anangellooksdown said:

I was just watching Montreux 2009 and have also seen clips of Montreux 2013. We all know he started growing out his hair into an Afro sometime between 2009 & 2013. As we've noticed of course, he really seemed to move into a very natural proud cool black man personality in looks, dress, music, civic interests within the black community although that was probably there earlier, etc. What do you think made him so hip and "black" again? Do you think he was running from the pain of romance(s) that didn't work so he steeped into another personality, perhaps an extreme one, or something else like that? Or was it just a subconscious evolvement? Or something else? [Edited 10/21/16 19:00pm]

I'm not sure I understand your POV. He was always a natural, proud, cool black man . . . in looks, dress, music, civic interests within the black community. His "look" evolved over the years, but his ethnicity/race and gender was constant. He didn't "run" from anything.

StopIt said:

"... a natural proud cool black man?"

K.

Others knew and know he was taken advantage of by ignorant, money-grubbing, race baiting liars like some of his "representatives", their "charitities", and other "special interests", including, clearly, BLM which is a heap of utter b.s.

Go. Away.

laurarichardson said:

rogifan said:

laurarichardson said:

-- Being pro black does not mean you are anti-people. You can be pro-black and not against other races.

Ok the fact that this has to even be explained to some people is worrisome.

I never get the pro-anything black/white/pink or blue, you cannot categorise people, I prefer to treat people as individuals, you get good and bad people whatever their colour/race/background .... I think Prince was more about that when you listen to stuff like Controversy.

The pro-pressure groups tend to get misunderstood and create antagonism within the other groups.

[Edited 10/23/16 6:50am]

He was just at peace with himself I think. A great place to be in life...

Was born in the late 1950s like Prince. Things seem more screwed up than ever with the race and sexuality discussions "the children" are having. Rampant jumping to conclusions and shallow analogies abound. D-pressing.

TrivialPursuit said:

anangellooksdown said:

I was just watching Montreux 2009 and have also seen clips of Montreux 2013. We all know he started growing out his hair into an Afro sometime between 2009 & 2013. As we've noticed of course, he really seemed to move into a very natural proud cool black man personality in looks, dress, music, civic interests within the black community although that was probably there earlier, etc. What do you think made him so hip and "black" again? Do you think he was running from the pain of romance(s) that didn't work so he steeped into another personality, perhaps an extreme one, or something else like that? Or was it just a subconscious evolvement? Or something else?

Y'all can really read shit into something. When did Prince stop being black? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

BUT, Prince let the fro come back around 2012. If you look at pics then, the fro was coming in, albeit still short. Ain't got shit to do with romance.

This.

He was always a black man, one who liked to experiment with different genres of music and styles. The natural look was one he had before and he circled back around to it...because he wanted to...which was why he did so many of the things he did. Good for him.

jdcxc said:

Prince always fought against the narrow boxes of American race and gender. There are a million ways to represent "blackness" and Prince did it all. So many people on this site are so conventional and narrow in their thinking on "race"...unlike Prince. He knew it was all a construct that he could play with.

Well put.

But I don't think it's just people on this site that are narrow in their thinking.

[Edited 10/23/16 12:48pm]

jdcxc said:

Prince always fought against the narrow boxes of American race and gender. There are a million ways to represent "blackness" and Prince did it all. So many people on this site are so conventional and narrow in their thinking on "race"...unlike Prince. He knew it was all a construct that he could play with.

Exactly

I have been looking at all the performance clips I can find, pretty much every day for six months now, and I am asking from a place of humility and admitted ignorance, looking for knowledge from the tried and true fams: I don't see him in the public eye or in performances much past 2011, until 2014. Then AOA came out and he was back on the scene in various ways (SNL, Arsenio, live performances, New Girl)...and he did look different--first a little bloated as if there might have been steroids involved, and then skinnier and more fragile/ill looking.

