I have always loved it that Prince attracted all types, creeds and races of people as his fans but when I talk to black people and white people they always seem to like Prince at completly eras. Have you found that certain years Prince started alienating his white fans and in certain eras he was alienating his black fans? Which years do you think they were and why?

Here's my honest reply: I don't know.





That said, it's been bugging the shit out of me whenever I hear a fan say that recently he's more "black" or that he's "coming home" or some other such bullshit. True, different styles of music do have different racial roots, but music itself has no colour. One race claiming Prince as theirs or as appealing to them specifically is pretty silly IMO.

I definately think so. Every, and I mean every black person I knew at the time was extremely pissed with "Around In The World In A Day" and furious with "Parade" and most of them dropped him after that. The white people I knew were not cool with it either but they could tolerate it more.

I understand that Prince has always been versitile in his music but the earlier rock style music was at least appealing to his black listeners. The work he did beginning with "Around The World In A Day", except for particular songs, was only appealing to a fraction of the long time fans that loved his music.

Another thing that pissed many black people off was the timing of the whole thing. Prince waited until after the huge major crossover success of "Purple Rain" to completely change his style. He wasn't crazy. Had he released an album like "Around The World In A Day" or "Parade" when the majority of his listeners were black and he didn't have a large white pop audience to fall back on, he would have been tossed to the side and never even made it to the point of making a big success like "Purple Rain".

Apparently it must have bothered him because then he comes up with "The Black Album". Even if it had been released when it was supposed to, the majority of his long time black fans weren't going to like this album. It was funk but it was not the type of funk they loved Prince for.

Then he starts trying to get back some of the black audience by adding rap and hip hop to his music. This is when a lot of the white fans started feeling alienated. This wasn't working with the black fans either because they were an age group that didn't like rap, so he started picking up even more new fans.

Whether Prince meant to do it or not, he alienated both sides at some time in his career.

Jeezzzz! people have you not learned anything about Prince in his 26yrs of making music. With Prince, It isn't about being black or white , its about where the money is!

no.

The listener in me is able to see some of the points here and believe that they might have some validity.

The artist in me says that Prince never gave a damn what any of y'all thought, and still doesn't.

OdysseyMiles said:

couldnt've said it betta.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

But you were thinking it, 'cuz you're my little sister.

I am sorry but, that`s bullshit for me!!!! Prince has always been Prince, I mean, he has always played all kinds of music throughtout his career. He has always mixed men and women in his band, he`s composed music from all roots like, hindu-arabian(around the world in a day) Bossa Nova(the ballad of Doroth Parker, rock-and -Roll, Rap, classical and so on... Just listen to SYMBOL or THE GOLD EXPERIENCE.
Sorry, but you don't have a point in there pal. Your question seems odd to me,

Here's what I think:

To be honest I found the whole "chocolate invasion" thing and all the pro-black ranting around the Raibow Children period a little hard to take.

Thats not because Im racist or have anything possitive to say about the treatment of blacks through slavery or un-equal rights...how can there be anything possitive about that. No, i 'disagree; with the way it was drummed into people because it is exactly that...in the past and how can we ever move forward if somebody in such a high position wants to drag everybody back.


Im not sure who Prince was trying to reach with that message - only the ignorant woudl be unaware of the horrific tretament of blacks through history and,to be honest, you arent ever going to reach these peopel becaus ethey still think that way and dont want to know.

You could never move forward in a relationship if you kept dragging up your partners short-comings from many years ago and you certainly couldnt make a relationship work if you blamed your partner for the way your Ex treated you...why should this be different.

"I could take revenge or I could be the one to break the chain...."2gether

purpledoveuk said:

You are exactly wrong.

I definitely think he prefers his black audience. I'm sure he would trade in his white audience in a heartbeat.

EvilWhiteMale said:

Evil, your ass is making a funny noise. I do believe it's trying to speak.

FunkMistress said:

I'd bet every dollar on my theory.

:

I disagree - Im not under any illusion that things are hunkydoory for anybody in this world for one reason or another (be that religion, colour, gender sexual orientation) - but Prince isnt refering to these days...he's digging out thing Lincoln said, his rambling on about Moors he's harping back to the day that blacks had their names taken away.

its like accusing every German you meet of being a Nazi.How can the wounds heal if you keep picking at them...Letitgo

meow85 said:

EvilWhiteMale said:

ha!

purpledoveuk said:

i don't think it has anything 2 do w/ wantin or not wantin 2 let wounds heal.
i think it has more 2 do w/ that prince probably came up on some knowledge. he probably came up on some knowledge and it excited him and he wanted 2 tell people want he's learned. y'know?
its kinda like a little kid first goin 2 school..they learn the basics @ home: abc's, 123's, do re mi's, add, sub..etc..,but then they get to school and learn how to count money and multiply and it excites them and they gotta tell someone, dig?
i think thats how it was/is with prince with the lincoln reference and name change reference. he wanted 2 share what he learned

purpledoveuk said:

No it's not, because Prince isn't going around condemning modern-day whites.
If a guy makes an expression regarding something that happened a long time ago, ya gotta just accept it as that - an expression.
Perhaps you feel more sensitive about the subject than Prince does.
Just a thought.

I do remember reading that Prince began alienating his white band members around the time of SOTT. And then these days, much of his lyrics have this James Brown /Clinton type of black secret army agenda.

WHAT???? he from the suburbs of minneapolis!

ufoclub said:

He wasn't raised in the suburbs of Minneapolis. He was raised in the middle class/poor black section of MN. He may live in the burbs now, but he didn't in his youth.

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[Edited 4/19/05 16:37pm]

OdysseyMiles said:

Co-sign. And good for him.

Krystal666 said:

all i care is what i favor when im listenin to music

I think whether he knew he was doing it or not, that he favored his white audience in the 80's and black audience from the mid 90's up to today. How many white musicans have been in his last few line ups of the NPG? I'm not saying it's been good or bad either.

OdysseyMiles said:

You actually believe that? Prince may have preached a good game, but color definitely has played a factor for him in his music since day one.

And I am not saying it is right or wrong, just a fact. In fact, Sly Stone went through the same trevails as Prince did. What pushed Sly to drop the openess fantasy of some of his most upbeat music to make Riot Going On (criticisms from the black community, Panther party, spirit of the times) is almost the same thing that pushed Prince to do Parade revue shows and SOTT.

nope...i like all of Prince's music-ROCK RAP R&B JAZZ ECT..I think the man just made music-maybe he was tryna get some different races mixed up in his fans but that doesnt mean it worked cuz i know white people who hate rock and luv r&b and rap and i know black people who hate rap and LOVE rock...so whatever.I like everything EXCEPT country...sorry,lol!

PleasurePrinciple said:

You don't like Conway Twitty????