This generation (and the people who are in it now) are notorious for hating on things just because they are popular, doesn't meet their exact specifications or they just want to do it because it's the "in" thing to do.

Part of thsi is because the internet lets everyone be heard, thus creating trends faster, and part of it is because we are so oversaturated that when something new comes out we are skeptical. And part of it is the good ol jealousy route.

With that being said, with this current generations attitude, and technology, do you think young prince would have stood a chance? Or would he have gone the route of:

"Omg he totally suckz. Whats wrong with people today, lady gaga, justin beiber, (insert artist) blah blah music is horrible"

Would they say he was just a copycat of little richard like people say gaga is madonna? Because at the time, even if people did say that, it didnt spread as easy.

Would it have been the "in" thing to hate on prince like it is to hate on beiber?

Do note, Im not comparing musical talent, hard work or ethics. Just wondering if he would suffer the same fate as most new artists do now a days.

No matter how good you are, you are never good enough. And in a generation where the vocal minority is the loudest, would prince survive?

HueyPNewton said:

This generation (and the people who are in it now)

That pretty much covers everyone then.

They said all those things about Prince in the 80's.

Nothing has changed.

Teenagers will be teenagers: obnoxious.

Prince would fail today, but not because "they" or "we" or "them" (whoever they/we are) have changed, but because the record companies have changed. Warners would not spend time supporting Prince today, unless he started out with Purple Rain or something similar. They will not cultivate an artist for the sake of "art".. so Prince would not succeed today.

And you could turn the whole internet thing around and look at it positively. Unlike in the 80s, kids today have the ability to find other sources, other interviews, other translations, than what the press writes. Imagine what kind of power a guy like Michael Jackson could have had with a direct link to his fans, if the internet had existed in the 80s? Good internet presence today breeds loyalty from fans. Look at Radiohead. Or NIN.

This one you should know:

This guy

Cravens said:

Teenagers will be teenagers: obnoxious.

Prince would fail today, but not because "they" or "we" or "them" (whoever they/we are) have changed, but because the record companies have changed. Warners would not spend time supporting Prince today, unless he started out with Purple Rain or something similar. They will not cultivate an artist for the sake of "art".. so Prince would not succeed today.

And you could turn the whole internet thing around and look at it positively. Unlike in the 80s, kids today have the ability to find other sources, other interviews, other translations, than what the press writes. Imagine what kind of power a guy like Michael Jackson could have had with a direct link to his fans, if the internet had existed in the 80s? Good internet presence today breeds loyalty from fans. Look at Radiohead. Or NIN.

Great thoughts all around, but I wanna add to the bolded bit. As a former record store clerk of ten years, I think I can safely say that the masses like who they're told to like; i.e, who the record company puts all the money behind. I remember, before any of us had heard of Britney Spears, we were given a ten-foot tall poster of the silly girl and ordered to put it in the front window. All the kids said, "oh, shit... I'd better have this!" The rest is history, and that's just one example.

So yeah, a wunderkind musician like Prince just wouldn't get the support he needs nowadays - not without an 'I Kissed A Girl' or something like it. Sure, he could still rise to godhood on the club circuit... but as far as the masses go, they'd never even know who he is...

Cravens said:This one you should know:

"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.."

This guy

Pretty much describes the personalities of many of our current, younger generation perfectly.

[Edited 7/20/11 8:42am]

2elijah said:

Cravens said:This one you should know:

This guy

Pretty much describes the personalities of many of our current, younger generation perfectly.

[Edited 7/20/11 8:42am]

Pretty much describes youth for generations.

Those that think they came from a better time need to realise a couple of things.

1. Things were never as rosy as you rememeber.

2. We played a part in the youth of today and the system that surrounds them. They are a product of us.

SquirrelMeat said:

2elijah said:

Pretty much describes the personalities of many of our current, younger generation perfectly.

[Edited 7/20/11 8:42am]

Pretty much describes youth for generations.

Those that think they came from a better time need to realise a couple of things.

1. Things were never as rosy as you rememeber.

2. We played a part in the youth of today and the system that surrounds them. They are a product of us.

So true, it can't be denied. What youth learn at home or from whomever raises them, is how they seem to display themselves in public.

As far as the OP's question, how today's youth would react to a young Prince of today, based on our current state of technology with communication being easier/quicker to access, I'd say we'd see some harsh criticism from our youth, towards him like other artists today receive, because now we live in a society where compassion/lack of consideration and appreciation towards others' are at the bottom of the morals/values chain, versus how it was back then, and the current exposure/promotion of ill behaviors/attitudes seen in various forms of media, seems to be popular, promoted and embraced more in today's society and by the media and fed/accepted to/by our current generation--young and old.

