I was listening to this song and lyrical themes predates much of the material on The Rainbow Children. The professional and personal travails that Prince went through navigating through the music industry are sung so passionately by Prince. It was the first time I heard Prince sing about race relations with regards to the music industry, education, medicine etc in convincing terms not as an artist but as a black man. Although the drums are programmed, I could picture John Blackwell making up his drum parts around this song and having it fit like a glove on TRC.

"Everyone of color put on the front line, Holocaust Avenue, 2009"

"We don't care what Albert Einstein did. I'd rather know know how they built the pyramid"

"They come in all colors, white, black, Puerto Rican but the main niggas we speakin' 'bout
wear suits and buy and sell corporation"

popgodazipa said:

But what the F does it mean, 2045?

http://www.infowars.com/2...integrity/

https://www.youtube.com/w...rNmZ6vHyNU

I remember when I BOUGHT this Bamboozled OST on January 31st 2001. I loved the song immediately and God was I happy when more of this kind came when I became a PAYING PREMIUM MEMBER of NPGMC soon later. Great jam. Great lyrics. Those High/Peace sessions are still among my favorite sessions ever

Yet another sign of his mental illness.

databank said:

I remember when I BOUGHT this Bamboozled OST on January 31st 2001. I loved the song immediately and God was I happy when more of this kind came when I became a PAYING PREMIUM MEMBER of NPGMC soon later. Great jam. Great lyrics. Those High/Peace sessions are still among my favorite sessions ever

This could be the definition of irony.

Pentacle said:

databank said:

I remember when I BOUGHT this Bamboozled OST on January 31st 2001. I loved the song immediately and God was I happy when more of this kind came when I became a PAYING PREMIUM MEMBER of NPGMC soon later. Great jam. Great lyrics. Those High/Peace sessions are still among my favorite sessions ever

This could be the definition of irony.

I know the "plastic" sound isn't popular here and I respect that. Strangely enough for me it was the opposite, no matter how I love the Mplsound and other past production techniques had embraced, the sound he started to have with Emancipation and more or less kept all along ever since was like what I'd been waiting 2 hear all my life. Go figure

I loved "2045 Radical Man" from the first moment I heard it. Musically and lyrically it is a culmination of songs like "We March," "Uncle Sam," "You Will Be Moved," "Paris 1798430," and others. Yet, it is probably more musically layered than the others. And while some people feel they must choose between songs, like "Race" and "2045 Radical Man," I think they represent the brilliance of a complex thinker who is able to understand all sides of an issue or position and create art that effectively reflects the complexity of race in America as well as the complexity of what it means to be an African American.

Never heard it, pretty obscure song. I've never really been a fan of this period, so I'm not particularly convinced it's worth tracking down.

This song would have made a better collaboration with Chuck D as opposed to "Undisputed", given that the song is a lament on issues that affect racial minorities. This is one of the few instances where this production style works. The groove is programmed but it's mellow and allows the listener to think about the issues Prince is raising. After watching the movie "Bamboozeled" the lyrics had more resonance. "...I rather know how they built the pyramids" is a pretty great line: explaining the brilliance of Ancient Africa and how they created mathematics, hieroglyphics and science that is the basis of modern medicine and technology. I don't think it's a diatribe on just the music industry but the entities that affect humanity for gross capitalization.

bashraka said:

"We don't care what Albert Einstein did. I'd rather know know how they built the pyramid"

.

i really hope this is meant to point out how awesome ancient science was, and not a reference to some bullshit alien conspiracy theory...

.

With prince's gravitation towards conspiracy theories, i first read this as saying, "fuck 'mainstream science', let's talk about the truth they don't want us to know!"

phew, ok... i just looked up the lyrics, and the context makes it clear that he's talking about how great the pyramids are.

I still have issues with 'we don't care what Albert Einstein did', though. You should care, that guy really did have a huuuuuuge impact on modern science. When Isaac Newton published his stuff, not only was it a huge advance in mechanics, but there were huge advances in other areas of physics from people who were just trying to copy Newton as closely as possible. It's the same story with Einstein - his theory was insanely progressive, and on top of that, even the people who just copied his style got amazing results.

I hated this song. I think I've only listened to it all the way through once by accident... Not my cup of tea unfortunately. But then again a lot of the songs from this era I couldn't get into. This was a dark period for me for Prince's music.

