.

I am 29yrs old been a Prince fan all my life but my earliest memory of him is

the Purple rain movie on TV

.

Im dying to know how the public seen Prince during the Dirty mind & Controversy era

.

for me to think of a new artist today.. shredding guitars on stage in nearly nothing

singing in falsetto, being a one man band on record and jacking off his guitar while

singing about incest BLOWS MY MIND !

.

To the fans who remember when Prince started to come into his own.

could you please answer these questions for me

.

What was the majority opinion on Prince and his music ?

Did the radio spin anything Prince? if so what?

how did your friends and family feel about him?

what was your first initial reaction to his music and character?

What type of people were Prince fans?

was his music popular at the time?

.

Please add any other early Prince stories. thank you

nyse said:

carlluv said:

they thought he was gay.

Some people still do

Decemberchild12 said:

Iknow my mom talks about to listening to prince. My mom is a Jehovah witness. So back then when she was going to the kingdom hall. They used to preach about how evil prince was during that era, And that listening to prince is a bad thing to do. So my mother andnher mother snuck Prince and listen to him anyway. In the 70s listening to Prince was jsust as close as sinning;but to me that whole era was pretty hot lol.

Cool story thx !

If I'd been living in, say, New York circa 1981, Prince would strike me as a gay monkey who plays the guitar like crazy. I wouldn't like him, I would despise him based on only his image & look, but when Purple Rain would come out 3 years later I would be his biggest fan and go seriously crazy with everything he does, thus, buying his previous albums and dig into the era during which I used to be a hater.

Though, my uncle who used to live in Washington, told me that he generated big controversy because of his hair (?)... Uncle doesn't know shit about music nor its history, he must have said that based on only something rare he rememebered....

Well, the "weirdo" stuff didn't really sway Detroiters. We GOT Prince. I remember Soft and Wet getting lots of play but not much else from his debut, but The Prince album was HUGE in my household growing up and so it seemed in the larger community as well, due to lots of airplay of primarily Sexy Dancer, I Wanna Be Your Lover from that album. I had an uncle who LOVED Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad from that album. People thought he was badass for rocking a "Farrah Fawcett" do (hairdo) as a dude. Just ballsy! And then to be naked on a flying horse on the back!! People were like DUDE....kicks ass!

By the time Dirty Mind came people knew he was a provacatuer (sp?) but a GENIUS. I recall Party Up getting the airplay but Head having the "buzz" and the overall album itself being seen as super bold. I don't recall appreciating the GENIUS of When U Were Mine at the time, nor did I realize how much of a departure it was sonically from his previous work, I just thought it was different, darker.

Controversy was just KILLER! High School students had Rude Boy buttons, Let's Work was the ISH! Do Me Baby was a "black radio" SMASH and set the bar high for all his future ballads! People famously thought the title was saying "Count Your Pussy" (after Dirty Mind ANYTHING was possible), Private Joy was thought to be Pride and Joy. The Lord's Prayer in Controversey made him seem irreverent and well "controversial." And Annie Christian was just WOW.... We had a legendary radio DJ back when radio was REAL, His name was Electrifying Mojo and he LOVED Prince. Because of him Detroiters got a STEADY DIET of Prince all the time. This led to his surprise BDay gig by the time Parade came around and prior to that, a call in the Mojo by Prince himself calling us his "motor babies."

GREAT GREAT memories. 1999 was EPIC. I recall the cool High School kids from my neighborhood having 1999 tour T-Shirts (I was not yet in HS) and by the time Purple Rain came, the buzz was palpable. The debut of the WDC was an event! We were glad to see the rest of the country catch up

Shawy89 said:

If I'd been living in, say, New York circa 1981, Prince would strike me as a gay monkey who plays the guitar like crazy. I wouldn't like him, I would despise him based on only his image & look, but when Purple Rain would come out 3 years later I would be his biggest fan and go seriously crazy with everything he does, thus, buying his previous albums and dig into the era during which I used to be a hater.

I will disagree on the gay monkey thing but

it is indeed wild how his purple rain image was "toned down" lmao

datdude said:

Well, the "weirdo" stuff didn't really sway Detroiters. We GOT Prince. I remember Soft and Wet getting lots of play but not much else from his debut, but The Prince album was HUGE in my household growing up and so it seemed in the larger community as well, due to lots of airplay of primarily Sexy Dancer, I Wanna Be Your Lover from that album. I had an uncle who LOVED Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad from that album. People thought he was badass for rocking a "Farrah Fawcett" do (hairdo) as a dude. Just ballsy! And then to be naked on a flying horse on the back!! People were like DUDE....kicks ass!