[Edited 7/20/11 13:23pm]

eyewishuheaven said:

Cravens said:

Teenagers will be teenagers: obnoxious.

Prince would fail today, but not because "they" or "we" or "them" (whoever they/we are) have changed, but because the record companies have changed. Warners would not spend time supporting Prince today, unless he started out with Purple Rain or something similar. They will not cultivate an artist for the sake of "art".. so Prince would not succeed today.

And you could turn the whole internet thing around and look at it positively. Unlike in the 80s, kids today have the ability to find other sources, other interviews, other translations, than what the press writes. Imagine what kind of power a guy like Michael Jackson could have had with a direct link to his fans, if the internet had existed in the 80s? Good internet presence today breeds loyalty from fans. Look at Radiohead. Or NIN.

Great thoughts all around, but I wanna add to the bolded bit. As a former record store clerk of ten years, I think I can safely say that the masses like who they're told to like; i.e, who the record company puts all the money behind. I remember, before any of us had heard of Britney Spears, we were given a ten-foot tall poster of the silly girl and ordered to put it in the front window. All the kids said, "oh, shit... I'd better have this!" The rest is history, and that's just one example.

So yeah, a wunderkind musician like Prince just wouldn't get the support he needs nowadays - not without an 'I Kissed A Girl' or something like it. Sure, he could still rise to godhood on the club circuit... but as far as the masses go, they'd never even know who he is...

Excellent point (bolded) ...

It's a different generation. People just have to realize that. I'm sure people were saying the same about teens and twenty-somethings loving Prince back in the '80s.

Hey guys, great responses glad to hear them.

Just to clear htings up I am only in my 20s, I was just going by from what my friends say and what I read on the internet day in and day out, which I find interesting.

I personally love all genres of music and from all generations, I just thought this would be a cool question to think about.

Cravens said:

Teenagers will be teenagers: obnoxious.

Prince would fail today, but not because "they" or "we" or "them" (whoever they/we are) have changed, but because the record companies have changed. Warners would not spend time supporting Prince today, unless he started out with Purple Rain or something similar. They will not cultivate an artist for the sake of "art".. so Prince would not succeed today.

And you could turn the whole internet thing around and look at it positively. Unlike in the 80s, kids today have the ability to find other sources, other interviews, other translations, than what the press writes. Imagine what kind of power a guy like Michael Jackson could have had with a direct link to his fans, if the internet had existed in the 80s? Good internet presence today breeds loyalty from fans. Look at Radiohead. Or NIN.

This one you should know:

"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.."

This guy

Haha, good one, so true. I'm always telling my friends who say "man the world is so much worse today, things have gone so down hill"

And Im always like are you serious? You do realize we have had hard slavery like 99 percent of the time we've been on this earth, holocaust, the freaking colosseum where people would be fed to lions, haha, always funny to think about or tell people when they complain how "shitty" the world has become.

Aint nothin changed, just moved into different forms. People are people

^ And then they get shocked when people call them out on those stupid comments (read politics lol).

I think he would not make it if debuting in this era... First because of his music talent. He has talent, we all know that, but he would have to go to a freaking tv show to show it, and would not be chosen because he would not be marketable enough (look, voice, attitude) Just imagine the scene, Simon Cowell's face in front of an AB-80 Prince auditioning...

Today's music (well, much of it) is like food.. before we used to make our own soup, we bought the ingredients, we took time to cook it and it tasted better. now we take the canned one out the grocery store shelves cause it's cheaper, faster and already prepared and we know what it's gonna taste like.

[Edited 7/20/11 13:18pm]

It's not just this generation. I've known people my entire life that refuse to like something just because it is popular and "everyone else likes it."

I figure it's their loss and it's just the same as LIKING something just because everyone else does.

Make up your own mind.

Sorry...didn't get past that in the OP.

Nothinbutjoy said:

It's not just this generation. I've known people my entire life that refuse to like something just because it is popular and "everyone else likes it."

I figure it's their loss and it's just the same as LIKING something just because everyone else does.

Make up your own mind.

Sorry...didn't get past that in the OP.

Oh no you are completely right, but my point was (in the op), with the internet EVERYTHING becomes a trend. So while someone might not just like something for the sake of not liking it, thye make a funny picture about them not liking it, then it goes viral, and spawns more and more

Before you know it, there are T shirts and memorabilia specifically about hating a certain person. Its actually a pretty crazy phenomena, in my opinon of course.

Which is why I asked, would prince have made it? We all heard the stories of people not liking prince when he first started in the lovesexy era.

Now mulitply that by infinity wiht the internet, would the hate have been too much to overcome?

Although I'm basing my opinion on a handful of people I've come across in college, I'm sorry to say that I'm disappointed with my generation (20 thru 30 year old's), but this is mostly from my own personal experience.

