The enigmatic Prince was an eccentric performer, with his music and his image he made people question society, their religion, their love life, their spirituality and even their sexuality. He was more beautiful than Beyonce,
could play twenty-seven instruments, got all the ladies, had swag for centuries, was the ultimate shade thrower, could dance for hours without tiring and had a voice specially crafted by the hands of God herself!
After releasing five albums, Prince finally made it big with his 1985 hit single, "Purple Rain," for the movie of the same name. The movie was heavily based on his real life and the album is still ranked as one of the greatest of all time.
He was one of the few black artistes to have his videos played on MTV. He blended rock, funk, and early hip-hop to get his distinct sound. He crossed cultures, making his name known around the world. Being the creative being that he was, Prince had a very unique sense of imagery. His style was androgynous and some of his songs were boldly charged with sexually explicit lyrics.
In 1993, Prince famously did his first name change to an unpronounceable symbol.
Not knowing how to address him, people referred to him as "the artist formerly known as Prince." He did this after a dispute with Warner Bros. who wanted him to make less albums. Changing his name allowed him to make music on his own terms. After his contract expired, he changed his name back to Prince. Recently Prince won his recording rights from Warner Bros, they must have been really upset. Funny how the same thing happened to MJ...he died after gaining most of Sony's rights...what a coincidence. Anyways...
Prince was known to deliver high energy and out of this world performances. He was all about the element of surprise and believe me, Prince could surprise the hell out of you. From his cut out pants to actually turning down a duet with Michael Jackson.
Yeah you read correct, he turned down, MJ. Originally the hit song, "Bad" was supposed to be a duet with Prince singing the first verse. Unfortunately Prince said that he would never say the words, "Your butt is mine," which are the first lines, to another man. Because MJ believed that only Prince would have sung it perfectly, he decided to squash the idea of a duet and sing it himself. This is a career ending move right there, but for Prince, no way man, no way.
Oh there's more, Prince was a straight up ladies man with charm and swag, don't let the very very very, (I cannot stress on very enough) questionable clothing fool you. Prince fell for his first wife when she was only sixteen, but didn't want to pursue her until she was old enough. So you know what he did, he hired her as his dancer and she celebrated her eighteenth birthday on tour with Prince. Needless to say, she became his wife not too long after. Well played Prince, well played.
On top of that, he was a professional level basketball player, beat that! He was just too short to play professionally, so he instead turned to music...thank you genetics!
This was of course made famous through Charlie Murphy's story telling segment on The Dave Chappelle Show.
Prince was an icon in every sense of the word. His switch was never off, he would perform everyday, whether for an audience or just himself. He never compromised his integrity and he always did whatever the hell he wanted. Musicians respected him, Artists looked up to him and almost everybody loved him.
I know I love and appreciate everything about this man. Anyone that knows me knows how much I love me some Prince. His music, his style, his energy, his attitude, his presence and his mind. Prince will continue to inspire music for generations to come, there will never be another crazy, wild, free and entertaining man to make music! Prince really pushed the boundaries of weird, I mean, common...
But we still love it!
The influence that is Prince is too strong even for time to diminish. He will continue to live in the music of artistes such as Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Ceelo Green and so, so much more. Never has the world seen a more electrifying entertainer, someone who was fierce and composed, free willed and conservative, extreme and unapologetic, not to mention beautiful and handsome. He was charming, sexy, mysterious and daring, his entire existence was intriguing. Prince made the world smile, whether intentional or not and he will continue to be honored every time we say his name, play his music or simply think of him.
If you suddenly feel in the mood for some of Prince's music, just click on any of the songs below...
We have lost an icon, a legend, a god in his own right, but we have had decades of his great music and presence. Some moments made us laugh, some made us cringe and some just blew our minds, but at least we can say that we have had the privilege of experiencing...
The Man...
...The Mystic...
...The Legend...
The Man...
...The Mystic...
...The Legend...