By the time Dirty Mind came people knew he was a provacatuer (sp?) but a GENIUS. I recall Party Up getting the airplay but Head having the "buzz" and the overall album itself being seen as super bold. I don't recall appreciating the GENIUS of When U Were Mine at the time, nor did I realize how much of a departure it was sonically from his previous work, I just thought it was different, darker.

Controversy was just KILLER! High School students had Rude Boy buttons, Let's Work was the ISH! Do Me Baby was a "black radio" SMASH and set the bar high for all his future ballads! People famously thought the title was saying "Count Your Pussy" (after Dirty Mind ANYTHING was possible), Private Joy was thought to be Pride and Joy. The Lord's Prayer in Controversey made him seem irreverent and well "controversial." And Annie Christian was just WOW.... We had a legendary radio DJ back when radio was REAL, His name was Electrifying Mojo and he LOVED Prince. Because of him Detroiters got a STEADY DIET of Prince all the time. This led to his surprise BDay gig by the time Parade came around and prior to that, a call in the Mojo by Prince himself calling us his "motor babies."

GREAT GREAT memories. 1999 was EPIC. I recall the cool High School kids from my neighborhood having 1999 tour T-Shirts (I was not yet in HS) and by the time Purple Rain came, the buzz was palpable. The debut of the WDC was an event! We were glad to see the rest of the country catch up

.

This is great stuff right here man. This is what i am talking about. i know that detroit and chigago was pretty much his key markets back then. you gave so much insight on radion play and peoples response to him. . wow high school kids with rude boy buttons AMAZING. this is real history to me man thank you. Appreciate the great reply !

[Edited 5/13/14 15:32pm]

What was the majority opinion on Prince and his music ?

I remember women in particular was devastated when he changed his hair to a long flowing, wind blown perm(that looked better than their hair ), on the cover of his second album. That is when the gay rumors started about him. They prefered the afro then. Which is strange! Since most prefer the perm now . A lot felt he was gifted. But too WEIRD & obsessed with SEX. But it wasn't until 1999 came out that peeps really took notice of him & his undeniable talent as a ONEMANBAND! Of course I already knew.

Did the radio spin anything Prince? if so what?

Rnb radio embraced, "Soft & Wet" & Sexy Dancer. "Eye wanna b ur Lover"was actually Prince's first crossover pop hit. It came along during the very end of disco. When "Dirty Mind" came along. Rnb radio abandoned him completely besides playing "Uptown". But "Head" became a big underground hit in black clubs, house parties and stayed that way for years afterwards. "Let's Work" & "Do Me Baby" from Controversy was big on RnB radio also. But the 1999 album knocked all of those songs out the ballpark. "Lady Cab Driver", Auto-matic", DMSR, International Lover, Those album cuts was constantly played on rnb radio. Besides the hit single "1999". Then when "Little Red Corvette" caught on Prince was gone to pop 4ever.

how did your friends and family feel about him?

They hated him!! My Mother ripped all my Prince posters off the wall. She said he was a devil worshipper! Which was the rumor back then. They said if U played his songs backwards . It was hidden messages of satan. Which of course was totally contradictory, since his albums were dedicated to God. My best friend who was into rap, won tickets on the radio 4 Prince's Controversy tour date in our city. It was my first time seeing him live. He COMPLETELY blew me away!!! I never saw a black man play lead guitar like that b 4. It changed my life 4ever. My friend was impressed also.

what was your first initial reaction to his music and character?

I was a regular subscriber to Right On! Magazine as a kid. The main only black teen magazine in the 70's..But not to see Prince! Because me being a child actor, it was the only magazine I can get any info on young black actors & entertainers. I skipped over his pictures(thought he looked very weird lol). I didn't discover him until his second album, when I heard "Sexy dancer" on the radio. I had heard "Soft & wet" before. But thought it was a women singing lol. Plus I was very very young.

