Hadn't seen this:

http://www.thedailybeast....yours.html

The seemingly rose-colored idealism behind statements like Prince’s regarding his multiracial band was and is often praised by critics and fans wanting to celebrate an iconic black artist who they feel “transcended race,” but blackness is not something to transcend—white supremacy is something to overcome. And Prince repeatedly and consistently flew in the face of white supremacy.

awwwwww shit. put this on hold for a minute so I can pop some popcorn!

All joking aside, I did notice that a number of articles referred to him this way. What's funny is that, Obama, who literally is bi-racial by virtue of having a black father/white mother is referred to as black and only black, whereas Prince is somehow bi-racial. Odd how that works. I'm actually laughing as I type this because it's just so funny at this point.

To be honest, he didnt do anything to dispell that impression. Funny enough, I was thinking if Prince was still alive, he should have definitely taken time to go travel and explore Africa, think he would have loved it!

I read that he didn't want his music to be only in the R&B section, because he wanted to be a cross over artist. R&B artists make less money and have less opportunities. He wanted to appeal to a wider audience. So I think he let people think he was bi-racial or Arab or Black or whatever. But, my Prince was a homeboy. He loved being Black and he loved Black people. He does not hide that fact in any of his music or his movies. His life and music come from a Black perspective and Black experience. He was just a smart business man!

hezekinap said:

Kara said:

I missed this article, too, so thanks for posting. I enjoyed it.

blackness is not something to transcend—white supremacy is something to overcome

Letting people think that he was bi-racial accomplished just what Prince wanted it to, to get people interested in his music, to make them talk about him, and inquire about him, along with adding to the mystique he wanted surrounding him. Prince knew that he would reach a wider audience of a mix of all race of people, and that it would help him to get further in entertainment field than it would if he would have just been "black". Prince was a very smart man, and he knew the world and the people in it, so he played the game, and he played it well. He made Prince the entertainer, just who he wanted him to be. I never had any doubt that he was black, only those that didn't want to see him for what he was, viewed him otherwise.

morningsong said:

He should have went to Africa to show how black he is. That's funny.

thats not what i meant but....lols! seriously, i thought Prince was half Puerto Rican until he died...

NorthC said:

hezekinap said:

To be honest, he didnt do anything to dispell that impression. Funny enough, I was thinking if Prince was still alive, he should have definitely taken time to go travel and explore Africa, think he would have loved it!

I sure did. Africa can be a pain in the matako, but it gets to you the way no onther continent does. And one of the great "what ifs" in Prince's life is what would have happened if he had played with African musicians like Paul Simon did... [Edited 7/25/16 11:00am]

African sure can be a pain in the "matako" if that means what I think it does. But its Awesome! And continuing from your Paul Simon reference, Yes - him doing some musicological afro fusion stuff - crossing up and down Africa would have been astounding! He was such an open and inquisitive person, I am sure something really special would have happened.

biracial or multiracial is not about 'running from/hating' blackness it is just about accepting all of you... which means loving blackness too

weird

from 1980-2015 all those biracial and multiracial women he connected with tell a story of his soul

OldFriends4Sale said:

biracial or multiracial is not about 'running from/hating' blackness it is just about accepting all of you... which means loving blackness too

weird

It's only weird if you can't digest what's being said... Ex., Obama is, without question, bi-racial. white mother, black father, yet, he is considered black through and through by the media, the general public, etc. He's never referenced anymore as bi-racial. OTOH, Prince had black parents, grew up with black friends, lived the black experience. Yet, he's biracial or whatever. That, my friend, is what is truly weird.

MY SISTER N LAW WHO IS WHITE SAYS TO HER WHITE FRIENDS ALWAYS BE CAREFUL JUST KEEP ON MOVING.DONT ANSWER DONT COMMENT. But,anyway good article.

Many years ago,I had a friend (a white guy) who actually said this to me,with a straight face....

"I can't believe how so many people think Prince is black,just because of how he dances"

BlackandRising said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

biracial or multiracial is not about 'running from/hating' blackness it is just about accepting all of you... which means loving blackness too

weird

It's only weird if you can't digest what's being said... Ex., Obama is, without question, bi-racial. white mother, black father, yet, he is considered black through and through by the media, the general public, etc. He's never referenced anymore as bi-racial. OTOH, Prince had black parents, grew up with black friends, lived the black experience. Yet, he's biracial or whatever. That, my friend, is what is truly weird.

He said because he looks black.......

BlackandRising said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

biracial or multiracial is not about 'running from/hating' blackness it is just about accepting all of you... which means loving blackness too

weird

It's only weird if you can't digest what's being said... Ex., Obama is, without question, bi-racial. white mother, black father, yet, he is considered black through and through by the media, the general public, etc. He's never referenced anymore as bi-racial. OTOH, Prince had black parents, grew up with black friends, lived the black experience. Yet, he's biracial or whatever. That, my friend, is what is truly weird.

I meant weird (in how the opening post is present)

I understand intimately biracial/multiracial/blackness

I understand it from a historic standpoint, a personal standpoint, a social-political standpoint. From how it is in S America, Latin America, USA, S Africa

hezekinap said:

SoulAlive said:

morningsong said:

SoulAlive said:

Many years ago,I had a friend (a white guy) who actually said this to me,with a straight face....

"I can't believe how so many people think Prince is black,just because of how he dances"

ridiculous,huh?

morningsong said:

hezekinap said:

thats not what i meant but....lols! seriously, i thought Prince was half Puerto Rican until he died...

I think he did a lot post PR (1984) to assert his African-Americaness and not sever himself from it. It's just bizarre to me how many people didn't notice. I guess it was the women he dated that threw people off. :Shrug:

i'm actually "tardy to the party" and was just a casual fan til now but, you're right, in hindsight, looking at his body of work and also personal politics, he did assert his AA-ness in meaningful ways.

SoulAlive said:

Ignorance is alive and well...in 2016.

This place is so over.

My dance teacher who is from the West Indies (Antilles) once told me an interesting story about a white couple that his family knew. Early in their marriage these white folks nearly split up because they had a black baby. The husband thought his wife had cheated on him and to prove her faithfulness they (both I think) had to do a DNA test and they found out one of them actually had a black ancestor, which explained the baby being black.

Who can be 100% sure of where they come from? Even a perfect family tree does not exclude the possibility of a non-declared extra marital relationship. There is actually a TV show in the UK called "who do you think you are", which traces back through some celebrities ancestral history and it comes with a lot of surprises - good and bad - for many of them.

A lot of population movements and ethnical mixing happened from the 18th to early 20th centuries between Europe, Africa and America so it is not impossible that Prince might have some European genes in him. Not saying he definetely did but he very possibly could. "Race" is a very hard thing to define anyway. Now throw stones at me if you want, it will only prove your ignorance and stutbornness, just like racism does.

morningsong said:

rogifan said:

morningsong said:

Those that don't know he's black by now have their own personal issues they need to work out.

Yep. Outside of the PR movie did Prince do anything to perpetuate the myth he was bi-racial? It wasn't his job to constantly remind people he was black.

Pretty much. So why would anyone argue when somebody says he's black, like why can't he be? Why must he be other than in that person's mind? I think that's the question.