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Prince Igor (song)

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(Redirected from Prince Igor (single))

"Prince Igor"
Single by the Rapsody featuring Warren G and Sissel
from the album The Rapsody Overture
Language
  • English
  • Russian
ReleasedOctober 13, 1997
Studio
Genre
LabelDef Jam Recordings
Songwriters
  • Klaus Volker
  • Warren G
Producers
  • Klaus Volker
  • Dieter Völker
Warren G singles chronology
"Smokin' Me Out"
(1997)		 "Prince Igor"
(1997)		 "All Night, All Right"
(1998)
Sissel singles chronology
"Mitt hjerte alltid vanker"
(1995)		 "Prince Igor"
(1997)		 "Summer Snow"
(2000)

"Prince Igor" is a song inspired by the Polovtsian Dances of Alexander Borodin's opera Prince Igor. It was released as the lead single from the hip-hop/classical concept album The Rapsody Overture in October 1997. The main vocals are performed by Warren G while the Russian refrain is sung by Norwegian soprano Sissel Kyrkjebø, and the instrumental track was provided by the Rapsody. Warren G uses the same rap lyrics as in his song "Reality", which appears on his second solo album, Take a Look Over Your Shoulder.

"Prince Igor" was successful in Europe, peaking at number one in both Iceland and Norway and entering the top 10 in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands and Sweden. On the Eurochart Hot 100, the song peaked at number six in January 1998. Outside Europe, it peaked at number 41 in New Zealand.

Critical reception

[edit]

Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "Maybe it had to happen at some point... so blame the Voelker brothers (Achim and Klaus), a German production team who initially came up with the unlikely idea of an album combining rap with opera. This is the first single to be taken from the resulting long player, The Rapsody Overture: Hip Hop Meets Classics (due on November 3). The single uses Borodin's Prince Igor as a foundation over which Warren G raps and Norwegian folk singer Sissel provides "classical" vocals."

Programme director Marc Stingl at German AC commercial station Radio Gong in Nurnberg, Bavaria considered the track to be "a perfect chartbreaker because of the combination of rap with classical music. The Rapsody is refreshingly different because this has not really been tried before and most other chart material is pretty old-fashioned." He concluded, "This could very well be a new trend-a band called Sweetbox have been quite successful over here with a similar approach."[1]

A reviewer from Music Week gave the song three out of five, describing it as "[a] bizarre and haunting blend of hip hop and classical."[2] The magazine's Alan Jones wrote, "Whether it's a groudbreaker or a dead-end mutant remains to be seen but The Rapsody, US rapper Warren G's collaboration with Norwegian opera star Sissel is both intriguing and appealing. Set against a heavy hip-hop beat, Warren struts his usual stuff but the rapper/vocalist combination is given a new spin by Sissel, whose pure soprano voice intones the melody from Borodin's Prince Igor".[3]

Track listing

[edit]
  • "Prince Igor" (radio edit) (3:52)
  • "Prince Igor" (Ries Class Jazz edit) (4:03)
  • "Prince Igor" (Ries 7-inch remix) (3:54)
  • "Prince Igor" (album version) (4:24)
  • "Prince Igor" (Ries Class Jazz extended) (6:08)
  • "Prince Igor" (Ries Class Jazz instrumental) (4:01)

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Belgium (BRMA)[38] Gold 25,000*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[39] Platinum  
Sweden (GLF)[40] Platinum 30,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media. November 1, 1997. p. 21. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Borodinek. November 29, 1997. p. 14. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  3. ↑ Jones, Alan (December 27, 1997). "Talking Music" (PDF). Music Week. p. 21. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  4. ↑ "The Rapsody feat. Warren G & Sissel – Prince Igor" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  5. ↑ "The Rapsody feat. Warren G & Sissel – Prince Igor" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  6. ↑ "The Rapsody feat. Warren G & Sissel – Prince Igor" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  7. ↑ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. January 31, 1998. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. January 24, 1998. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  9. ↑ "The Rapsody: Prince Igor" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "The Rapsody feat. Warren G & Sissel – Prince Igor" (in French). Le classement de singles.
  11. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. February 21, 1998. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (25.12.1997 – 01.01.1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 9, 1998. p. 22. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  14. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Rapsody feat. Warren G & Sissel". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – The Rapsody feat. Warren G & Sissel" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  16. ↑ "The Rapsody feat. Warren G & Sissel – Prince Igor" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  17. ↑ "The Rapsody feat. Warren G & Sissel – Prince Igor". Top 40 Singles.
  18. ↑ "The Rapsody feat. Warren G & Sissel – Prince Igor". VG-lista.
  19. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 18/1/1998 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  20. ↑ "The Rapsody feat. Warren G & Sissel – Prince Igor". Singles Top 100.
  21. ↑ "The Rapsody feat. Warren G & Sissel – Prince Igor". Swiss Singles Chart.
  22. ↑ "Official Singles Chart on 4/1/1998 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart on 11/1/1998 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1997" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1997". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1997". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Årets Mest Populære Singler 1997" [Most Popular Singles of the Year] (in Norwegian). VG. Archived from the original on June 11, 1998. Retrieved June 27, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Romanian Top 100: Top of the Year 1997" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on September 22, 2005.
  29. ↑ "Årslista Singlar, 1997" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  30. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1998". Ultratop. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  31. ↑ "Rapports Annuels 1998". Ultratop. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  32. ↑ "Music & Media: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1998" (PDF). Music & Media. December 19, 1998. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Border Breakers Top 50 1998" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 51. December 19, 1998. p. 11. Retrieved January 22, 2026 – via World Radio History.
  34. ↑ "Jaargang 34, 1998" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  35. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1998". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  36. ↑ "Årslista Singlar, 1998" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  37. ↑ "Najlepsze single na UK Top 40-1998 wg sprzedaży" (in Polish). Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on June 4, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  38. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 1998". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  39. ↑ "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  40. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
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