After hearing "Sexy Dancer"( thinking it was a woman singing also) I asked a dj who kept playing the song without announcing who it was! Who is that women breathing like that on that song ? She informed me it was Prince. A bell rung in my head and I went back and dug all my Right Magazines up and read everything I could about this strange looking man. I became hooked after that 4ever & never left.

What type of people were Prince fans?

Prince was considered a black teen idol(yes Prince is BLACK) when he first hit the scene with his first album in 1978. His was featured in black teen magazines mainly Right On magazine! Before anyone knew who he was. His core audience was black. After Dirty Mind came out Prince had developed a cult following. That ranged in mixed ethnicities,Pimps,thugs, gays & straight. Dirty Mind gave him a diverse underground following.

was his music popular at the time?

It was popular on black radio & in clubs. Prince was like the little sneaky devil to Mj's angel like persona. But time would reveal the truth..

Thanks for the template!

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

What was the majority opinion on Prince and his music ?

He was gay, he was a fruit, he was a fag....pretty much covers it. Musically he was too far out there for the masses until "Purple Rain"; he got major exposure with "1999" but he wasnt fully "accepted" until 1984.

Did the radio spin anything Prince? if so what?

First Prince song I remember hearing on the radio was "I Wanna Be Your Lover"; I was 5 years old, riding in the car with my mom. I remember her singing along, but dont remember if it was on the radio or if it was a cassette. I was 7 when he dropped "Controversy", late 1981...that's when I started paying attention. "1999", "Little Red Corvette" and "Delirious got major radio play ("1999" was the first album I ever bought, using the money I got for my 9th Bday, Feb 1983; CHANGED MY ENTIRE LIFE). When he dropped "When Doves Cry", he fucking OWNED the radio. I remember the one black radio station in San Diego playing "Erotic City" to death (and they didnt start editing it until the 21st century). "Let's Go Crazy", "I Would Die 4 U", "Purple Rain"...all played to DEATH.

how did your friends and family feel about him?

My family HATED him. I grew up in a "Michael Jackson" household: My mother, sister and both brothers thought MJ (moon)walked on water; I was the youngest, and the only one waving the Purple Flag (my father always said, "Fuck em...they both faggots!!", but in recent years he has softened his view of Prince and admits "That boy Prince is bad...I just wish I didnt know what he looked like."). As for my friends...it took a while but I recruited most of them to the Paisley Way. None of my friends ever hated him, they just didnt "get" him...until I explained The Time, Sheila E, Vanity/Apollonia 6, etc to them. Opened their eyes BIG TIME in the late 80s, early 90s.

what was your first initial reaction to his music and character?

I never thought he was gay...he was just fucking weird!!! I really dug the song "Controversy" and the next door neighbor of a friend of mine dubbed the album on a cassette for me. "Sexuality" and "Do Me Baby" went way over my 7/8 year old mind, but I thought "Private Joy" was the greatest thing I'd ever heard. That was the song that really got me...the "1999" album hooked me, the "Purple Rain" album and movie made him a GOD in my 10 year old eyes.

What type of people were Prince fans?

Prior to "Purple Rain", I only knew of black folks who dug Prince (then again, I only knew blacks and Mexicans at that time, so...); after "Purple Rain" everyone dug him...but when he dropped "ATWIAD" and "Parade", black folks jumped off of the Prince bandwagon like it was the friggin Titanic. He still had his core, but 85-88 Prince was in his own world, with no peer and for damn sure no equal, but the masses werent responding, regardless of skin tone.

was his music popular at the time?

As KCOOL said...

It was popular on black radio & in clubs. Prince was like the little sneaky devil to Mj's angel like persona. But time would reveal the truth.. (Amen, brotha)

[Edited 5/13/14 20:21pm]

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

What was the majority opinion on Prince and his music ?

I remember women in particular was devastated when he changed his hair to a long flowing, wind blown perm(that looked better than their hair ), on the cover of his second album. That is when the gay rumors started about him. They prefered the afro then. Which is strange! Since most prefer the perm now . A lot felt he was gifted. But too WEIRD & obsessed with SEX. But it wasn't until 1999 came out that peeps really took notice of him & his undeniable talent as a ONEMANBAND! Of course I already knew.

Did the radio spin anything Prince? if so what?

