http://www.startribune.co...54789.html
Published Feb. 16, 2003

Prince's music-producing cousin, Charles Smith, said he stopped covering for his most famous family member while speaking to the BBC. A BBC crew was in the Twin Cities last month interviewing for a documentary that reportedly will examine the business side of Symbolina. "My thing with the BBC was [mostly] positive; what he was like growing up. We went to the neighborhood and talked about how we started our band and battled Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam and all the talent we used to knock off. It was really a good time, and that's the kind of thing I stayed on," Smith, better known as Chazz, said last week. "But then we went to the negative on how I feel about him as a cousin and a friend and growing up with the guy. I had to change my tune a little bit and get real. I have a little anger at him for the way he's treated family members. He didn't go to his mother's funeral, his mother's twin sister's funeral, my father's." At the funeral of Prince's mom, Mattie, "We were waiting for him. There were limousines there," Chazz said. "He just flat out said he doesn't do funerals, weddings, and he doesn't do birthday parties. I asked him to come to Andre Cymone's [last marriage] two years ago, and he refused to come to that. I'm mad at him for the way he's acted. Nobody wants anything from him. We just wanted to see him. We knew Prince before he made it, and we love him anyway. Pepe [Willie, Prince's former mentor] and I and a few key family members have been protecting Prince these 20-something years." Smith's business is named Chazz Music Inc., although he mostly makes a living playing with bands such as Jake's Players. Chazz said he's not jealous of Prince's lifestyle. "I'm in my Beemer right now," Chazz laughed. "We have all the stuff that we wished we had when Prince first started making it. Only thing, we don't have is Prince. What happened to the brother? I'm serious. That's all I hear: What's up with your cuz?"

I think it's not possible to judge Prince's behaviour since we don't know the full story...I think it would be interesting to hear the other side's story..but we all know that he doesn't like talking about his private life...
It might be look sad that he did not even whent 2 his mother's funeral, but he's not the kind of man that whant 2 save appearances..if he did love his mother (and we don't even know if he should..), then he doesn't have 2 show it 2 anyone; I'm sure he prayed 4 her at home, this is important.

bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch...thats all Chazz has done since the 80's. But..you know, in some ways..he does have a point. Maybe Prince doesn't want to revisit his past, because maybe, just maybe...he doesn't want to come to grips with it.
He became famous very young and has completely forgotten where he came from. Pepe and his "NEW AND IMPROVED versions of the MPLS east" crap. Pepe is trying to gain some kind of notoriaty from "knowing and/or honing Prince's skill as a musician" the old "I thought that boy everything he knows" It's old and tiring.

Has Pepe or Chazz done anyting for the Minneapolis music scene? Seems that Prince, Jimmy and Terry are the ones that indeed made it out of the circle of people they grew up with.
Do Jimmy and Terry get the same rep that Prince does when it comes to "coming home" and mingling with the ones that "didn't make it."

I guess it's all in the way you look at it.

I agree that there are two sides to this story. And Prince definately won't be telling us his side.

At the same time, I think it's fair for them to say that they are disappointed in his behavior and that they just want to see him.

Not that I really care one way or the other, but "I'm in my Beemer right now"?! That's pretty sad...

Perhaps Prince doesn't view most things in the traditional sense, like riding to funerals with the family in a limo Perhaps these same folks have grown tiresome to Prince then again, who really knows This person should just stop airing family laundry, after all where does it get you? obviously not closer to Prince and Mani. Just my worth, the rest is FREE! Peace.

Miles Davis didnt attend funerals too...there are some people that avoid it at any cost. Personally I will go only if it´s my mother and dad. Otherwise, I will avoid

i don't like going 2 funerals either. both my parents r in heaven and i attended both funerals because i loved both my parents. p should have attended his mother's funeral, shame on prince. has jw really messed up his mind? wasn't p on tour when his mom died?

regardless of it all family is family. his family misses him, they cherish the times they had with him before he got famous and according to them he never looked back. the revolution regardless of how long they played with him didn't even recieve the love and friendship they tried to show him. they couldn't even come to paisley park to visit him or even see the place. dr. fink came by after prince's baby died, he wanted to comfort him cause he lost a baby too and he felt he was close enough to see him and talk to him, but the receptionist refused to take a message, wouldn't let him look around and told him that no ex- employees were to be on the premisess. well it makes you think is prince's family and friend's wrong in being angry at him for not staying in touch. only prince knows and if he's alone its all on him. if you haven't already read liz jones purple reign, that's where i got my info on dr. fink its a really good book and it's accurate.

Let's hope Chazz went to the dentist and got his teeth fixed b4 he paid for the "Beemer"

What's up with your cuz?

The Sun Moon & Stars...

"read liz jones purple reign"??

Liz Jones!? Wasn't that the fine lady that copy-pasted segments from Oprah and then presented them as her very own exclusive interview with the P? Goddamn, that book was one big pile of TRASH.

I wouldn't count on anything that skank has to say about anything, unless with at least a truckload of salt, limestone and lye.

Anyway, Prince is a screwball, a nutter, maybe even not just a tiny bit mean, but he played Money Don't Matter 2night to me in Oslo, he has a nice ass, he wrote and sung Do It All Night, Sign O' The Times, The One and Kiss, he allowed some audacious bastard to record and bootleg Xenophobia The Celebration so that I have it... who the fuck are we to hate on him?

THE ONLY THING I CAN SAY IS, PRINCE LOVED HIS MOTHER DEARLY, AND DIDN'T HAVE 2 SHOW UP AT THE FUNERAL, 4 A LIVE SHOWCASE! I DON'T KNOW CHAZZ PER SAY, BUT...

