With Prince's latest bizarre escapade (asking people to send certain cds to him) fresh on my mind, I started to reflect on what a joke this man has become. I have bought every officially released Prince album since "For You" and became an out and out fan with the release of "Dirty Mind" back in 1980. No other artist has given me as much music to enjoy as has Prince over the last 25 years. That said, it sickens me what Prince has done to his legacy. When you see shows ranking Icons, albums, songs, etc., Prince always seems to be a lot further down than I feel he should be. While Michael, Madonna and Bruce still get props, Prince is like the crazy uncle that nobody remembers until his name is brought up. Then it's like, "Oh yea, whatever happened to him?" Back in the late 80's I remember thinking Prince would be thought of as the "Elvis" of our generation. Not that I think Elvis can touch Prince musically or creatively but that Prince would be an Icon to our generation as Elvis was with our parents generation. Well, that hasn't happened and the question is why. IMO it's because Prince himself has stopped if from happening. His bad decisions are too many to list but the real question I have is, is he trying to sabotage his own career subconsciously? Does he have low self-esteem and/or hate himself to the point he can't stand success? As strange as this sounds, there are people like this. This could explain the vulnerability to various religious teachings. Many people with lower self-esteem are drawn into some-what cultish faiths easier than others. Another reason could be, that he gets off on the trip to the top but gets board once he's there. Whatever the reason, I now realize, Prince will always be somewhat of a "what-could-have-been" story instead of the true Icon he was meant to be. The shit is sad really.
[This message was edited Fri Jul 25 10:03:57 PDT 2003 by intha916]

Does he have an addiction to unhappiness? Children copy parents because they are their mentors and children trust them perfectly. Therefore chidren who are made miserable by their parents subconsciously believe that misery is what they are meant to feel. As adults they will take subconscious measures to sabotage their efforts in order to maintain this misery that their parents showed them. Prince's career fits this perfectly. I don't know him from a bar of soap but this may well be the case.

Interesting point you raise. One thing's for sure, they would have a field day with Prince in therapy. The cats mos def has some issues.

It really blow my mind how folks in here talk about the brotha as if they were the bug on his studio-wall,,,whew!

Misconceptioning is what he always have gone through to this day since the jump off(this thread and millions of others are the example of what I'm talking about) it will be likely the case till he die and be finished.

Oh well!

I have been one of P's biggest defenders over the years. But looking back at the big picture, you have to admit Prince has done some destructive shit to his legacy. I was only asking people what they think the reasons are. Hell it could be he's just not too bright but it seems a little deeper than that to me.

I'm not defending him, that ain't my jop. I'm just expressing my opinion just like the rest o' ya'll.

Prince has skeleton in his closet? Who doesn't?

intha916 said:

Hey intha,
I disagree with you. I don't think he's done anything to damage his "legacy". If he isn't rated as high as a Michael Jackson or a Madonna, by our pop culture, what's the big diff?

True, a lot of things he's done have been damaging to his image in the popular media, and to the number of albums he's sold, but for the most part, it seems that he's done it out of a need to express himself creatively, not out of a need to sabotage himself.

His legacy will be appreciated by those who appreciate his music. That's all any artist can ask. I think.

Harlepolis said:

My post was a little tongue-in-cheek. Of course I don't know a thing about Prince personally.

sabaisabai said:

I'm sorry if you thought I was directing my reply at you, I was only talking in general terms, thats all.

But then again I'm glad you cleared that up

Prince lives in Prince land, he does thing his way, and his way doesn't jive with other people. Doing things his way makes him happy, so he will continue to do things his way.

As far as him being ranked on lists and such, he was, and always will be, the underdog, I actually find it sad that people hold these lists in such high regards, the people that make these lists are the same people going around calling j-lo and ashanti divas,
[This message was edited Sat Jul 26 1:34:24 PDT 2003 by lovebizzare]

I don't know Prince personally. So, whatever goes on in his life is his business.
"Does he have low-self esteem?, Is he depressed?,etc."
All that matters to me is the way in which he performs and composes his music. As long as he sings with conviction and its all coming from the heart, I don't care what religious beliefs he holds. That's why I am giving TRC a chance again. I find that TRC disappointed me at first because I had certain expectations about it. Though I disapprove of some of the things he sings about, I can now listen to it without judging and personalizing his statements. It is not like listening to Rasputina's "Cabin Fever." Rasputina is a very bitter group and the music sounds like a blender at times. Mealora (the band's leader) makes no mystery that she writes depressing music and that she experiences mood swings in an interview I read in her official website. I am a very sensitive person, and I can feel the difference when an artist remains positive. Though sometimes Prince is not entirely positive like in the album "Rave", I don't feel down when I listen to it.