Rnb radio embraced, "Soft & Wet" & Sexy Dancer. "Eye wanna b ur Lover"was actually Prince's first crossover pop hit. It came along during the very end of disco. When "Dirty Mind" came along. Rnb radio abandoned him completely besides playing "Uptown". But "Head" became a big underground hit in black clubs, house parties and stayed that way for years afterwards. "Let's Work" & "Do Me Baby" from Controversy was big on RnB radio also. But the 1999 album knocked all of those songs out the ballpark. "Lady Cab Driver", Auto-matic", DMSR, International Lover, Those album cuts was constantly played on rnb radio. Besides the hit single "1999". Then when "Little Red Corvette" caught on Prince was gone to pop 4ever.

how did your friends and family feel about him?

They hated him!! My Mother ripped all my Prince posters off the wall. She said he was a devil worshipper! Which was the rumor back then. They said if U played his songs backwards . It was hidden messages of satan. Which of course was totally contradictory, since his albums were dedicated to God. My best friend who was into rap, won tickets on the radio 4 Prince's Controversy tour date in our city. It was my first time seeing him live. He COMPLETELY blew me away!!! I never saw a black man play lead guitar like that b 4. It changed my life 4ever. My friend was impressed also.

what was your first initial reaction to his music and character?

I was a regular subscriber to Right On! Magazine as a kid. The main only black teen magazine in the 70's..But not to see Prince! Because me being a child actor, it was the only magazine I can get any info on young black actors & entertainers. I skipped over his pictures(thought he looked very weird lol). I didn't discover him until his second album, when I heard "Sexy dancer" on the radio. I had heard "Soft & wet" before. But thought it was a women singing lol. Plus I was very very young.

After hearing "Sexy Dancer"( thinking it was a woman singing also) I asked a dj who kept playing the song without announcing who it was! Who is that women breathing like that on that song ? She informed me it was Prince. A bell rung in my head and I went back and dug all my Right Magazines up and read everything I could about this strange looking man. I became hooked after that 4ever & never left.

What type of people were Prince fans?

Prince was considered a black teen idol(yes Prince is BLACK) when he first hit the scene with his first album in 1978. His was featured in black teen magazines mainly Right On magazine! Before anyone knew who he was. His core audience was black. After Dirty Mind came out Prince had developed a cult following. That ranged in mixed ethnicities,Pimps,thugs, gays & straight. Dirty Mind gave him a diverse underground following.

was his music popular at the time?

It was popular on black radio & in clubs. Prince was like the little sneaky devil to Mj's angel like persona. But time would reveal the truth..

Super response ! I noticed allot of woman do hate on Prince for being a "pretty man".

Everyone i ever met feels that Prince is a bit weird but that is the funky appeal

.

betwean 81' and 83' Prince had 7-8 songs on the radio, plus the following year purple rain hit

and he went number #1.. so Radio was very freindly to him during the early days (other than dirty mind)

.

So you actually seen a Controversy tour concert ! ! you seen him do head live along with

all the wild antics ! and killer rythem guitar work ! ! would love to hear more details about this

rude boy experience . . .

.

on another note. you said you were a child actor very interesting man. thanks for such a

great reply.

.

[Edited 5/13/14 21:18pm]

Controversy was everywhere. I wanna be your lover was too, but it also got lost a little amongst the disco like Sylvester, and it's not like people had an easy time matching a song to an artist. The Prince audience was primarily a Black one up until 1999. Sure he had some crossover, but Prince was already a household name in a lot of Black households I knew. They knew all the records already. They were already having the debates over who was better, Prince or MJ.

.

As for the sexuality stuff, you have to remember that people were naive and a lot of homoerotic looks we would identify as gay were in fashion (tight pants showing off your junk for example). Prince had to take it a step further into a more gender bending thing, but remember Rocky Horror Picture Show was happening then, and David Bowie had done Ziggy Stardust. It also didn't take much to shock middle America. A lot of it was overtly trying to be provocative but I think what gets lost is how just seeing a Black man with a guitar was still edgy. It was only 10 years after Jimi Hendrix prime.

