Prince (September 1, 2014) – "U Know" Single: Digital (USA)

GlamSlamEscape
Sep 1, 2014
2 min read

U Know was issued as a promotional pre‑order download for Art Official Age on 1 September 2014, arriving four weeks ahead of the album’s release. The track surfaced publicly only hours earlier when it debuted through Celebuzz, after which it became available both as part of the album pre‑order and as an individual digital purchase. Its release coincided with Whitecaps, which was issued the same day to promote Plectrumelectrum, creating a coordinated preview of both albums.

Although not a formal single, U Know briefly entered the SNEP Top Singles chart in France, debuting at position 182 on 1 September 2014 and remaining for one week.

RECORDING

While exact recording dates are not documented, U Know is believed to have been completed in early 2014 at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota. The track is built around a sampled musical backing from Blinded, a 2012 streaming‑only track by Mila J produced by Jahlil Beats.

A short excerpt of the Blinded instrumental appeared in Prince’s sampler set in March 2014, indicating that U Know was at least in development by that time, though it is possible the sampler set simply used Blinded directly.

TRACK‑BY‑TRACK NOTES

• U Know — A modern R&B track built around the sampled groove from Mila J’s Blinded, blending Prince’s vocal delivery with a contemporary rhythmic feel shaped by Jahlil Beats’ original musical backing. Although the title resembles No from Lovesexy, the two tracks share no thematic or musical connection.

RELEASE HISTORY

U Know was released on 1 September 2014 as a digital promotional download tied to the pre‑order of Art Official Age. It was also available for separate purchase on the same day. The track was not issued physically and did not receive a traditional single rollout.

CHARTS & CERTIFICATIONS

U Know entered the SNEP Top Singles chart on 1 September 2014 at position 182 and remained for one week. No other chart activity was recorded.

PERSONNEL

Prince — all vocals and instruments (assumed) Joshua Welton — unidentified instruments

Mila J — looped vocals sampled from Blinded

PRODUCTION

Produced by Prince and Joshua Welton Label: NPG Records / Warner Bros.

SOURCES Discogs, 45 World, Wikipedia. BBC Official Charts Prince Vault, Sleeveographia2 All magazine scans, photographs, and original text excerpts referenced in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This Chronicle entry is a transformative, non-commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference. No ownership of the original material is claimed or implied.