Prince was always more than just a music icon—he was a fierce advocate for artists’ rights and freedom from the control of major record labels. His battle against Warner Brothers, where he famously wrote “slave” on his face, was a symbol of his fight to own his music and his legacy. But Prince didn’t just take on the labels—he saw the industry’s biggest players, like Diddy, as part of the problem.

Diddy’s Bad Boy Records became one of the biggest names in hip-hop, but many artists from the label, including Mase and The Lox, have accused him of exploiting them. Diddy’s deal with Warner Brothers, which gave the label a 50% stake in his catalog, was exactly what Prince was fighting against—a system that profits off of artists without fairly compensating them. Prince distanced himself from Diddy, likely seeing him as another cog in the machine that keeps artists oppressed.

In the months before his death, Prince’s warnings about the music industry grew louder. He knew too much, and some believe that his outspoken activism made him a target. His death from an alleged fentanyl overdose at the age of 57 remains suspicious, with many believing he may have been silenced for exposing too much of the truth.

Prince’s fight for control over his music and his warnings about the exploitation of artists proved to be eerily prophetic. Just like other whistleblowers in the industry, Prince was silenced before he could expose everything. His tragic death serves as a reminder that in the world of music, stars who dare to challenge the system often pay the ultimate price.

Do you think Prince’s death was connected to his fight against the industry? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.