavery"

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Saturday, Prince sat down with a select group of journalists from the National Association of Black Journalists at his Paisley Park compound.

In the rare interview, he talked about his views on the music industry and even gave a surprising endorsement for Tidal.

“Record contracts are just like … I’m gonna say the word, slavery,” he told reporters, according to BuzzFeed. “I would tell any young artist … don’t sign.”

The Purple One believes Tidal is a promising alternative and revealed he’s working on a new record that will be released as part of service’s exclusive all-star lineup.

His tumultuous relationship with labels is nothing new. His past disputes over creative control and money are well documented, and in 1995, he even performed with the word “slave” written on his face — as a form of protest.

“Once we have our own resources, we can provide what we need for ourselves,” Prince said of artists during the interview, according to NPR. “Jay Z spent $100 million of his own money to build his own service. We have to show support for artists who are trying to own things for themselves.”