Damn, I love these posts! Coolest topic in a while. I have been very curious about this period myself. When I watch Dirty Mind concert footage, it still feels provocative in a good way to me. THe thing is that he did something that people still don't do much of. He blended ganglike attitude, arrogant and masculine sexism with feminine vulnurability. His way of portraying sexuality even though highly theatrical, still seemed alot more real and less forced than other artists that focused on sex as an important ingredient. He always jumped into his role 110%. When others like for example Beck is portraying Prince with his song Debra, he seems very much like a parody or being very ironic, even though it's super cool. But Prince actuall seems rel as F#$%! That's what's so provocative with Prince. He doesn't just provoke for the sake of provocation. He totally lives it 110%, making him alot more than a gimmick. Madonna to me is more of a gimmick, even though she is good at it. It never really felt as free and alive as when Prince did it.

nyse said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

What was the majority opinion on Prince and his music ?

I remember women in particular was devastated when he changed his hair to a long flowing, wind blown perm(that looked better than their hair ), on the cover of his second album. That is when the gay rumors started about him. They prefered the afro then. Which is strange! Since most prefer the perm now . A lot felt he was gifted. But too WEIRD & obsessed with SEX. But it wasn't until 1999 came out that peeps really took notice of him & his undeniable talent as a ONEMANBAND! Of course I already knew.

Did the radio spin anything Prince? if so what?

Rnb radio embraced, "Soft & Wet" & Sexy Dancer. "Eye wanna b ur Lover"was actually Prince's first crossover pop hit. It came along during the very end of disco. When "Dirty Mind" came along. Rnb radio abandoned him completely besides playing "Uptown". But "Head" became a big underground hit in black clubs, house parties and stayed that way for years afterwards. "Let's Work" & "Do Me Baby" from Controversy was big on RnB radio also. But the 1999 album knocked all of those songs out the ballpark. "Lady Cab Driver", Auto-matic", DMSR, International Lover, Those album cuts was constantly played on rnb radio. Besides the hit single "1999". Then when "Little Red Corvette" caught on Prince was gone to pop 4ever.

how did your friends and family feel about him?

They hated him!! My Mother ripped all my Prince posters off the wall. She said he was a devil worshipper! Which was the rumor back then. They said if U played his songs backwards . It was hidden messages of satan. Which of course was totally contradictory, since his albums were dedicated to God. My best friend who was into rap, won tickets on the radio 4 Prince's Controversy tour date in our city. It was my first time seeing him live. He COMPLETELY blew me away!!! I never saw a black man play lead guitar like that b 4. It changed my life 4ever. My friend was impressed also.

what was your first initial reaction to his music and character?

I was a regular subscriber to Right On! Magazine as a kid. The main only black teen magazine in the 70's..But not to see Prince! Because me being a child actor, it was the only magazine I can get any info on young black actors & entertainers. I skipped over his pictures(thought he looked very weird lol). I didn't discover him until his second album, when I heard "Sexy dancer" on the radio. I had heard "Soft & wet" before. But thought it was a women singing lol. Plus I was very very young.

After hearing "Sexy Dancer"( thinking it was a woman singing also) I asked a dj who kept playing the song without announcing who it was! Who is that women breathing like that on that song ? She informed me it was Prince. A bell rung in my head and I went back and dug all my Right Magazines up and read everything I could about this strange looking man. I became hooked after that 4ever & never left.

What type of people were Prince fans?

Prince was considered a black teen idol(yes Prince is BLACK) when he first hit the scene with his first album in 1978. His was featured in black teen magazines mainly Right On magazine! Before anyone knew who he was. His core audience was black. After Dirty Mind came out Prince had developed a cult following. That ranged in mixed ethnicities,Pimps,thugs, gays & straight. Dirty Mind gave him a diverse underground following.

was his music popular at the time?

It was popular on black radio & in clubs. Prince was like the little sneaky devil to Mj's angel like persona. But time would reveal the truth..

Super response ! I noticed allot of woman do hate on Prince for being a "pretty man".

Everyone i ever met feels that Prince is a bit weird but that is the funky appeal

.

betwean 81' and 83' Prince had 7-8 songs on the radio, plus the following year purple rain hit

and he went number #1.. so Radio was very freindly to him during the early days (other than dirty mind)

.

So you actually seen a Controversy tour concert ! ! you seen him do head live along with

all the wild antics ! and killer rythem guitar work ! ! would love to hear more details about this

rude boy experience . . .

.

on another note. you said you were a child actor very interesting man. thanks for such a

great reply.

.