"Watch me now
Schooled in the art of digital games
When the war broke out they called your name
Everyone of color put on the front line
Holocaust Avenue, 2009"

In his interview with Tavis Smiley in 2009, Prince invoking chemtrails certainly gives the aforementioned lyrics context.

fusk said:

phew, ok... i just looked up the lyrics, and the context makes it clear that he's talking about how great the pyramids are.

I still have issues with 'we don't care what Albert Einstein did', though. You should care, that guy really did have a huuuuuuge impact on modern science. When Isaac Newton published his stuff, not only was it a huge advance in mechanics, but there were huge advances in other areas of physics from people who were just trying to copy Newton as closely as possible. It's the same story with Einstein - his theory was insanely progressive, and on top of that, even the people who just copied his style got amazing results.

*

Yes, but you are missing the point or allusion of the lyric. It's not a dis or disrespect to Einstein so much as it is a dis to a "Eurocentric" way of thinking that somehow the only thing worth studying is European literature. Also, as the additional lyrics allude, Prince is asserting that the metaphysical approach to life, which is more of an Eastern ideology, is more important than the physical/scientific approach, which is more of a Western ideology. The pyramids are both a scientific/mechanical feat with metaphysical/spiritual significance to the ancient Egyptians whereas in the Western world, science tends to separate itself from a metaphysical/spiritual understanding of the universe. Of course, both of these notions/allusions are also rooted in the concept or debate of the ancient Egyptians being Negroid rather than Caucasian. So, again, contextualizing the Einstein lyric within the whole theme of the song and the Afro-centric cultural position from which Prince is working, the lyric is more about the need for African people or people of color to care more about their history and themselves so they will have the self-esteem to refute white supremacy and fight for first-class citizenship. Now, this is not a popular theme or position for most of the people on this site, but I like the music, the lyrical creativity, and the subject matter of the song.

1725topp said:

fusk said:

phew, ok... i just looked up the lyrics, and the context makes it clear that he's talking about how great the pyramids are.

I still have issues with 'we don't care what Albert Einstein did', though. You should care, that guy really did have a huuuuuuge impact on modern science. When Isaac Newton published his stuff, not only was it a huge advance in mechanics, but there were huge advances in other areas of physics from people who were just trying to copy Newton as closely as possible. It's the same story with Einstein - his theory was insanely progressive, and on top of that, even the people who just copied his style got amazing results.

*

Yes, but you are missing the point or allusion of the lyric. It's not a dis or disrespect to Einstein so much as it is a dis to a "Eurocentric" way of thinking that somehow the only thing worth studying is European literature. Also, as the additional lyrics allude, Prince is asserting that the metaphysical approach to life, which is more of an Eastern ideology, is more important than the physical/scientific approach, which is more of a Western ideology. The pyramids are both a scientific/mechanical feat with metaphysical/spiritual significance to the ancient Egyptians whereas in the Western world, science tends to separate itself from a metaphysical/spiritual understanding of the universe. Of course, both of these notions/allusions are also rooted in the concept or debate of the ancient Egyptians being Negroid rather than Caucasian. So, again, contextualizing the Einstein lyric within the whole theme of the song and the Afro-centric cultural position from which Prince is working, the lyric is more about the need for African people or people of color to care more about their history and themselves so they will have the self-esteem to refute white supremacy and fight for first-class citizenship. Now, this is not a popular theme or position for most of the people on this site, but I like the music, the lyrical creativity, and the subject matter of the song.

Exactly. The topic in the song are far from cookie cutter and deserves more analsys like the above. Especially, the Einstein lyric is a dig at the instituional racism in education that downplays Black people's contributions to the world of science and technology in public education and higher education. The line about wondering how they built the pyramids is a wonderment that still hasn't been figured out.

KingSausage said:

I've always hated this song. It's dull funk. Contrived lyrics. More complaining about the music industry from Prince. The time between Emancipatiok and TRC was a dark time for Prince's music, for the most part.

*

Okay, so I'm sure my question is going to caused me to be seen as a troll or racist, but I'm curious about your answer. First, we can agree to disagree about the song's level or quality of funk. However, when you state that the lyrics are "contrived" and just "more complaining about the music industry," I wonder if you are completely ignoring or merely marginalizing Prince's discussion about racism as just "more complaining about the music industry." Also, could you provide examples of well-written songs that discuss issues about the music industry and examples of well-written songs that address racism. I'm just trying to understand what classifies as good and bad execution on the these topics and what is more a listener simply not liking a song because Prince takes a different position than the listener or because Prince simply sings about a topic in which the listener simply isn't interested. And, I don't mean to put you on the spot, per se. But, I've been on this site for ten years, and every time Prince addresses race from any other position than being "color blind" the song is called "contrived," "inauthentic," or "racist," so, again, I'd just like to get a few examples of songs addressing racism from a non-color blind perspective that you do not view as "contrived" or "poorly done".

