October 16, 2001:The Rainbow Children

The twenty-fourth studio album by Prince, released on November 20, 2001, by NPG Records and Redline Entertainment. Earlier in the year, it was also made available through Prince's website. This album marks the first release outside of the NPG Music Club under the name Prince, following his return to his former stage name after a year using a symbolic moniker. Initially available on double vinyl with a glossy color booklet, it wasn't reissued on vinyl until the Legacy release in 2020.

This concept album explores Prince's recurring themes of spirituality, human sexuality, love, and racism, through a fictional narrative about a social movement aiming for a Martin Luther King Jr.-inspired utopian society. The album appears to reference his recent conversion to the Jehovah's Witnesses, while also incorporating Egyptian monotheism and New Age ideas like the Akashic records as metaphors. With a jazzier style than his previous works, it received mixed reviews. Some fans viewed it as a musical and spiritual progression for Prince.[citation needed]

"The Rainbow Children" was distributed independently by Redline Entertainment. At Prince's request, it had minimal promotion, as he wanted to emphasize the music over commercialism. By summer 2007, it had sold 158,000 copies in the US and an estimated 560,000 copies worldwide.

A dedicated promotional website for the album offered the tracks "She Loves Me 4 Me" and "Mellow" as free MP3 downloads.

The album cover features Cbabi Bayoc's "The Reine Keis Quintet." Prince appreciated the painting of a women's band, as he was supported by an all-female ensemble.