[Edited 5/13/14 21:18pm]

Thank U! I realised early Prince was not weird, he was just FEARLESS! He just didn't care what peeps thought about him. That is what caught my attention about him.

I kept that "RudeBoy" button(My avatar) on me all the time, that I purchased @ that show . Seeing Prince perform "Head" live was a jaw dropping experience! I will NEVER forget the audience reaction to it. They were stunned & shocked! But in awe of Prince having the GUTS to JACK OFF his guitar with no shame whatsoever LOL. It was like we were watching him alone in his bedroom.. .

What I was most impressed with is that Prince sounded better live! He and the band gave his songs a whole new feel to them live. He was flirting with both the females and some males in the audience. Memories came back to me recently! When I saw his childhood friend perform live last week, Andre Cymone. He has that same fearlessness that Prince has live. He is also better to see live. He was AMAZING!

That is Prince gift the way he interpets his songs better live. The reason to this day he still sells out shows over 30 years later...

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

What was the majority opinion on Prince and his music ?

I remember women in particular was devastated when he changed his hair to a long flowing, wind blown perm(that looked better than their hair ), on the cover of his second album. That is when the gay rumors started about him. They prefered the afro then. Which is strange! Since most prefer the perm now . A lot felt he was gifted. But too WEIRD & obsessed with SEX. But it wasn't until 1999 came out that peeps really took notice of him & his undeniable talent as a ONEMANBAND! Of course I already knew.

Did the radio spin anything Prince? if so what?

Rnb radio embraced, "Soft & Wet" & Sexy Dancer. "Eye wanna b ur Lover"was actually Prince's first crossover pop hit. It came along during the very end of disco. When "Dirty Mind" came along. Rnb radio abandoned him completely besides playing "Uptown". But "Head" became a big underground hit in black clubs, house parties and stayed that way for years afterwards. "Let's Work" & "Do Me Baby" from Controversy was big on RnB radio also. But the 1999 album knocked all of those songs out the ballpark. "Lady Cab Driver", Auto-matic", DMSR, International Lover, Those album cuts was constantly played on rnb radio. Besides the hit single "1999". Then when "Little Red Corvette" caught on Prince was gone to pop 4ever.

how did your friends and family feel about him?

They hated him!! My Mother ripped all my Prince posters off the wall. She said he was a devil worshipper! Which was the rumor back then. They said if U played his songs backwards . It was hidden messages of satan. Which of course was totally contradictory, since his albums were dedicated to God. My best friend who was into rap, won tickets on the radio 4 Prince's Controversy tour date in our city. It was my first time seeing him live. He COMPLETELY blew me away!!! I never saw a black man play lead guitar like that b 4. It changed my life 4ever. My friend was impressed also.

what was your first initial reaction to his music and character?

I was a regular subscriber to Right On! Magazine as a kid. The main only black teen magazine in the 70's..But not to see Prince! Because me being a child actor, it was the only magazine I can get any info on young black actors & entertainers. I skipped over his pictures(thought he looked very weird lol). I didn't discover him until his second album, when I heard "Sexy dancer" on the radio. I had heard "Soft & wet" before. But thought it was a women singing lol. Plus I was very very young.

After hearing "Sexy Dancer"( thinking it was a woman singing also) I asked a dj who kept playing the song without announcing who it was! Who is that women breathing like that on that song ? She informed me it was Prince. A bell rung in my head and I went back and dug all my Right Magazines up and read everything I could about this strange looking man. I became hooked after that 4ever & never left.

What type of people were Prince fans?

Prince was considered a black teen idol(yes Prince is BLACK) when he first hit the scene with his first album in 1978. His was featured in black teen magazines mainly Right On magazine! Before anyone knew who he was. His core audience was black. After Dirty Mind came out Prince had developed a cult following. That ranged in mixed ethnicities,Pimps,thugs, gays & straight. Dirty Mind gave him a diverse underground following.

was his music popular at the time?

It was popular on black radio & in clubs. Prince was like the little sneaky devil to Mj's angel like persona. But time would reveal the truth..

*
Excellent summary--I would only add that "Little Red Corvette" and "1999" being placed in heavy rotation on MTV, of course, shifted Prince from being considered a "black" act to a "crossover" act. But, everything else is "dead on," and you're going to make me pull out my Right On magazines and take a trip down memory lane.

What type of people were Prince fans?