1725topp said:

KingSausage said:

1725topp said:

*

Okay, so I'm sure my question is going to caused me to be seen as a troll or racist, but I'm curious about your answer. First, we can agree to disagree about the song's level or quality of funk. However, when you state that the lyrics are "contrived" and just "more complaining about the music industry," I wonder if you are completely ignoring or merely marginalizing Prince's discussion about racism as just "more complaining about the music industry." Also, could you provide examples of well-written songs that discuss issues about the music industry and examples of well-written songs that address racism. I'm just trying to understand what classifies as good and bad execution on the these topics and what is more a listener simply not liking a song because Prince takes a different position than the listener or because Prince simply sings about a topic in which the listener simply isn't interested. And, I don't mean to put you on the spot, per se. But, I've been on this site for ten years, and every time Prince addresses race from any other position than being "color blind" the song is called "contrived," "inauthentic," or "racist," so, again, I'd just like to get a few examples of songs addressing racism from a non-color blind perspective that you do not view as "contrived" or "poorly done".

I posted too quickly before and regret using the word "contrived." I guess I was mostly thinking about the introduced to the song and some of the awkward lyrical phrasings he uses. I still think the song is lazy funk, but I shouldn't have said the lyrics were contrived. That was inaccurate and inarticulate of me. That being said, the song has passages that I find disturbing because they play into his conspiracy theory bullshit. "30 million people being wiped off the face of the planet by a disease they claim has no cure" or whatever it is. That's just nonsense. I like a lot of Prince's lyrics about Race. Family Name and Sacrifice of Victor come to mind. Even though 2045 has more sophisticated criticism of the music industry (connecting it to wider racial injustice) I think it strikes me as "more complaining about the music industry" because Prince had been hitting that note for years by that point. In song and in actions like his open letter to Madonna. It gets tiresome...and distracts from larger points he wants to make (i.e. General whining about greedy managers obscures discussion of racial inequities in the music industry).

*

First, thank you for your response. I do appreciate it, especially that you listed other songs on the topic that you think are well-crafted. As for "2054 Radical Man" "playing into his conspiracy theory bullshit," at the end of 1999 34.3 million people were living with HIV/AIDs. Now, of course, the death toll for 1999 was only 2.8, which showed a decrease in the death rate, but even as late as 2000 many reputable HIV/AIDS organizations were still asserting that most countries were not investing nearly the amount of funding into HIV/AIDS research as they could, as especially in America we were and still are more interested in building more prisons, and that's not conspiracy bull that's based on current U.S. government budgets. In 2013 eleven U. S. states spent twice as much on incarceration as on education, and forty U. S. states spent ten times as much on incarceration as on education. So, while it may be a conspiracy to some, to others the budgets of most U. S. states show that they are clearly more interested in incarcerating African Americans--who commit about sixteen percent of the crime but represent forty percent of the prison population--than educating African Americans. The data tends to show that Prince's ramblings on race and HIV/AIDS are a bit more than conspiracy bs. Now, I'm not saying that his interpretation of the data is "spot on," but, clearly, the budgeting numbers show a real discrepancy in funding to improve the condition of African Americans or HIV/AIDS patients.

*

Yet, I can't say that something cannot or should not be "tiresome" to you because we all have our own issues and concerns. As such, I can only say that I find it an interesting link to be able to discuss several issues with one metaphor, showing that general labor issues are connected to slavery. This works for me because, understanding history, one of the things that hindered the U.S. labor movement was the inability of poor and working class whites to connect their labor struggle with African Americans. So, during the late 1800s and through the 1940s, the U. S. labor movement could have been even more successful if poor and working class whites could have been able to overcome their own racism and realize that the same evil that perpetuated the enslavement of African Americans and Jim Crow/segregation is the same evil that oppresses poor and working class whites, fighting to ensure that they are unable to unionize. So, while for you mixing or combining the issues obscures one or both, for me, based on history, they seem natural to connect. But, again, I cannot make my issues and concerns your issues and concerns.

*

Ultimately, I appreciate your detailed response. Thanks.

