In February 1981 , Prince made his first appearance on '' Saturday Night Live '' , performing " Partyup " . In October 1981 , Prince released the album , '' Controversy '' . He played several dates in support of it , as the first of three opening acts for the Rolling Stones , on their US tour . In Los Angeles , Prince was forced off the stage after just three songs by audience members throwing trash at him . He began 1982 with a small tour of college towns where he was the headlining act . The songs on '' Controversy '' were published by '' Controversy Music '' – '' ASCAP '' , a practice he continued until the '' Emancipation '' album in 1996 . By 2002 , MTV News noted that " n ow all of his titles , liner notes and Web postings are written in his own shorthand spelling , as seen on 1999 's '' Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic '' , which featured ' Hot Wit U. ' " In 1981 , Prince formed a side project band called the Time . The band released four albums between 1981 and 1990 , with Prince writing and performing most of the instrumentation and backing vocals ( sometimes credited under the pseudonyms " Jamie Starr " or " The Starr Company " ) , with lead vocals by Morris Day . In late 1982 , Prince released a double album , '' 1999 '' , which sold over three million copies . The title track was a protest against nuclear proliferation and became Prince 's first top 10 hit in countries outside the US . Prince 's " Little Red Corvette " was one of the first two videos by black artists ( along with Michael Jackson 's " Billie Jean " ) played in heavy rotation on MTV , which had been perceived as against " black music " until CBS President Walter Yetnikoff threatened to pull all CBS videos . Prince and Jackson had a competitive rivalry , not just on musical success , but also athletically too . The song " Delirious " also placed in the top ten on the '' Billboard '' Hot 100 chart . " International Lover " earned Prince his first Grammy Award nomination at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards
26th Annual Grammy Awards
26th Annual Grammy Awards
Prince (musician)