Emancipation Songwriting Credits by Prince

Released November 19, 1996, through NPG Records and EMI Records, this triple album's title symbolized Prince's liberation from his contentious eighteen-year relationship with Warner Bros., making it his third album release in 1996 alone. Prince served as sole producer and arranger for all thirty-six tracks, recording the material between November 1994 and October 1996 at Paisley Park Studios. Spanning three discs of exactly sixty minutes each across funk, pop, and R&B, the album marked Prince's first studio recordings to include cover versions, a practice he had previously avoided under Warner Bros. guidance, with notable covers of the Stylistics' 'Betcha by Golly Wow!', Bonnie Raitt's 'I Can't Make You Love Me', and Joan Osborne's 'One of Us.' Critical reception was mixed to positive, with major publications awarding between 3.5 and 4 out of 5 stars, while the album debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200 and was certified double platinum by the RIAA.