What might have been going on during those years he wasn't real visible? He seemed to emerge from those years a little changed. Do people who were tracking him as true devotees know? Or was he around, more than I am putting together from what I'm seeing on YouTube? Thanks I have been thinking about this a lot and I hope it's not annoying to bring up. Just wondering what others think. (Some days it's just EXTRA hard to reconcile, like I'm wallowing in the bargaining/denial mess of the grief swamp.)

jdcxc said:

Prince always fought against the narrow boxes of American race and gender. There are a million ways to represent "blackness" and Prince did it all. So many people on this site are so conventional and narrow in their thinking on "race"...unlike Prince. He knew it was all a construct that he could play with.

I agree. It's a bit puzzling and surprising that people on this site still reduce this man to the colour of his skin when it was - from the START - what he was clearly NOT wanting to be judged by (as anyone, but you know what I mean)...first interview Prince clearly says he wants to be judged for the music, 'not the colour of my skin'.

It's 2016 - Why can't people MOVE ON from that already?

ForeverPaisley said:

jdcxc said:

Prince always fought against the narrow boxes of American race and gender. There are a million ways to represent "blackness" and Prince did it all. So many people on this site are so conventional and narrow in their thinking on "race"...unlike Prince. He knew it was all a construct that he could play with.

I agree. It's a bit puzzling and surprising that people on this site still reduce this man to the colour of his skin when it was - from the START - what he was clearly NOT wanting to be judged by (as anyone, but you know what I mean)...first interview Prince clearly says he wants to be judged for the music, 'not the colour of my skin'.

It's 2016 - Why can't people MOVE ON from that already?

Ditto that magnificent graphic all the way.

emby said:

Kara said:

ForeverPaisley said:

jdcxc said:

Prince always fought against the narrow boxes of American race and gender. There are a million ways to represent "blackness" and Prince did it all. So many people on this site are so conventional and narrow in their thinking on "race"...unlike Prince. He knew it was all a construct that he could play with.

I agree. It's a bit puzzling and surprising that people on this site still reduce this man to the colour of his skin when it was - from the START - what he was clearly NOT wanting to be judged by (as anyone, but you know what I mean)...first interview Prince clearly says he wants to be judged for the music, 'not the colour of my skin'.

It's 2016 - Why can't people MOVE ON from that already?

Prince didn't let his blackness limited him or his success but he wasn't naive either that racism is still exist and he also expressed that in his music and interviews.Unlike some colorblind/Disneyland crowd, he was realistic about our unfair society. In other words he don't want people to judge him by his music but he still was WOKE when comes to living in a racist society.

And also if you want to preached about character over color and that 'moving on' talk then do it to bigots who continues to keep racism, sexism, and bigotry alive not to minorities (that included Prince) who are proud of who they are and success despite struggled.

[Edited 10/23/16 23:40pm]

StopIt said:

ufoclub said:

ladygirl99 said:

ForeverPaisley said:

I agree. It's a bit puzzling and surprising that people on this site still reduce this man to the colour of his skin when it was - from the START - what he was clearly NOT wanting to be judged by (as anyone, but you know what I mean)...first interview Prince clearly says he wants to be judged for the music, 'not the colour of my skin'.

It's 2016 - Why can't people MOVE ON from that already?

Prince didn't let his blackness limited him or his success but he wasn't naive either that racism is still exist and he also expressed that in his music and interviews.Unlike some colorblind/Disneyland crowd, he was realistic about our unfair society. In other words he don't want people to judge him by his music but he still was WOKE when comes to living in a racist society.

And also if you want to preached about character over color and that 'moving on' talk then do it to bigots who continues to keep racism, sexism, and bigotry alive not to minorities (that included Prince) who are proud of who they are and success despite struggled.

[Edited 10/23/16 23:40pm]

Guess it can be interpreted in a few different ways. I was agreeing with folks moving on in their heads, not denying who anyone really is with a Disney paintbrush.

Prince is a typical black artist who brought people together t hrough music. Like having a multiracial band, nearly all black band, (Lovesexy & NPG Generation), all white girl rock hand (3rdeyegirl)

But black people can't end racism by themselves. When I watched my local news and people there marching on racial unity majority of marchers are black with sprinkled white faces. Now there is nothing wrong with that if I was living in Altanta. But I am living in a working class Midwestern conservative predomantly white town and I expected more whites to be involve and out marching as well. In other words, white people need to do more to end racism instead of just preaching of 'moving on' lecture to minorities and not to their openly racist counterparts. Just like straight people are scolding us queers into coming out closet because homophobia is a thing of the past instead of finding solutions to reduce and end homophobia so it would be safer for LGBT to get out of the closet.

ufoclub said:

Well he did concentrate a lot on rock in his last phase with 3rd Eye Girl, and as Sheila E said, he always wanted a straight up rock band... so I don't think it was a clear shift to R&B/urban/ musically speaking.

