T.C. Ellis: Prince’s Hip‑Hop Voice

T.C. Ellis was the Minneapolis rapper who brought hip‑hop into Prince’s orbit at Paisley Park. Featured on Graffiti Bridge and early NPG‑era projects, he blended rap, funk, and Minneapolis attitude, becoming one of Prince’s first officially backed MCs and a key voice in the transition into the 1990s sound.

TC Ellis (Prince’s Rap Pioneer at Paisley Park)

The Minneapolis rapper and longtime Prince acquaintance who became one of the first hip-hop artists signed to Paisley Park Records, bringing rap into the Prince universe in the early 1990s OVERVIEW David “TC” Ellis (born in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area) is a rapper, singer, and educator. He is best known for his 1991 album True Confessions, the first rap-focused release on Prince’s Paisley Park Records. TC had known Prince since their teenage years in Minneapolis. EARLY LIFE

T.C. Ellis: Prince’s Hip‑Hop Voice