Since Prince's untimely passing, we have learned much about his quiet activism. Already, we know that he opened his final studio album with "Baltimore," which was his protest song about Freddy Gray's death while in the custody of the Baltimore Police. Of course, he also held a benefit concert in Baltimore, billing it the Rally 4 Peace (R4P). In his "Baltimore" anthem, first heard publicly at the R4P, he also mentioned Michael Brown, another unarmed Black man who was killed by a "peace" officer in Ferguson, MO.

There was also the murder of Philando Castile on July 6, 2016, in St. Paul, Minnesota, just 11 weeks after Prince's passing, which caused me to wonder tearfully, "What would Prince have done to try to help and to further shine a light on the problem?"

In view of all this, I like to think that Prince would have found a way to support Colin Kaepernick and his courageous stand against the rampant police killings of unarmed Black (and brown) men, women and children--which has seemingly cost him his football career--including boycotting the NFL...and the Superbowl, even though it is being held in his beloved Minneapolis.

What say you? Do you think Prince would have consented to play at the Superbowl, in essence crossing the picket line...or would he have taken a principled stand, as did Jay-Z, and refuse to perform at the NFL extravaganza??

[Edited 1/17/18 8:28am]

laytonian said:

Do you seriously believe he'd have boycotted the Super Bowl game if his all-time favorite team was playing in his beloved city? Hell no. He'd have participated in the halftime show.

This.

Genesia said:

laytonian said:

Do you seriously believe he'd have boycotted the Super Bowl game if his all-time favorite team was playing in his beloved city? Hell no. He'd have participated in the halftime show.

This.

Yes that.

laytonian said:

Do you seriously believe he'd have boycotted the Super Bowl game if his all-time favorite team was playing in his beloved city? Hell no. He'd have participated in the halftime show.

Yes, given what has happened to Colin Kaepernick for his "stand," I seriously believe Prince would have refused to perform at the Super Bowl. Not to mention, some of the comments made by NFL team owners. I think he would have valued the fight to bring attention to police killings of unarmed Black and brown men, women, and children more than a GAME.

FlyOnTheWall said:

laytonian said:

Do you seriously believe he'd have boycotted the Super Bowl game if his all-time favorite team was playing in his beloved city? Hell no. He'd have participated in the halftime show.

Yes, given what has happened to Colin Kaepernick for his "stand," I seriously believe Prince would have refused to perform at the Super Bowl. Not to mention, some of the comments made by NFL team owners. I think he would have valued the fight to bring attention to police killings of unarmed Black and brown men, women, and children more than a GAME.

No he wouldn't have

What was Colin protesting FlyOnTheWall?

Or alternatively, given that the show is a big and iconic platform to perform on, do you think he would have performed but chosen somehow to make a point about the issues in someway, either visually, verbally, or in song choice?

Colin's expression was his own,

why would Prince need to boycott the Superbowl?
Kaepernick was not boycotting or protesting Football

.

Prince did his thing with a song like Baltimore, that was his expression.

Prince would've gone out onstage with his guitar, stated, "this is for Colin Kaepernick," and immediately launch into a searing version of "Dreamer."

Or he would have in my overactive, entirely unrealistic imagination.

OldFriends4Sale said:

Colin's expression was his own,

why would Prince need to boycott the Superbowl?
Kaepernick was not boycotting or protesting Football

.

Prince did his thing with a song like Baltimore, that was his expression.

Just as Prince used his global platform to convene the Rally 4 Peace in Baltimore, Colin Kaepernick chose to use his NFL platform to protest police killings of unarmed Black and brown people by not standing for the national anthem before football games. As Kaepernick said, “[I’m] not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”

Prince also famously wrote a song named after the city to protest the police killing of Freddie Gray. And, all you have to do is listen to "America"...and watch the video, with the red, black, and green Black Liberation flag--adopted by Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in 1920--hanging in the background to understand that Prince understood well the plight of Black people in America.

As I stated earlier, Prince's activism is well-known and he understood that police killings are a BIG problem in this country. That's why he wrote "Baltimore." And, remember Philando Castile whose fiance videotaped his slaughter by a St. Paul, Minnesota police officer on July 6, 2016.

ShaggyDog said:

Or alternatively, given that the show is a big and iconic platform to perform on, do you think he would have performed but chosen somehow to make a point about the issues in someway, either visually, verbally, or in song choice?

Perhaps, ShaggyDog, but he was wise enough to understand that his presence would only serve to further fatten the coffers of the NFL and its advertisers. Sure, he probably could have named his price to take the stage, but he could afford to turn them down to make a point. I like to think that, like Jay-Z, he would have declined the offer...even in his beloved Minnesota.

