Houston has a few classic anthems. “Still Tippin‘,” “Mo City Don Freestyle,” “Tops Drop,” there is a long list of certified classics that warrant stopping everything you’re doing and rapping along. “Wanna Be A Baller,” the 1999 Houston smash from Lil’ Troy, is on that list and, depending on who you talk to, might be considered the H-Town Anthem. 

But did you know that “Wanna Be A Baller” sampled Prince’s ballad “Little Red Corvette”? Did you also know the Houston anthem was so good that the late, great Prince cleared the sample after learning Lil Troy used his classic record?

Lil’ Troy’s rap record took the synth chord progression from “Little Red Corvette” and interpolated it into something a little darker. The soft, warm chords from “Little Red Corvette” were tweaked just enough to turn them into the instrumental base for the Houston classic. Once you hear the beginnings of both songs, it’s unmistakable. Despite listening to both songs for many years, I had never noticed. But now, it’s all I hear.

During a conversation with Donnie Houston TV in 2020, Lil’ Troy explained how it all worked out. The song dropped as the second single from his debut major label studio album Sittin’ Fat Down South, under Universal Records. Lil Troy and his collaborators knew that they sampled Prince, but the record company did not know until a few months after the record’s release. 

“Nobody knew it was a Prince sample. After Universal picked it up, they put it out, then they called me months later,” Lil’ Troy said. 

They replayed the chords from a special-edition 12-inch vinyl from Prince and changed their tune slightly. Once Universal wanted them to get the sample cleared, Lil’ Troy explained that after reaching out, Prince surprisingly actually liked the way they used his song. 

“Prince gave us the OK, he loved how we did it. We ain’t paid Prince a dime. He gave us props, he liked how we did it,” Lil Troy explained.

Using an unauthorized Prince sample and having him essentially give kudos to the creativity behind it is quite the accomplishment. Not having to pay anything and retaining full rights to the song is even more rare, considering Prince’s history of allowing samples. 

To maintain his artistic control, Prince was infamously selective in approving samples of his music. To prevent musicians and artists he deemed misogynistic or obscene from using his music, Prince denied requests for samples from the likes of Notorious B.I.G. and Mobb Deep. Even R&B star Alicia Keys was denied when trying to sample his music. 

Prince famously demanded a $100,000 one-time payment from ’90s hip-hop outfit Arrested Development after they used an unauthorized sample of “Alphabet St” in their hit 1992 record “Tennessee” after it reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. Arrested Development member Speech, real name Todd Thomas, later admitted that Prince did the group a huge favor by demanding a single payment instead of a co-writing credit, which would have entitled him to a share of future royalties. 

Lil’ Troy’s experience with the late icon was truly special and allowed him to fully benefit from his timeless Houston classic. 

“It was a blessing from God and Prince, cause he could have took all our rights,” Lil Troy put it plainly.