if Prince was in his 20s today what would the music be like? it wouldn't be like all those purple rain and 1999 songs coz where in 2011 so it would be like todays dance music for example; lady gaga or chris browns kind of music?

Actually I think it would. Prince has always had his own style, so I highly doubt he would conform to the sound of the day just to be acceptable. I think the reason the Purple Rain album was so successful was because it truly pushed the envelope musically. For instance, the kind of sound introduced with When Doves Cry was unheard of at the time and literally spearheaded the 80s sound. I think that if Prince were in his twenties, he would only be driven by what has always driven him, which is not the popular music of the day (well, except for that Game Boyz stint).

PurpleChi said:

Actually I think it would. Prince has always had his own style, so I highly doubt he would conform to the sound of the day just to be acceptable. I think the reason the Purple Rain album was so successful was because it truly pushed the envelope musically. For instance, the kind of sound introduced with When Doves Cry was unheard of at the time and literally spearheaded the 80s sound. I think that if Prince were in his twenties, he would only be driven by what has always driven him, which is not the popular music of the day (well, except for that Game Boyz stint).

Yer good point i never thought of that, in that way

Thanks.

Prince is Prince because he did what he did when he did it. No other way.

Prince would still be superior. He's Prince! He won't be into that wishy-washy, god damn my ears are bleeding shit that passes as music now.

NewYorkMike said:

Prince is Prince because he did what he did when he did it. No other way.

Yes.

He'd still be ahead of the game with a spoonful of sugar and a glass of fame!

TheDigitalGardener said:

NewYorkMike said:

Prince is Prince because he did what he did when he did it. No other way.

Yes.

No doubt. The time one lives in is everything...when it comes to the music business. That was a totally different time, not only for music but for the music business as a whole. Much less s-o-c-e-i-t-y...

I think the only difference would be which record company would really support him like Warner Bros did in the early to late 80's. Record company A&R guys don't have the same clout to introduce a new artist the way they did in the 80's. The "bottom line" is king now and I'm not convinced he would be given the artistic freedom to make a Dirty Mind, or Controversy, or not be written off after two so-so albums(For You and Prince).

Prince would still be amazing, don't get me wrong, but he'd have a much bigger hill to overcome now. And most likely, he wouldn't have given a movie deal that made him an international success in 1984.

It's the same reason I don't think we'll see an artist with the same caliber of Michael Jackson or Prince for a long, long time. They're out there, but does a major label/corporation want to invest that much time, energy, and money into one artist - when they can "create" a Justin Bieber or Britney Spears in a lab... out of any putz who makes 10 yr old girls scream bloody murder, or who can dance and shake their jailbait tits ?

XNY said:

I think the only difference would be which record company would really support him like Warner Bros did in the early to late 80's. Record company A&R guys don't have the same clout to introduce a new artist the way they did in the 80's. The "bottom line" is king now and I'm not convinced he would be given the artistic freedom to make a Dirty Mind, or Controversy, or not be written off after two so-so albums(For You and Prince).

Prince would still be amazing, don't get me wrong, but he'd have a much bigger hill to overcome now. And most likely, he wouldn't have given a movie deal that made him an international success in 1984.

It's the same reason I don't think we'll see an artist with the same caliber of Michael Jackson or Prince for a long, long time. They're out there, but does a major label/corporation want to invest that much time, energy, and money into one artist - when they can "create" a Justin Bieber or Britney Spears in a lab... out of any putz who makes 10 yr old girls scream bloody murder, or who can dance and shake their jailbait tits ?

The social context of the time one lives in is also crucial to the music one makes--you can't divorce one from the other. The young Prince of today would make completely different music than he would have in the 70s-80s.

Prince does his own thing his way. That is all.

bobbyperu said:

Is there still room in today's music world to become as big as Prince became and still have a style of your own? Actually I find this question more interesting than I first thought. There is a bit of a soul revival going on since Amy Winehouse/Mark Ronson etc. So a young Prince would still be able to be a soul singer. And this young Prince would have a website, how bout that! Anybody knows Eli Paperboy Reed & The True Loves? There's still young men making sweet soul music out there.

Interesting point. It does seem that today's major artists are major because they follow a well-established formula. In fact, most of those artists are not popular because their music is so great, but moreso because of the shock-value of their persona. Now granted, Prince definitely provided his share of shock value over the years, but this was second to the music. People regard him as a genius because of his music and not because he wore bikini underwear and trenchcoats.

In today's musical climate it would be interesting to see someone who has a unique style break mainstream boundaries.

nursev said:

I was fortunate enough to be a fan when Prince was in his 20's-he did it right then no need to wish for something that is already perfection.

