"holocaust aside..."

he's not including the holocaust, and is certainly not comparing it to anything. he's saying "...many lived and died, but would you rather be dead or be sold/souled..."

he's EXCLUDING the holocaust from his general statement that many people have lived and died, but death is generally better than being sold/souled

PLUS,....if you've paid attention to Prince over the last few years, you'll remember one of his articles regarding publising rights and digital music, entitled "What Should B Souled"