Last year Prince released “Breakfast Can Wait”, a funky little R&B single with some incredible album artwork: Dave Chappelle dressed as Prince holding a plate of pancakes.

The shot is taken from a 2004 episode of Chappelle’s Show. In the episode, Charlie Murphy (brother of Eddie Murphy) talks about meeting Prince at a club in the early 80s. Prince invites the Murphy brothers and their crew back to his place and challenges them to a game of basketball. Hilarity ensues and the story ends with Prince serving pancakes.

Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories: Prince from Anthony Dufrense on Vimeo.

The story is probably not true but it seems just believable enough. Regardless of its authenticity, the fact that Prince opted to use this image for an official release is amazing. There is no denying that Prince is a bit of a punchline in pop culture these days but it definitely seems like he is in on the joke or at the very least, manages to get the last laugh.

I choose to interpret this choice as a confirmation of the validity of Charlie Murphy’s story.

Wouldn’t you want to live in a world where that is the truth?

During a recent interview with Jimmy Fallon, Dave Chappelle addressed the album artwork (around 3 minutes in). Checkmate, indeed.

 

“Breakfast Can Wait” will appear on Prince’s forthcoming solo album Art Official Age. Watch the official music video for the track right here.