That reference is based on the song Debra & maybe one or two others on the Midnite Vultures album. Maybe a moment or two on Odelay, but for the most part this is absolutely not valid. Beck had three albums out prior to Odelay, none of which have much of anything that could reasonably be seen as a Prince influence. Dumb, dumb remark that's typical of the hipster straining throughout this piece.

Debra was performed live on the Odelay tour, two years & two albums prior to it seeing the light of day on wax, but if someone can discern a Prince influence on Mellow Gold, Mutations, Sea Change, One Foot In The Grave, Sterepathetic Soulmanure, and probably one or two others, then I guess they're the only ones, and they all write for some British paper that provides them with employment that seems increasingly ludicrous given statements like this one.