OldFriends4Sale said:

FlyOnTheWall said:

Yes, given what has happened to Colin Kaepernick for his "stand," I seriously believe Prince would have refused to perform at the Super Bowl. Not to mention, some of the comments made by NFL team owners. I think he would have valued the fight to bring attention to police killings of unarmed Black and brown men, women, and children more than a GAME.

No he wouldn't have

What was Colin protesting FlyOnTheWall?

Kaepernick said, “[I’m] not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” The NFL chose, for all intents and purposes, to end his career because of his stand against police killings of unarmed Black men, women, and children.

FlyOnTheWall said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

No he wouldn't have

What was Colin protesting FlyOnTheWall?

Kaepernick said, “[I’m] not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” The NFL chose, for all intents and purposes, to end his career because of his stand against police killings of unarmed Black men, women, and children.

But the protest was not the NFL, Kaepernick, after he got up off his knee, played football.

So why would Prince boycott the Superbowl.

Not to mention, Kaepernicks career was iffy before the take a knee protests.

FlyOnTheWall said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Colin's expression was his own,

why would Prince need to boycott the Superbowl?
Kaepernick was not boycotting or protesting Football

.

Prince did his thing with a song like Baltimore, that was his expression.

Just as Prince used his global platform to convene the Rally 4 Peace in Baltimore, Colin Kaepernick chose to use his NFL platform to protest police killings of unarmed Black and brown people by not standing for the national anthem before football games. As Kaepernick said, “[I’m] not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”

Prince also famously wrote a song named after the city to protest the police killing of Freddie Gray. And, all you have to do is listen to "America"...and watch the video, with the red, black, and green Black Liberation flag--adopted by Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in 1920--hanging in the background to understand that Prince understood well the plight of Black people in America.

As I stated earlier, Prince's activism is well-known and he understood that police killings are a BIG problem in this country. That's why he wrote "Baltimore." And, remember Philando Castile whose fiance videotaped his slaughter by a St. Paul, Minnesota police officer on July 6, 2016.

the Rally 4 Peace was a rally 4 peace, not a protest. It was a concert, where people paid to see Prince.

The song America is not a racial thing, Prince said it was 'patriotic' the video displayed Flags from across the world. I'm assuming you are talking about the Nice France 1985 video?

Prince's 'activism' is only known post death because people talked about him donating money. I also did not know until post death that he did concerts for handicapped children.

We should not put more into Prince than what it was. There are enough political activists out there.

When did Colin start 'his' individual protests? was Prince alive? Did Prince say or do anything in connection with it? In his whole career, has he taken part in a 'boycott or protest'?
No. As of April 2016 Prince is no longer alive. This life is over.

OldFriends4Sale said:

FlyOnTheWall said:

Just as Prince used his global platform to convene the Rally 4 Peace in Baltimore, Colin Kaepernick chose to use his NFL platform to protest police killings of unarmed Black and brown people by not standing for the national anthem before football games. As Kaepernick said, “[I’m] not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”

Prince also famously wrote a song named after the city to protest the police killing of Freddie Gray. And, all you have to do is listen to "America"...and watch the video, with the red, black, and green Black Liberation flag--adopted by Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in 1920--hanging in the background to understand that Prince understood well the plight of Black people in America.

As I stated earlier, Prince's activism is well-known and he understood that police killings are a BIG problem in this country. That's why he wrote "Baltimore." And, remember Philando Castile whose fiance videotaped his slaughter by a St. Paul, Minnesota police officer on July 6, 2016.

the Rally 4 Peace was a rally 4 peace, not a protest. It was a concert, where people paid to see Prince.

The song America is not a racial thing, Prince said it was 'patriotic' the video displayed Flags from across the world. I'm assuming you are talking about the Nice France 1985 video?

Prince's 'activism' is only known post death because people talked about him donating money. I also did not know until post death that he did concerts for handicapped children.

We should not put more into Prince than what it was. There are enough political activists out there.

When did Colin start 'his' individual protests? was Prince alive? Did Prince say or do anything in connection with it? In his whole career, has he taken part in a 'boycott or protest'?
No. As of April 2016 Prince is no longer alive. This life is over.

I could have sworn that the R4P in Baltimore was staged to raise awareness of the police killing of Freddie Gray. He even asked that everyone "wear something gray" to honor Freddie Gray and according to a statement released by LiveNation, “As a symbolic message of our shared humanity and love for one another, attendees are invited to wear something gray in tribute to all those recently lost in the violence.”

Why does that not qualify as a protest rally? In the article, "Listen: Prince posts 'Baltimore' protest song ahead of peace rally," the Los Angeles Times referred to "Baltimore" as a "protest song"...because, well, it's a protest song.