1725topp said:

fusk said:

phew, ok... i just looked up the lyrics, and the context makes it clear that he's talking about how great the pyramids are.

I still have issues with 'we don't care what Albert Einstein did', though. You should care, that guy really did have a huuuuuuge impact on modern science. When Isaac Newton published his stuff, not only was it a huge advance in mechanics, but there were huge advances in other areas of physics from people who were just trying to copy Newton as closely as possible. It's the same story with Einstein - his theory was insanely progressive, and on top of that, even the people who just copied his style got amazing results.

*

Yes, but you are missing the point or allusion of the lyric. It's not a dis or disrespect to Einstein so much as it is a dis to a "Eurocentric" way of thinking that somehow the only thing worth studying is European literature. Also, as the additional lyrics allude, Prince is asserting that the metaphysical approach to life, which is more of an Eastern ideology, is more important than the physical/scientific approach, which is more of a Western ideology. The pyramids are both a scientific/mechanical feat with metaphysical/spiritual significance to the ancient Egyptians whereas in the Western world, science tends to separate itself from a metaphysical/spiritual understanding of the universe. Of course, both of these notions/allusions are also rooted in the concept or debate of the ancient Egyptians being Negroid rather than Caucasian. So, again, contextualizing the Einstein lyric within the whole theme of the song and the Afro-centric cultural position from which Prince is working, the lyric is more about the need for African people or people of color to care more about their history and themselves so they will have the self-esteem to refute white supremacy and fight for first-class citizenship. Now, this is not a popular theme or position for most of the people on this site, but I like the music, the lyrical creativity, and the subject matter of the song.

.

Good points. I had temporarily forgotten that Einstein gets way more attention in society than the ancient Egyptians. It really is a shame, because ancient science is great. There's a tangible thread of scientific thought that can be traced all the way back to pre-history, and it's more relevant than people might think. What I mean is, the math problems that the Egyptians were thinking about, and the solutions they found, directly guided the scientific thought of any civilization that inherited their knowledge. We care about algebra today because the Arabs cared about Greek geometry, and the Greeks cared about geometry because the Egyptians thought about it and figured that stuff out to build the pyramids. I'm pretty sure that isn't an oversimplification! It's that direct!

[Edited 11/22/14 23:08pm]

1725topp said:

TwiliteKid said:

I listened to this track recently, for the first time in at least 10 years, and I think that may do me for the rest of my life. One of the worst things he's ever released.

So interesting...this was one of the few songs released in "the dark years" of 1996-2000 that raelly made me smile. And still does, to this day. Love the funk, love the lyrics... "Oh my God, it's the Green Mile!!!"

The dark period between 2000-2003 was where he really regrouped and got away from the industry and put the focus back on his artistry and fans. It really set up his "comeback" in 2004. I think much of that started on songs like this.

I love political/contemplative/spiritual Prince! i haven't heard this track in particular but it sounds like its in the vein of Colonized Mind, Avalanche, Dear Mr. Man, Dreamer, We March etc. I'll have to track it down. I don't "dig" like I used to. Had a great local wrecka stowe to get such releases back in the day, but I'm surprised you haven't gotten attacked by the deluge of Org'ers who hate when Prince references anything political, racial or what they perceive as "Anti-American". For many, he's supposed to just shut up and be glad he's able to release and record music in the first place. And not be informed by his experience as an African American man making said music. And don't mention anything pertaining to his songs that invite thoughts about the holocaust/slavery (TRC, Family Name), then P becomes an anti-semite here. There's another group that hate "spiritual" Prince too because of their own anti-God issues but I digress. He's supposed to still be a sex crazed womanizer tyring to follow up PR with no thoughts about nothing else.

fusk said:

1725topp said:

*

Yes, but you are missing the point or allusion of the lyric. It's not a dis or disrespect to Einstein so much as it is a dis to a "Eurocentric" way of thinking that somehow the only thing worth studying is European literature. Also, as the additional lyrics allude, Prince is asserting that the metaphysical approach to life, which is more of an Eastern ideology, is more important than the physical/scientific approach, which is more of a Western ideology. The pyramids are both a scientific/mechanical feat with metaphysical/spiritual significance to the ancient Egyptians whereas in the Western world, science tends to separate itself from a metaphysical/spiritual understanding of the universe. Of course, both of these notions/allusions are also rooted in the concept or debate of the ancient Egyptians being Negroid rather than Caucasian. So, again, contextualizing the Einstein lyric within the whole theme of the song and the Afro-centric cultural position from which Prince is working, the lyric is more about the need for African people or people of color to care more about their history and themselves so they will have the self-esteem to refute white supremacy and fight for first-class citizenship. Now, this is not a popular theme or position for most of the people on this site, but I like the music, the lyrical creativity, and the subject matter of the song.