I find that the majority don't know what good music is. They have no idea how good we used to have it when the true artists were heard and they wrote/played the music they created.

It's pretty sad when people your own age don't know how great the bands from the 60's through the 80's were.
One case in particular I shudder to even mention is that someone my friends hung out with once or twice had said that she liked the cover of "Beat It" by Fall Out Boy better than the original (Michael Jackson).

I guess it would somewhat explain why I spend more time with my family because I don't really know anybody my age who appreciates music the way I do.

After much time on my own to mediate, I'd come to the conclusion that I'm not the type of person who follows trends unless there's something in it for me.

Some here might shudder to hear that I'd become quite the "little monster" in recent months with Gaga doing the whole promotion tour for her newest album.

I dunno, maybe my time with Prince's music made me come to grips with the fact that I'm sometimes attracted to freaks because that's how I see myself a lot of the time. And they're doing a bang up job doing what they're really good at.

My tastes in music are quite various but I try to make the best out of what the current trends give me. I can only hope that down the road there will still be artists in the music industry like the ones I let into my collection who truly understand what they're creating and putting out there.

And they really give it up to their audiences by always giving a little back, inspiring future musicians, so on and so forth

HueyPNewton said:

Nothinbutjoy said:

It's not just this generation. I've known people my entire life that refuse to like something just because it is popular and "everyone else likes it."

I figure it's their loss and it's just the same as LIKING something just because everyone else does.

Make up your own mind.

Sorry...didn't get past that in the OP.

Oh no you are completely right, but my point was (in the op), with the internet EVERYTHING becomes a trend. So while someone might not just like something for the sake of not liking it, thye make a funny picture about them not liking it, then it goes viral, and spawns more and more

Before you know it, there are T shirts and memorabilia specifically about hating a certain person. Its actually a pretty crazy phenomena, in my opinon of course.

Which is why I asked, would prince have made it? We all heard the stories of people not liking prince when he first started in the lovesexy era.

Now mulitply that by infinity wiht the internet, would the hate have been too much to overcome?

I believe you mean, before he got to the lovesexy era and following that prior to becoming a JW. He was a controversial artist back in his earliest days, because he was bold and sexual in his performances and song lyrics, as well as shocking to a lot of people with his image. I think he would have fit right in with today's younger generation, as a young Prince introducing himself for the first time, because that would mean other artists would have already done, what Prince did, when he first introduced himself as a musician/artist, so he would not be as shocking today, as he was during his early days, when at that time, no one was doing what Prince was donig as a musician/artist/performer. Of course if he came out today as Prince, for the first time, he would not go without harsh criticism and or comparisons made to other artists by fans. This is why it would be difficult for any other new/younger artist to top what he did back then, because it's already been done, by Prince.

Thing is though, even in present day, he's still gaining younger fans, even as the Prince of "now".

*edited* to retype a few lines

[Edited 7/21/11 10:33am]

2elijah said:

HueyPNewton said:

Oh no you are completely right, but my point was (in the op), with the internet EVERYTHING becomes a trend. So while someone might not just like something for the sake of not liking it, thye make a funny picture about them not liking it, then it goes viral, and spawns more and more

Before you know it, there are T shirts and memorabilia specifically about hating a certain person. Its actually a pretty crazy phenomena, in my opinon of course.

Which is why I asked, would prince have made it? We all heard the stories of people not liking prince when he first started in the lovesexy era.

Now mulitply that by infinity wiht the internet, would the hate have been too much to overcome?

I believe you mean, before he got to the lovesexy era and following that prior to becoming a JW. He was a controversial artist back in his earliest days, because he was bold and sexual in his performances and song lyrics, as well as shocking to a lot of people with his image. I think he would have fit right in with today's younger generation, as a young Prince introducing himself for the first time, because that would mean other artists would have already done, what Prince did, when he first introduced himself as a musician/artist, but he would not have been as shocking, because that would mean other artists today, would have already did what the Prince of the earliest days had already done. Of course, he would not go without harsh criticism and compared to other artists today, that would have done what Prince already did. This is why it would be difficult for any other new/younger artist to top what he did back then, because it's already been done, by Prince.

Thing is though, even in present day, he's still gaining younger fans, even as the Prince of "now".

[Edited 7/20/11 13:36pm]

Hey yea good points all around, I never said he would or wouldnt make it, just something interesting to think about.

Cravens said:

"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.."

This guy

Usually this is only true if the parents did a bad job parenting.

[Edited 7/20/11 15:51pm]

ManlyMoose said:

Cravens said:

This guy

Usually this is only true if the parents did a bad job parenting.

[Edited 7/20/11 15:51pm]

And there's been stories that that's been the case.