With regard to "America," yes, I'm referring to the to the Nice 1985 live performance, which happens to be the song's Official Video. If you would, please point out the time stamps during that almost 10-minute video when "the video displayed flags from across the world." I'll wait. The only flag I see is the RBG Black Liberation Flag with a few stars added in the upper right corner.

Lastly, you say that "we should not put more into Prince than what it was." I would counter that by saying that we should not try to erase or minimize what was. Colin Kaepernick's stand against police killings of Black people and other people of color did not become world news until the 2017 NFL season; however, Prince wrote Baltimore and staged the RF4 benefit concert in May 2015, for the very same reason, less than a year before his passing.

As I stated in the OP, I would like to think Prince would not reward the NFL for their banishment of Colin Kaepernick because he chose to use his NFL platform, just as he did with his music, to raise awareness of police murders of unarmed Black people.

[Edited 1/17/18 18:44pm]

OldFriends4Sale said:

FlyOnTheWall said:

Kaepernick said, “[I’m] not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” The NFL chose, for all intents and purposes, to end his career because of his stand against police killings of unarmed Black men, women, and children.

But the protest was not the NFL, Kaepernick, after he got up off his knee, played football.

So why would Prince boycott the Superbowl.

Not to mention, Kaepernicks career was iffy before the take a knee protests.

This excerpt from the article, "Yes, It’s Strange That Colin Kaepernick Doesn’t Have A Deal Yet" addresses the faulty reasoning in your statement above.

Last season, Kaepernick posted a QBR of 55.2 — which is not great (he ranked 23rd out of 30 qualified passers) but also not terrible. (The NFL-wide average QBR was 61.3.) You can see on the chart that Lee’s theory is credible: It’s hard to find a recent free-agent QB who played at Kaepernick’s level and lasted so long on the market the next offseason. Matt Leinart (2012) and Kyle Orton (2014) signed nearly 50 days into their free agency, but neither had played much the year before. Michael Vick wasn’t signed for 169 days in 2015, but he was also older and coming off a season (39.4 QBR) far worse than Kaepernick’s 2016...Since 1966, only one under-30 quarterback has had as good a year as Kaepernick’s 2016 yet gone unsigned the next year. Read More...

[Edited 1/17/18 18:42pm]

Genesia said:

laytonian said:

Do you seriously believe he'd have boycotted the Super Bowl game if his all-time favorite team was playing in his beloved city? Hell no. He'd have participated in the halftime show.

This.

Agreed.

FlyOnTheWall said:

Since Prince's untimely passing, we have learned much about his quiet activism. Already, we know that he opened his final studio album with "Baltimore," which was his protest song about Freddy Gray's death while in the custody of the Baltimore Police. Of course, he also held a benefit concert in Baltimore, billing it the Rally 4 Peace (R4P). In his "Baltimore" anthem, first heard publicly at the R4P, he also mentioned Michael Brown, another unarmed Black man who was killed by a "peace" officer in Ferguson, MO.

There was also the murder of Philando Castile on July 6, 2016, in St. Paul, Minnesota, just 11 weeks after Prince's passing, which caused me to wonder tearfully, "What would Prince have done to try to help and to further shine a light on the problem?"

In view of all this, I like to think that Prince would have found a way to support Colin Kaepernick and his courageous stand against the rampant police killings of unarmed Black (and brown) men, women and children--which has seemingly cost him his football career--including boycotting the NFL...and the Superbowl, even though it is being held in his beloved Minneapolis.

What say you? Do you think Prince would have consented to play at the Superbowl, in essence crossing the picket line...or would he have taken a principled stand, as did Jay-Z, and refuse to perform at the NFL extravaganza??

[Edited 1/17/18 8:28am]

Wow, I didn't even know Jay-Z had turned the SB halftime show down! haha Who knows what P would have done, nobody would have known but him and he's not here to tell us. U got people on here saying he would and that he wouldn't. But P tended to do the opposite what majority of people thought he should be doing if u check his history.

Astasheiks said:

FlyOnTheWall said:

Since Prince's untimely passing, we have learned much about his quiet activism. Already, we know that he opened his final studio album with "Baltimore," which was his protest song about Freddy Gray's death while in the custody of the Baltimore Police. Of course, he also held a benefit concert in Baltimore, billing it the Rally 4 Peace (R4P). In his "Baltimore" anthem, first heard publicly at the R4P, he also mentioned Michael Brown, another unarmed Black man who was killed by a "peace" officer in Ferguson, MO.

There was also the murder of Philando Castile on July 6, 2016, in St. Paul, Minnesota, just 11 weeks after Prince's passing, which caused me to wonder tearfully, "What would Prince have done to try to help and to further shine a light on the problem?"

In view of all this, I like to think that Prince would have found a way to support Colin Kaepernick and his courageous stand against the rampant police killings of unarmed Black (and brown) men, women and children--which has seemingly cost him his football career--including boycotting the NFL...and the Superbowl, even though it is being held in his beloved Minneapolis.

