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 Prince. What happened to the brother? I'm serious. That's all I hear: What's up with your cuz?"

july said:

So I guess Prince's time is not his own??? That's wanting something from him...

in defense of Prince. Maybe this isn't the reason but if it is i think it's a good one: If Prince came to a wedding or a funeral it would be a big distraction, people would be staring at him and it would draw attention away from where it should be focused. I mean imagine you're getting married and all your friends are trying to look at Prince. Again, maybe he's just being an asshole but he might have a good reason.

Isn't the whole no-funerals, no-weddings, no-birthday parties thing part of the Jehovah's Witness philosophy? If that's what the man believes, then that is what he believes.

NuPwrSoul said:

Sho Nuff&Let's Remember Before Converting to anything Prince wasn't exactly the Kind of Cat you Heard abotu Hanging at these Events anyway.Certain things with Prince have Changed but in so many ways not alot has Changed&Prince just hanging at someone Else's thing ain't never been one of them unless it was about Him.

Maybe he's over sensitive...

july said:

Let's take the superstardom piece out of the equation and then examine the situation.

How many of you know folks who have broken off ties with family and/or old friends? Maybe you've done so yourself. There can be many reasons for this: previous slights that you've never been able to forgive, comments made...maybe you never really felt connected to them in the first place.

How many people dread going to family functions? How many dread the holiday season because of the pressure from family to spend it with them and be subjected to revisiting the same old painful conversations and interactions that you'd really rather not dredge up, but you attend anyway out of guilt and spend the whole time watching the clock?

Now add money, fame, etc. to the equation. How much additional baggage is brought to the mix when folks have expectations that you'll share some of what you've got with them? How many folks step up and ask outright for a slice? How many don't ask, but cop an attitude because you didn't offer?

From what I understand, there is a lot of history and baggage in Prince's family, just like in many of our families. You can't judge someone's decisions regarding relationships until you know the full story and none of us do. Prince's reasons are his own and he owes no explanations to anyone.

HalluRain said:

CalhounSq said:

Wow! The worship sign from CalhounSq!! That's an honor!

I am now complete. :LOL:

HalluRain said:

Prince isn't the biggest celebrity in the world, and plenty of other more famous people have attended weddings, birthday parties, and other events without too much hooplah.

What really floored me is not attending his own mothers funeral. At that point you put your fears and fame aside and pay a little RESPECT. That's sending a distinct message to those around you when you do something like that.

Tom said:

True, but I say again: "You can't judge someone's decisions regarding relationships until you know the full story and none of us do. Prince's reasons are his own and he owes no explanations to anyone."

HalluRain said:

I have also heard that there is a lot of baggage in Prince's family. His mother was married more than once and so was his father. That creates a situation where there is a large family of step siblings, second cousins twice removed, step cousins, step nephews etc.

Prince probably felt that if he attends the wedding of step nephew Boris, then step niece Marquesha would be upset if he couldn't attend her birthday party.

I think that if Prince had set a policy which said he would attend the functions involving his immediate family members only, the rest of the family would have accepted that.

By the way, didn't he invite his family to his wedding to Mayte?