Musically, Machine + Soul carried on with the synth-rock/funk style of Metal Rhythm and Outland; in fact, the two Prince covers, "U Got the Look" and "1999" (the latter of which was relegated to B-side status), were recorded during the Outland sessions and at one point were set for inclusion on that album.
The lyrics recite the familiar "boy versus girl in the World Series of love."
In the 1980s it became common with funk artists such as Prince (e.g. "U Got The Look", "I Would Die 4 U"), and eventually came to be epitomized in the rap and hip-hop genres, with both song titles and artists' names (e.g. Ludacris, Phanatik, Timbaland, Xzibit, Gorillaz) using the form.