Prince Was a Working-Class Hero Too

Prince was opposed to the Iraq War, was an ardent supporter of Black Lives Matter, and was also a champion for the rights of working-class people, especially within the music industry.

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Prince was a union member for over 40 years, a part of both the American Federation of Musicians and the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

Ray Hair, president of AFM, reflecting on the pop icon's legacy, said the singer was a true champion of musician's rights.

According to the AFL-CIO website, Prince helped his fellow artists and helped in "mentoring and elevating women in music ... every musician that came after owes him a debt of gratitude."

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It was his decades-long battle with his label, Warner Bros., that indicates the late singer's deep commitment to ending the exploitation of artists by music corporations. In his battle with the company, he fought against the conditions under which he and other artists worked.

Throughout his career, he continued to fight the way record companies treated artists, sought after new ways to distribute music, and was an advocate for giving artists more control over and more revenue for their work.

In 1996, the release of his 19th album Emancipation, was a celebration of his release from Warner Bros.

His music, with songs like "Sign o' the Times", and later, "We March" and "Baltimore," often reflected on the struggles and aspirations of working class people. Beyond words, his most recent concert in Baltimore in the wake of Freddie Gray's death fundraised to help the city recover.