Is Prince the last major artist performing funk music (what's currently happening within this genre for this current generation)?

It also seems as though the music industry has been searching for an artist with prince like qualities and abilities for years to no avail i.e. - the total package - (even as new and current artist and their work are compared to his)!

What's the problem, talented but low work ethic?

He also seems to be a standard bearer of the complete and bona-fide artist.
Is he the last in the James Brown, Sly Stone, etc. line? Is there Another? Has hip-hop watered down the funk (is it dead the way some claim hip-hop to be?)???

There are a lot of good musicians out there, but they aren't the type being promoted by record companies. Even Prince isn't on the radio.

But musicians like Prince are rare. Even in the 80's there weren't others like him. And thoughout history there aren't that many peers--stevie, JB, Jimi--just a handful of them

first and the last. There will never be another.....

fenderbender said:

There will be another. There always is another around the corner. People thought Jimi was IT. Then they thought Sly was IT. Then James was IT. Then Prince was IT. When Prince is dead and gone in another 40 years, and we're all pushing the dirt off the coffin, there'll be some new young blood that is wildly talented prolific and incredible in everything he does. There will be a new forum called _____.org that his/her fans will flock to, cuss and discuss their likes and dislikes, etc. Prince might be the one in OUR lifetime; the one guy that really rose above anything Sly or James or whoever did (depending on your P.O.V.), but there will always be another.

There'll be another Clapton. There'll be another Prince. There's already another Jimi (Prince). Jonny Lang and Doyle Bramhall are on the silent crawl to all things glorious in their genre. Clapton has praised Doyle over and over as one of the greatest blues guitarists alive today.

GREAT question, and U covered so much, and very concisely.

No there won't.

We can talk about Prince's influences all day long, but it is his uniqueness that makes him stand alone.

The breadth of his talent isn't even conceivable 2 most. How many threads do U see about how he orchestrates and harmonizes his own background vocals?

He's simply so talented at so many things, that it is highly unlikely that anyone will accomplish that. Not even the "peers" mentioned above could do what Prince does.

Even if the talents were there, it wouldn't match his creativity.

There. I said it.

Prince is in a league of 1.

ernestsewell said:

Maybe you could address some of the other questions posed?
For instance, is he the last
major artist performing funk music? Is there another P. like artist w/ a funk proclivity in our day and time, etc.?

the sad thing is, to me, Prince is not even on the same page as his old self...that's just my opinion. The Prince of pre-2000 was the last of his kind. I don't even recognize Prince now.

kenlacam said:

ernestsewell said:

I'm sorry but Prince is no Jimi.

Prince is the first, last and only of his kind.

When people wonder why someone who hasn't liked most of his recent work, still keeps tabs on him it's because of this very fact.

He is not the most original, the most proficient musician, just an amazing one of a kind talent.
In the rock era there are only a handful in his league, and since he came on the scene I don't think anyone else even comes close.

He is a rare musical talent and awe inspiring curiosity that a lot of us older fans cant help but keep checking on, keep checking out what he is up to next, whether me or you will like his newer music or philosophy, does not matter, it is still fascinating, like reading the next chapter of this great novel called "Prince"

I don't think we can see how much he will be missed or the true impact he has had on music until the day he decides to retire.

MajesticOne89 said:I'm sorry but Prince is no Jimi.[/quote]

Looks like him, plays great guitar. I think Jimi was a bit overrated for his contributions to music. He was no slouch, but he wasn't all that people make him out to be either.

skywalker said:

You know, I think he should bring that and the lack of artist development up more in his conversations about the industry.
[Edited 4/30/09 12:58pm]

MajesticOne89 said:

Labels don't know how to market them, because for so long, in the past 10 or 15 years, it became very easy to computerize music. Packaging people suddenly became the quick buck. The older CEOs and A&R guys left, and young bloods came in. The same ones who bought the packaged music only years prior as a kid. Dollar signs started chinging in their eyes. Then the next A&R guy came in and did the same thing. It's like a generational curse, on an executive level. The curse of packaged, pre-made artists (like O-town or Diddy is doing) has become the norm.

Record companies don't know how to market people like Prince anymore because they forgot, or never know, how those type of people were marketed. They know the single, the internet the iTunes. They don't know about people taking a 7" single to a radio station and getting someone to play it. Internetville has made the world one big ADHD case. Everyone wants something NOW, not later. People get pissed if their cell phones don't do something right away. Signals are beamed to fucking SPACE, and people are so impatient they can't even give it a SECOND to happen. The same mentality has happened in music.

CDs are left in cars, bottom of purses and on iPods. Gone are the days when people opened a 12" record, put it on the player, listened while reading over the liner notes, admiring the artwork, and enjoying the whole experience. Music is disposable now, literally. You delete the wrong folder, your music is GONE. You can't delete a vinyl record from your shelf. It's there. It ages, it still sounds good, it's fun to pull out and play.

So in the end, some slick boy running A&M or Virgin has no clue what it's like to nurture an artist, going into the studio and encouraging them. No, they go in now, and suddenly some CEO is a producer, telling the producer or engineer to autotune this and change that part. Even big wigs like Clive or LA Reid have fallen to the whims of quick dollars in lieu of great artists.

Look at Jill Scott, Maxwell, India.Arie, Eric Hutchinson, Tyler Hilton, Teddy Geiger, etc... all these people write and perform their music. They're talented as all fuckery. But why aren't they selling 5 million records? I've seen Teddy and Eric in person, shook their hand, watched them perform either with a band or just a guitar or keyboard. Amazing artists. But some see you next Tuesday like Britney, Flo-Rida or Kid fuca (!?), etc or whoever getting the chart success.

CEO's and the younger public don't know what music is anymore. The essence of it has been lost. It's an up hill struggle to even get a 20 year old to listen to a Maxwell CD. But Lil Wayne? They're all over that scum bag.

kenlacam said:

This is beside the point! Nothing lasts forever, Prince not only has aged(despite all evidence to the contrary) but has been performing at a high intensity and creative level for years and has, in my estimation, been doing victory laps since around 2004 with nothing left to prove. He performs when he wants (said this on Tavis) and takes whatever musical directions he enjoys! This does not diminish his standing or position in music history IMHO.

Nobody seems to want to address the issue of the funk though!!

Maybe, nobody has an answer.

Graycap23 said:

amen!

Giovanni777 said:

Giovanni777 said:

Well put.

There will be other phenomenal entertainers born from the mind of God. Where would anywhere be without music to come along with U.

It seems either Prince had multiple personalities...or he realized he needed to tone things down a bit.

skywalker said:

Please excuse my incompetence Lord Vader, what I meant by that was they're totally different artist that are incomparable and to say Prince is another Jimi just because he's a great guitarist is kinda ridiculous, imo. Don't get me wrong my lord, I also prefer Prince to Hendrix, Prince happens to be my favorite artist, I just felt the way in which they were compared wasn't worded the best way it could have been.

And getting back on subject, Prince is the first and the last of his kind

MajesticOne89 said:

Agreed.
[Edited 4/30/09 19:26pm]

skywalker said:

that was close, thought I was gonna get forced-choked there for a minute

MajesticOne89 said:

Thank Jehovah 4 that.

skywalker said:

I agree completely.

skywalker said:

The short-sighted, casual relationships that record companies have with artists these days are quite disturbing.

I don't see another Prince-caliber artist in the funk genre today and I think artists like Prince are very rare. But I think somewhere in the future there will be new major talents.

prince is a genius but there are others and there will be in the future

spiritandtruth said: