FILE – In this Feb. 18, 1985 file photo, Prince performs at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The music icon died of an accidental opioid overdose at his Paisley Park studio on April 21, 2016. He was 57. (AP Photo/Liu Heung Shing, File)

Prince reportedly recorded and then deleted an “incredible” solo version of Michael Jackson’s ‘Bad’.

Sheila E, Prince’s frequent collaborator, revealed this on The Jason Show. Originally, ‘Bad’ was intended as a duet between Prince and MJ, but Prince declined due to discomfort with the lyric “your butt is mine.”

Sheila E helped Prince re-record the track, describing it as “so funky” and “amazing.” “It was an incredible rendition of what it should’ve been. Then after we recorded it, we’re like, ‘Oh my God, we can’t wait for Michael to hear it.’” However, Jackson never heard Prince’s solo version. Sheila E admitted: “He erased the whole thing. Right there.”

Erasing recordings was typical for Prince, Sheila E added: “Oh yeah, it was fun. We did that all the time, though. I can name so many songs that we re-recorded that was sent to us. Ah, that’s another show.”

Tom Bahler, a vocal arranger for ‘We Are The World,’ speculated that Prince was “afraid” of Michael Jackson and used the lyric as an excuse to avoid collaborating. Recordings from 2016 reveal Jackson describing Prince as “one of the rudest people I have ever met.”