What say you? Do you think Prince would have consented to play at the Superbowl, in essence crossing the picket line...or would he have taken a principled stand, as did Jay-Z, and refuse to perform at the NFL extravaganza??

[Edited 1/17/18 8:28am]

Wow, I didn't even know Jay-Z had turned the SB halftime show down! haha Who knows what P would have done, nobody would have known but him and he's not here to tell us. U got people on here saying he would and that he wouldn't. But P tended to do the opposite what majority of people thought he should be doing if u check his history.

Thank you for your reasoned response. Yes, as quiet as it's kept Jay-Z reportedly turned down the offer to perform at this year's Super Bowl. You can read about it in the article, "Jay-Z Turns Down Offer to Perform at 2018 Super Bowl." Here is an excerpt:

The rap mogul turned down the coveted halftime spot for next year’s Super Bowl, which boasts past shows from the likes of Missy Elliot, Janet Jackson and his wife Beyoncé. The Sun Newspaper quoted an “insider” close to Jigga as saying that, “He really has no plans to do the half-time show,” in reference to the Super Bowl performance in Minneapolis next year.

Last week, Jay showed his solidarity with ousted NFLer Colin Kaepernick by shouting him out during his stage performance in NYC.

Could this be Jay’s way of supporting the NFL boycott after the booting of Kaepernick and Ezekiel? Read More...

OldFriends4Sale said:

Not to mention, Kaepernicks career was iffy before the take a knee protests.

.

Kaepernick is plenty better than numerous players who did get a job this year.

Astasheiks said:

BartVanHemelen said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Not to mention, Kaepernicks career was iffy before the take a knee protests.

.

Kaepernick is plenty better than numerous players who did get a job this year.

well that can be said about a lot of people lol there is always someone worse

his career though was still iffy

this topic really is ...nowhere

OldFriends4Sale said:

BartVanHemelen said:

.

Kaepernick is plenty better than numerous players who did get a job this year.

well that can be said about a lot of people lol there is always someone worse

his career though was still iffy

this topic really is ...nowhere

"Iffy"??? Colin Kaepernick is still young. There is no telling what he might have accomplished had his career not been taken away because he dared shine a light on state-sanctioned police killings of unarmed Black people in America. In only his second year in the NFL, he led the San Francisco 49ers to the Superbowl in 2013. That alone guaranteed that his name would be part of NFL history. And, although the 49ers lost, the young quarterback received very laudatory reviews for the game. Here is an excerpt of one such article, and it's headline:

Colin Kaepernick turned in an impressive performance in the Super Bowl on Sunday night, albeit in defeat. The future is bright for the 49ers.

Colin Kaepernick couldn't fully lead the San Francisco 49ers back from a 22-point deficit against the Baltimore Ravens during Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday, but his performance in the game should make Niners fans very excited about the future. The second-year quarterback went 16-for-28 passing for 302 yards and a touchdown, and added 62 yards and another score on the ground against a fired-up Ravens defense.

Kaepernick's numbers put him in good company. He and former 49ers quarterback Joe Montana are the only two signal callers to pass for more than 300 yards and run for more than 50 in a Super Bowl. Read More...

Do you follow football?

If not for Colin taking on a cause you support would you even know about him and his career?

FlyOnTheWall said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Colin Kaepernick turned in an impressive performance in the Super Bowl on Sunday night, albeit in defeat. The future is bright for the 49ers.

Colin Kaepernick couldn't fully lead the San Francisco 49ers back from a 22-point deficit against the Baltimore Ravens during Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday, but his performance in the game should make Niners fans very excited about the future. The second-year quarterback went 16-for-28 passing for 302 yards and a touchdown, and added 62 yards and another score on the ground against a fired-up Ravens defense.

Kaepernick's numbers put him in good company. He and former 49ers quarterback Joe Montana are the only two signal callers to pass for more than 300 yards and run for more than 50 in a Super Bowl. Read More...

OldFriends4Sale said:

Do you follow football?

If not for Colin taking on a cause you support would you even know about him and his career?

FlyOnTheWall said:

Not that it matters, but I'm glad you asked. Yes, I DO know football. I don't watch it like I used to, especially during this year of the boycott, but I know the game.

BartVanHemelen said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Not to mention, Kaepernicks career was iffy before the take a knee protests.

.

Kaepernick is plenty better than numerous players who did get a job this year.

Latin said:

For those who may not have seen it, here is Prince's music video to his protest song "Baltimore". It was posted on YouTube by Eryn Allen Kane: https://m.youtube.com/wat...ieZB0Ab7xk

Thanks, Latin!! It is a POWERFUL protest song...and video.