Where can you start talking about Prince Rogers Nelson that doesn’t make him the inimitable master of that filthy funky music he made? From the album covers to the lyrics and his own carefully-plotted mystique for a public image, Prince will be best known for running on an entirely different orbit compared to most artists and musicians.
Prince, who died suddenly and possibly due to complications from a flu in his hometown in Minneapolis, was 57 years old and remained one of the most distinct figures in American music.
This wasn’t just because he one day famously gave up his name and wanted to be referred to simply a symbol (giving rise to people calling him ‘The artist formerly known as Prince’), but more so because there were few who could funk it up like him. Songs like ‘Purple Rain’, ‘When Doves Cry’ and ‘Little Red Corvette’ will best be remembered for his seductive lyricism as well as the artist’s nearly underrated guitar work.
Regularly deemed an iconoclast by the media, Prince had, like most geniuses ahead of their time - from Morrison to Bowie - prefaced and predicted some things about the future, like text-talk (he regularly used ‘U’ and ‘2’ in his lyrics) and the Y2K digital scare with his album 1999, which released in 1983. Much later, Prince switched gears with his mix of hip-hop, funk and psychedelic rock on the soundtrack to Batman in 1989. What changed all along the way were his often androgynous and sometimes effeminate fashion sense and his iconic love symbol shaped guitar that came in gold and of course, purple. Go online and you'll find Prince shredding to ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ and a quote from bluesman Eric Clapton, who once responded on being asked what it felt like being the greatest guitarist, “I don't know, ask Prince."
For Prince, the 80s was when fame took him on the crest of the wave, winning awards, topping charts and touring the world. Prince still remained picky about his interviews, but was open to talking about everything from how major record labels were treating artists as slaves (which is why he released his latest album with rapper Jay Z’s streaming service Tidal) to his own faith as a Jehovah’s Witness. With a career spanning over three decades, Prince had 39 studio albums to his name. Four of those came in the last two years, with his band 3rd Eye Girl.
The tributes for the African American artist came in from all corners of the world - ranging from US President Barack Obama calling him “a creative icon” to singer Bruno Mars calling him “one of my heroes.” Other artists from the music industry paid tribute over social media to Prince as both a peer and an inspiration. Madonna posted an update saying, “He Changed The World!! A True Visionary. What a loss. I'm Devastated.”
Pianist and vocalist Alicia Keys said, “Prince was a gift and a genius. He showed us that we have no limits. His music left me forever changed.”
What Prince can also be best remembered for is his bent to stay true to his roots, never moving away from his hometown of Minneapolis, always making sure that’s where home was, right until what became his last days.