I WAS THERE AT THE FUNERAL, AND ALL THE SO CALLED COUSINS, REALLY CHAZZ WERE JUST NOT ACTING RIGHT. I WENT TO MATTIE'S HOUSE AFTERWARDS W/THE FAMILY, AND WE WAITED 4 PEOPLE 2 SHOW UP. NONE OF THEM (THE YOUNGER CROWD, PRINCE'S AGE OR LESS), EXCEPT 2 FAMILY MEMBERS, AND MATTIE'S DEAREST FRIENDS SHOWED UP AT THE HOUSE FOR THE FAMILY GATHERING. NONE OF THE COUSINS(AGAIN EXCEPT 1 COUSIN & HER MOM) SHOWED UP. CHAZZ & THE OTHER'S THAT WERE AT THE FUNERAL WERE BASICALLY LOOKING AROUND 4 PRINCE. & BELIEVE ME THEY WOULD HAVE FOLLOWED US 2 THE HOUSE IF PRINCE HAD BEEN THERE. THEY WERE WHISPERING BACK AND FORTH IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FUNERAL, WHERE IS HE? I KNOW PRINCE LOVED HIS MOTHER DEARLY, AND SAID HIS, C U LATER'S 'N HIS OWN WAY. PEOPLE WHERE'S THE LOVE? BELEIVE ME PRINCE IS A MAN, W/A VERY HUGE HEART. JUST LEAVE HIM ALONE, WHEN IT COMES 2 PERSONEL STUFF 2 DO AS HE WILL, 'N HIS OWN WAY! AS U WOULD WANT 2 B LEFT ALONE TO FEEL AND LIVE FREELY.

Prince didn't attend his mother's funeral because the JWs donot attend funerals of other religions, even their own mothers, fathers whatever.

Isn't this good of him? Isn't this christian? Isn't it wonderful that he became a JW? I was so disappointed in him when I read he didn't attend his fathers or mothers funeral.

He wasnot on tour when his mother died on Feb 15,2002. The tour started on March 1st.

Let's congratulate him on being such a wonderful religious christian person!

If you aren't happy with your cousin, why not tell him and not the press/medi?? Chazz is a petty little bitch for whining to the BBC and publicly disparaging Prince. It accomplishes absolutely nothing positive.

Lovebird has a point - if Chazz knew anything about his cuzz, he would know that his new-found religion would prohibit him from attending any non-JW marriage, funeral, whatever!

However, it's not for anyone else to decide whether Prince was right to do that, despite his religious beliefs. If he had decided not to go and was NOT a JW, it is still not our place to judge. Family is as personal as it gets and we have NO rights to know what goes on with Prince and his.

EXACTLY!!!

All I have to say is, why can't people let Prince be Prince?
I know this is suppose to be a board to express your opinions, but I mean personal life is "Just That".
Talking about his Music, or expressing how u feel about him, is different. but his personal life...?!
Thats going a little to far!
I have watched people talk, and talk, and Talk about how they want him to be. but if U truely adore someone, do u try to change them? or do U adore them for who they r?


"Much Love"

disdain4theunfunky said:

you say we shouldn't judge him but i never called him any names like you did above. did you read the rest of my post about dr. fink. and the loss of his baby. just like everyone else on this website you see just what you want.

LittleDarlin said:

people are always saying let prince be prince. nothing we say here stops prince from living. yall get mad and take things personal and he could give a shit about any of us. prince does not care about what we have to say and he does not live his life by what we all talk about. thats why your free to read what you want, say what you want, and do what you want. now if we knew him personally and knew for sure he was reading this we would all think about what we say. but like i said before family is family and your friends are your friends, maybe they all changed for the worst but we all have family that act that way, if you don't your very lucky.

TRUNKS said:

starr777 said:

i guess i missed your post when i was responding to a couple of other posts. it sounds like chazz and the other family members were there just to see him. i can respect leaving the personal stuff out. i respect him cause i don't know about his daily life. i like the fact he's not out there like j-lo and ben but i don't think that our posts are bothering him or stopping his life. i don't think he cares. now as far as the article if he's read it or has been told about it. i can understand his being upset at his cousin for once again putting his business in the streets, and being disrespectful at his mothers funeral, talking and looking around instead of paying his respects. who wants to be around family if they've gone to the press and talked about you like a dog, and then have the nerve to say you love him and miss him. i only thought about him not being at his moms funeral, to heck with everyone else, but i didn't know that jw's don't go to funerals. so i apologize to you because you seem to be somewhat tied with the family, and was obviously there because you cared about prince's mother, and nothing else.

TRUNKS said:

I AM CALM!! I AM CALM!!!

Whoops - sorry! Hey man, first of all, I don't "judge you". Of course it's your choice to get info from wherever, but I'm telling you, Purple Reign/Slave 2 The Rythm/whatever is one stinky piece of journalism. I'm sure there are things in there that's true, but thing is - how do you know when the writer makes it clear that she has very little journalistic integrity?

And the last part wasn't really directed to you, it was more to myself and the universe. I do think Prince is all of those things that I said, thing is that it really doesn't matter. I'm not his first manager, I'm not his ex-girlfriend, I'm not his employee, biographer or second cousin's neighbour. I'm his audience. When he decides to write "who can now mate the displaced bloodline with the white jailbait" in a song or release "Xpectation" and call it one, it bothers me. When he decides he doesn't believe in time/funerals/Darwin or Santa Claus - that's all fine.

Wha? why is he talking about Prince's mother's funeral? My dad didn't go to his mother's funeral either and I don't think it's right to criticize someone for that because it is just too personal an issue.

starr777 said:

7IS4ME said:

You got that right! Apparently the JW's got holms all Messed Up! P use to sing in Let It Go, "the song will ring in your ears when we are gone; gone where?"

lovebird said:

If your 1st sentence is true, JWs are messed up! Sounds like a CULT!