Amen.

purplethunder3121 said:

nursev said:

I was fortunate enough to be a fan when Prince was in his 20's-he did it right then no need to wish for something that is already perfection.

Amen.

purplethunder3121 said:

XNY said:

I think the only difference would be which record company would really support him like Warner Bros did in the early to late 80's. Record company A&R guys don't have the same clout to introduce a new artist the way they did in the 80's. The "bottom line" is king now and I'm not convinced he would be given the artistic freedom to make a Dirty Mind, or Controversy, or not be written off after two so-so albums(For You and Prince).

Prince would still be amazing, don't get me wrong, but he'd have a much bigger hill to overcome now. And most likely, he wouldn't have given a movie deal that made him an international success in 1984.

It's the same reason I don't think we'll see an artist with the same caliber of Michael Jackson or Prince for a long, long time. They're out there, but does a major label/corporation want to invest that much time, energy, and money into one artist - when they can "create" a Justin Bieber or Britney Spears in a lab... out of any putz who makes 10 yr old girls scream bloody murder, or who can dance and shake their jailbait tits ?

The social context of the time one lives in is also crucial to the music one makes--you can't divorce one from the other. The young Prince of today would make completely different music than he would have in the 70s-80s.

I agree that he could not help but be influenced by the world around him. Obviously the world today is quite different than it was in the 70s and 80s. But I don't think that he would fall in line with what is popular in music today. That's the part of him that makes him Prince and sets him apart from the others.

DaniCalifornia said:

XNY said:

I think the only difference would be which record company would really support him like Warner Bros did in the early to late 80's. Record company A&R guys don't have the same clout to introduce a new artist the way they did in the 80's. The "bottom line" is king now and I'm not convinced he would be given the artistic freedom to make a Dirty Mind, or Controversy, or not be written off after two so-so albums(For You and Prince).

Prince would still be amazing, don't get me wrong, but he'd have a much bigger hill to overcome now. And most likely, he wouldn't have given a movie deal that made him an international success in 1984.

It's the same reason I don't think we'll see an artist with the same caliber of Michael Jackson or Prince for a long, long time. They're out there, but does a major label/corporation want to invest that much time, energy, and money into one artist - when they can "create" a Justin Bieber or Britney Spears in a lab... out of any putz who makes 10 yr old girls scream bloody murder, or who can dance and shake their jailbait tits ?

I'd agree with that, but if Prince was 20 in this day and age he wouldn't have to go to major label per se... as smaller indie labels are on the uprise and will take more time to develop talent while major labels are heading downward. Also, this is the age of DIY, which would be right up his alley. He could record what he wants, when he wants and upload it onto the many online music stores like itunes, Amazon, CDBaby, etc. I honestly think he'd have even MORE freedom to do what he wants this day and age. Which could be both a good thing and a bad thing.

[Edited 10/9/11 11:50am]

[Edited 10/9/11 11:50am]

purplethunder3121 said:

XNY said:

I think the only difference would be which record company would really support him like Warner Bros did in the early to late 80's. Record company A&R guys don't have the same clout to introduce a new artist the way they did in the 80's. The "bottom line" is king now and I'm not convinced he would be given the artistic freedom to make a Dirty Mind, or Controversy, or not be written off after two so-so albums(For You and Prince).

Prince would still be amazing, don't get me wrong, but he'd have a much bigger hill to overcome now. And most likely, he wouldn't have given a movie deal that made him an international success in 1984.

It's the same reason I don't think we'll see an artist with the same caliber of Michael Jackson or Prince for a long, long time. They're out there, but does a major label/corporation want to invest that much time, energy, and money into one artist - when they can "create" a Justin Bieber or Britney Spears in a lab... out of any putz who makes 10 yr old girls scream bloody murder, or who can dance and shake their jailbait tits ?

The social context of the time one lives in is also crucial to the music one makes--you can't divorce one from the other. The young Prince of today would make completely different music than he would have in the 70s-80s.

Agreed. It's also scary to think how much hasn't changed since the 70's/80's? Corporate greed is rampant, endless-pointless wars, politicians with their head up their ass, conflicting values between urban and rural communities, race relations and economic status haven't improved much, if at all. I think the 1970's and 2000's have a lot in common. But I agree, his writing and impact would likely be much different in the current environment.

If Prince were in his twenties today, I would have been in his band!

That means I would be younger and woulds take more opportunity to attend all concerts & after shows that I possibly could.

nursev said:

I was fortunate enough to be a fan when Prince was in his 20's-he did it right then no need to wish for something that is already perfection.