North Carolina Single CD: 2012

A Prince-Produced Shelby J. Soul Gem

Released as a limited edition CD single in the US on December 12, 2012, on Blackgypsy Music (no catalogue), Barcode (Text): 8 84501 96872 0) Shelby J. featuring Anthony Hamilton’s “North Carolina” was fully produced and performed on all instruments by Prince. Containing the Full Version (7:50), Hot Sauce Edit (3:54), and Tripp Edit (3:58) — edited by Darron "Tripp" Thomas at Media1Music Studios — this soul/R&B/neo-soul tribute to Shelby’s home state is a rare Prince protégé release.

Single Overview

Release Details

Label: Blackgypsy Music.

Format: CD, Single, Limited Edition.

Full Track Listing

1. North Carolina (Full Version) (7:50)

Producer: Prince – Written-By: P. Nelson, S. Johnson

2. North Carolina (The Hot Sauce Edit) (3:54)

Edited By: Darron "Tripp" Thomas – Producer: Prince – Written-By: P. Nelson, S. Johnson

3. North Carolina (The Tripp Edit) (3:58)

Edited By: Darron "Tripp" Thomas – Producer: Prince – Written-By: P. Nelson, S. Johnson

Reissues & Global Variants

Limited US-only CD single (2012).

Production and Context

Produced/Performed (all instruments) by Prince. Shelby J. lead vocals, Anthony Hamilton featured vocals. Edited at Media1Music Studios. © Blackgypsy Music.

Singles Released and Chart Performance

No chart entry (limited release).

Legacy and Collectibility

“North Carolina” is Shelby J.’s Prince-produced soul masterpiece — all instruments by the Purple One. Original 2012 Blackgypsy Music limited CD singles are extremely rare, fetching £100–£300+ when they surface. This CD is a holy grail for Prince protégé and soul collectors.

Do you have the North Carolina limited CD in your collection? Ready to head south? Share in the comments!

Sources

Information is drawn from my personal knowledge and supplemented by web sources, including Prince Vault, Discogs, 45cat, AllMusic, Rate Your Music, Wikipedia, BBC Official Charts Company, Billboard Chart History and YouTube

Whilst every effort is made to provide accurate information, mistakes do happen. Simply leave a comment and the post will be updated. Thank you.