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, but for Fela, well, that was something Fela basically did most of the time on stage, and was known for doing, but for Prince, that was a temporary thing.
Anyway, enjoy the article.I should have also added the word "enigma" to the title of this post, but it would have messed up my alliteration. However, that noun certainly sums up Prince Rogers Nelson and I believe it’s something he’s cultivated to great success. But the mystery of Prince the man seems to be of no concern to those who’ve gobbled up his music over the last 33 years.
He was making music well before that initial record; writing his first song called Funk Machine at his father’s piano when he was seven years old. Music is in his DNA; his dad a jazz musician, mom a jazz singer.
When I consider Prince’s music I’m reminded of the great Nigerian artist Fela Anikulapo Kuti who took Nigerian/Ghanaian highlife music, American jazz, West African chants and rhythms and the funk of James Brown and created something new: afrobeat.
Prince had his own recipe for a music that sounded fresh to many ears in 1979/80: the rock funk of Sly & the Family Stone -- a bit of the godfather of soul, the vocal styling of Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire, a good dose of Jimi Hendrix and new wave. Of course he threw in more than a pinch of sexual themes that at times had people wondering-like his song Controversy- whether he was straight or gay.
I guess he answered that question in 1997 when during an interview with Chris Rock he gave his reason why he turned down an offer to appear in Michael Jackson’s video for "BAD", “The first line in that song is your butt is mine. Now I said to Michae,l 'Who's gonna sing that to whom? Cause you sure ain't singing it to me and I sure ain't singing it to you so right there we got a problem.
The thing about Prince is that he can easily glide from one genre of music to another or effortlessly blur those lines and it hardly ever comes off as pretentious or overwrought. He once played a two hour blues show as a tribute blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughn, who had recently perished in a helicopter crash. Prince is an artist who seems to be able to deliver something for just about everyone. Given his prolific output and vast creativity, maybe this quote from Prince doesn’t seem so silly: “Can you imagine what I would do if I could do all I can?”
Richard Steele:
Prince Rogers Nelson is one of the most important exports that Minneapolis has ever laid claim to. Prince, as he became known, developed into a prolific songwriter, an incredible instrumentalist/vocalist and one of the most dazzling performers anyone has ever seen. He’s known for successfully melding R&B, pop, funk and rock into some of the hottest music of our times. He’s often stated that one of his musical heroes was the Godfather of Soul, James Brown.
Prince is also known for an epic battle with his record label back in the day. A major milestone in his career was the album Purple Rain, which contained music from the movie of the same name in which he starred. It sold over 10 million copies. He continues to write music all the time, but according to statements in his interviews, he’s got a vault with hundreds of songs he’s written that might not be seen or recorded for many years. One of the things that makes Prince so fascinating is his unpredictability. The question always seems to be “What’s next”?
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