Prince was considered a black teen idol(yes Prince is BLACK) when he first hit the scene with his first album in 1978. His was featured in black teen magazines mainly Right On magazine! Before anyone knew who he was. His core audience was black. After Dirty Mind came out Prince had developed a cult following. That ranged in mixed ethnicities,Pimps,thugs, gays & straight. Dirty Mind gave him a diverse underground following.

Interesting, in other parts of the world (parts of the carribean and west africa) thought he was too white and wasn't really considered a black teen idol. They prefered other disco and funk acts like Rick James, that's what my mom and her friends tell me although the women always liked him lol. As with everything tho, it's all about preference etc. Ellen DeGeneres was a big fan of Prince from the begining for instance.

1725topp said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

What was the majority opinion on Prince and his music ?

I remember women in particular was devastated when he changed his hair to a long flowing, wind blown perm(that looked better than their hair ), on the cover of his second album. That is when the gay rumors started about him. They prefered the afro then. Which is strange! Since most prefer the perm now . A lot felt he was gifted. But too WEIRD & obsessed with SEX. But it wasn't until 1999 came out that peeps really took notice of him & his undeniable talent as a ONEMANBAND! Of course I already knew.

Did the radio spin anything Prince? if so what?

Rnb radio embraced, "Soft & Wet" & Sexy Dancer. "Eye wanna b ur Lover"was actually Prince's first crossover pop hit. It came along during the very end of disco. When "Dirty Mind" came along. Rnb radio abandoned him completely besides playing "Uptown". But "Head" became a big underground hit in black clubs, house parties and stayed that way for years afterwards. "Let's Work" & "Do Me Baby" from Controversy was big on RnB radio also. But the 1999 album knocked all of those songs out the ballpark. "Lady Cab Driver", Auto-matic", DMSR, International Lover, Those album cuts was constantly played on rnb radio. Besides the hit single "1999". Then when "Little Red Corvette" caught on Prince was gone to pop 4ever.

how did your friends and family feel about him?

They hated him!! My Mother ripped all my Prince posters off the wall. She said he was a devil worshipper! Which was the rumor back then. They said if U played his songs backwards . It was hidden messages of satan. Which of course was totally contradictory, since his albums were dedicated to God. My best friend who was into rap, won tickets on the radio 4 Prince's Controversy tour date in our city. It was my first time seeing him live. He COMPLETELY blew me away!!! I never saw a black man play lead guitar like that b 4. It changed my life 4ever. My friend was impressed also.

what was your first initial reaction to his music and character?

I was a regular subscriber to Right On! Magazine as a kid. The main only black teen magazine in the 70's..But not to see Prince! Because me being a child actor, it was the only magazine I can get any info on young black actors & entertainers. I skipped over his pictures(thought he looked very weird lol). I didn't discover him until his second album, when I heard "Sexy dancer" on the radio. I had heard "Soft & wet" before. But thought it was a women singing lol. Plus I was very very young.

After hearing "Sexy Dancer"( thinking it was a woman singing also) I asked a dj who kept playing the song without announcing who it was! Who is that women breathing like that on that song ? She informed me it was Prince. A bell rung in my head and I went back and dug all my Right Magazines up and read everything I could about this strange looking man. I became hooked after that 4ever & never left.

What type of people were Prince fans?

Prince was considered a black teen idol(yes Prince is BLACK) when he first hit the scene with his first album in 1978. His was featured in black teen magazines mainly Right On magazine! Before anyone knew who he was. His core audience was black. After Dirty Mind came out Prince had developed a cult following. That ranged in mixed ethnicities,Pimps,thugs, gays & straight. Dirty Mind gave him a diverse underground following.

was his music popular at the time?

It was popular on black radio & in clubs. Prince was like the little sneaky devil to Mj's angel like persona. But time would reveal the truth..

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Excellent summary--I would only add that "Little Red Corvette" and "1999" being placed in heavy rotation on MTV, of course, shifted Prince from being considered a "black" act to a "crossover" act. But, everything else is "dead on," and you're going to make me pull out my Right On magazines and take a trip down memory lane.

I just tried to cover the years & brilliantly I may add , b 4 Prince crossed over completely. When he was just considered a "black" artist. Before the after "Purple Rain" fans jumped on the bandwagon. B 4 he was taken away by mega superstardom.