I always want Prince to do a strictly rock album his own. I wonder if that vault has it. I also wanted to do a jazz album and I am happy there is one already made and he did feature some good jazz stuff a lot in his 90s albums.

Prince loved music so much I guess he didn't want to do one genre for an album. I wish USA was like Europe of people have more diverse taste when it came to music.

ladygirl99 said:

Prince is a typical black artist who brought people together t hrough music. Like having a multiracial band, nearly all black band, (Lovesexy & NPG Generation), all white girl rock hand (3rdeyegirl)

But black people can't end racism by themselves. When I watched my local news and people there marching on racial unity majority of marchers are black with sprinkled white faces. Now there is nothing wrong with that if I was living in Altanta. But I am living in a working class Midwestern conservative predomantly white town and I expected more whites to be involve and out marching as well. In other words, white people need to do more to end racism instead of just preaching of 'moving on' lecture to minorities and not to their openly racist counterparts. Just like straight people are scolding us queers into coming out closet because homophobia is a thing of the past instead of finding solutions to reduce and end homophobia so it would be safer for LGBT to get out of the closet.

So true...on both counts. I am white and straight.

teach49 said:

ladygirl99 said:

Prince is a typical black artist who brought people together t hrough music. Like having a multiracial band, nearly all black band, (Lovesexy & NPG Generation), all white girl rock hand (3rdeyegirl)

But black people can't end racism by themselves. When I watched my local news and people there marching on racial unity majority of marchers are black with sprinkled white faces. Now there is nothing wrong with that if I was living in Altanta. But I am living in a working class Midwestern conservative predomantly white town and I expected more whites to be involve and out marching as well. In other words, white people need to do more to end racism instead of just preaching of 'moving on' lecture to minorities and not to their openly racist counterparts. Just like straight people are scolding us queers into coming out closet because homophobia is a thing of the past instead of finding solutions to reduce and end homophobia so it would be safer for LGBT to get out of the closet.

So true...on both counts. I am white and straight.

Straight up on this - I am surrounded by people who continue the problem - and although it takes a degree of subtlety to try to open their minds to these sorts of things it's rewarding - and absolutely needed. It pains me so bad when someone I love is blinded by the kind of propaganda that keeps us all apart.

26ten said:

teach49 said:

So true...on both counts. I am white and straight.

Straight up on this - I am surrounded by people who continue the problem - and although it takes a degree of subtlety to try to open their minds to these sorts of things it's rewarding - and absolutely needed. It pains me so bad when someone I love is blinded by the kind of propaganda that keeps us all apart.

I hear you on this. Regarding the bolded part, I wholeheartedly agree. I do have white activist friends who cut people off who are not out there on the streets, but I don't think that gets us anywhere. Yes, there is some behavior I will cut off immediately, but when it comes to opening someone's eyes (even my own) a subtle yet powerful comment or question is far more effective. (Even more powerful is living an example.) Sometimes you just have to lay it out there and tiptoe away, and other times be much more forceful. There is no one way, but diligence, discipline, and determination is necessary. It all begins with awareness.

rogifan said:

Prince looking bloated? Seriously?

There are a couple of pics were his face looks bloated orI guess not naturally full. I am going to find them and post them. He looks so different from the fall of 2015 to Janurary of 2016.

Listen to the track "The Sacrifice of Victor" that was in 92. Uncle Sam was probably written for Tevin Campbell around the same time!

laurarichardson said:

rogifan said:

Prince looking bloated? Seriously?

There are a couple of pics were his face looks bloated orI guess not naturally full. I am going to find them and post them. He looks so different from the fall of 2015 to Janurary of 2016.

Laura, I think P looked bloated right before he grew the .

Here is one pic.