.

Good points. I had temporarily forgotten that Einstein gets way more attention in society than the ancient Egyptians. It really is a shame, because ancient science is great. There's a tangible thread of scientific thought that can be traced all the way back to pre-history, and it's more relevant than people might think. What I mean is, the math problems that the Egyptians were thinking about, and the solutions they found, directly guided the scientific thought of any civilization that inherited their knowledge. We care about algebra today because the Arabs cared about Greek geometry, and the Greeks cared about geometry because the Egyptians thought about it and figured that stuff out to build the pyramids. I'm pretty sure that isn't an oversimplification! It's that direct!

[Edited 11/22/14 23:08pm]

*

No, you are correct; your example is spot on and not an oversimplification. The truth is that Socrates and Plato both traveled to Egypt frequently, learning from the Egyptians. The problem is that because education is as much about cultural warfare as it is about disseminating knowledge, truth is often compromised for socio-political agenda. For instance, for many years in Mississippi, the Mississippi History textbooks taught the Civil War as the "War of Northern Aggression," stressing that slaves were content and happy with slavery until those Northern whites started trouble. Because of these lies, we must tell the truth, and we must challenge our artists--songwriters, poets, fiction writers, painters, etc--to know the truth about history and not be sloppy when discussing history in their art.

KingSausage said:

1725topp said:

*

First, thank you for your response. I do appreciate it, especially that you listed other songs on the topic that you think are well-crafted. As for "2054 Radical Man" "playing into his conspiracy theory bullshit," at the end of 1999 34.3 million people were living with HIV/AIDs. Now, of course, the death toll for 1999 was only 2.8, which showed a decrease in the death rate, but even as late as 2000 many reputable HIV/AIDS organizations were still asserting that most countries were not investing nearly the amount of funding into HIV/AIDS research as they could, as especially in America we were and still are more interested in building more prisons, and that's not conspiracy bull that's based on current U.S. government budgets. In 2013 eleven U. S. states spent twice as much on incarceration as on education, and forty U. S. states spent ten times as much on incarceration as on education. So, while it may be a conspiracy to some, to others the budgets of most U. S. states show that they are clearly more interested in incarcerating African Americans--who commit about sixteen percent of the crime but represent forty percent of the prison population--than educating African Americans. The data tends to show that Prince's ramblings on race and HIV/AIDS are a bit more than conspiracy bs. Now, I'm not saying that his interpretation of the data is "spot on," but, clearly, the budgeting numbers show a real discrepancy in funding to improve the condition of African Americans or HIV/AIDS patients.

*

Yet, I can't say that something cannot or should not be "tiresome" to you because we all have our own issues and concerns. As such, I can only say that I find it an interesting link to be able to discuss several issues with one metaphor, showing that general labor issues are connected to slavery. This works for me because, understanding history, one of the things that hindered the U.S. labor movement was the inability of poor and working class whites to connect their labor struggle with African Americans. So, during the late 1800s and through the 1940s, the U. S. labor movement could have been even more successful if poor and working class whites could have been able to overcome their own racism and realize that the same evil that perpetuated the enslavement of African Americans and Jim Crow/segregation is the same evil that oppresses poor and working class whites, fighting to ensure that they are unable to unionize. So, while for you mixing or combining the issues obscures one or both, for me, based on history, they seem natural to connect. But, again, I cannot make my issues and concerns your issues and concerns.

*

Ultimately, I appreciate your detailed response. Thanks.

Damn, I wish that YOU had written the lyrics to 2045 rather than Prince.

*

I don't know how to insert the icon of the laughing head falling off the chair, so I'll just say that you are funny. But, I also think that your point speaks to a larger issue that all artists could help themselves by associating with folks who can educate as well as challenge them. Like you stated earlier, Prince has and still tries to address some important and profound issues, but sometimes it is not as precise or clear as it could be. And, I wonder if he had someone who could say to him, "I'm not quite sure what you mean" or "I don't think that image or metaphor means what you are intending to say" what kind of impact it would have had on Prince being appreciated even more for his lyrical creativity and insight. Still, with is lyrical failings and flaws, he's produced enough for me be moved and challenged by his work.

1725topp said: