...or should P venture on his own musical journey regardless of who follows?

Anji said:

I think he would still be relevant even if he ventures on his own musical journey.Ive always admired Prince for being able to try and set trends rather than follow them.Thats why i thought The Rainbow Children was such a breath of fresh air.

i would say it's time 4 him 2 go back underground and not worry about who's hot and what's not. or just sick back and chill and release what's in the vault

We love Prince for being Prince. Wherever He goes, Whatever He does...some of us will always tag along.

Prince will ALWAYS be relevant to popular culture. His body of work is so diverse and iconic that the only question is of what type of album Prince himself enjoys the most and wants to make - whether it is jazzier material like N.E.W.S or TRC, or more contemporary records along the same path of 3121 and Planet Earth.

That's something I love about P - you never know what his next move is.....but you know its not gonna be the same as the last.

Prince is relevant now but he'd be even more relevent if he just continued to follow his own musical path and not try to follow what's happening now. I've enjoyed what he's done in the last 3-4 years but I can acknowledge that he is going along with what's out there. Part of why I'm a fan is cause he does his own thing. I have hope that he'll venture back into left field again. Even if he stays where he is for the next 10 years, I'll still be a fan of his.
[Edited 1/18/08 13:28pm]

Remain relevant? He hasn't really been since 1993. Releasing albums with crappy singles that people stop talking about two months after they're released is not a sign of relevance. Icon that he is, he's a fleeting memory to the pop music scene that every so often will catch you again like a nice summer breeze.

Militant said:

Great post!

I think Prince is gone from the enitre 'scene' for good.
[Edited 1/18/08 15:08pm]

I think he has always known how to straddle both worlds well, but he tries to do it for long periods of time, and as I have found out the hard way, staying in one position only works for so long. Only during the Dream Factory/Crystal Ball period and the Gold Experience period do I think he's handled it well.

sexxydancer said:[quote]

Militant said:

I agree, perfectly said!

I would argue Prince isn't relevant now. Not really.
Sure he can tour and pack em in because people still want to hear the hits,
but he hasn't made a "relevant" record in a LONG time.


I think he should do the latter. Because that's when he's at his best. When he's not TRYING to be relevant.

Didn't he "retire" to Florida?

SexyBeautifulOne said:

he wants it both ways, and i'm sure he'll continue finding ways to have that cake and gobble it right up too.

Anji said:

Define 'popular industry'

i miss the days when u would hear p on the radio & could c his latest video/promo on tv.
his music is & always will b relevant but i would like 2 c him reach out 2 a wider audience.
the music's 2 good 4 our young generation 2 miss out on & there's no promotion.
i don't believe kids would discount R&B stuff on planet e, & a lot of his old stuff sounds current. .
i hate 2 think he'll remain undiscovered by so many youngsters & they'll only know about him when he's dead & all the vultures will b disescting 4 their crap.
he might b getting on in age but appeals 2 all.
i hope he finds a solution soon & hasn't given up trying.

purplecam said:

I tend to side on this side of the argument. I certainly agree with purplecam that by following his own unique brand of music, he'd actually become more relevant than if he were to continue to fit in with what is current in popular industry. I'd like to see P go back to blazing a musical trail that is entirely and uniquely his own brand as opposed to continuing with the Emancipation, Rave, Musicology style compilations which, as enjoyable as they can be, somewhat dilute the genius of his legacy.

ButterscotchPimp said:

And therein lies the problem. Perhaps, P is simply too absorbed, for his own reasons, in trying to be relevant. I would hazard a guess that it may be to do with his equating mainstream 'relevance' with his desire to be considered special. Without mainstream appeal, it's possible P would feel irrelevant, unimportant, a nobody; perhaps, a painful state of being as it may connect to an unconscious underlying negative belief he holds true about himself quite possibly as a result of his early childhood.

SPOOKYGAS said:

still waiting.....

Prince should be true to himself.

The Popular Industry changes like the weather.

he's about as relevant as we are to our teenaged kids LOL. i think prince is actually more comfortable in his role of elder statesman/ Icon/greatest living live performer. He's above the riff raff, he's paid the cost to be the boss and he never has to "compete" again.Hecan