Prince is not a young man anymore. He looks like one - but he isnt. He is not exactly old either but there is an undeniable level of maturity and wisdom that we all reach as we age. The difference between us and someone like Prince is that our growth is not a matter of public record and notice.

This personal and artistic change is even more interesting when it occurs in an cultural icon and trendsetter. Any deviation from the persona that made Prince famous will always been seen as transgression - especially by the media and the music industry. If Prince is not doing what is expected of Prince (expectations based on the past; not the future) then the common line on him is that he has lost it or he does not sell this many records anymore or does not get that much airplay like he used to. Alas, much of this conjecture is indeed based on the actual facts at hand. It, however, neglects to take the entire picture in its full depth and breadth.

Today, we see Prince striking out as an artist and as one of the greatest performers of all time. Its a feeling that is not unlike what we felt when the world started to realize who he was over 20 years ago. Only something is different now. The brazen young rebel that made the girls scream is gone. In his place is an introspective veteran of show business. He has won awards and accolades, made films, produced entire careers, played to millions all over the world, endured crisis, fought battles, reinvented himself, and basically thrilled us all the way through to this day.

Prince refuses to do the buck dance to the tune that the masters of the music business play for everyone. While maintaining a leary connection to them, Prince has managed to grow and move in new directions almost at will. As a result, he gets some criticism. Innovative projects like Xpectation and NEWS get eschewed as tripe by many. Prince has seen this before and has overcome it every time. That is why we saw him score a major victory on the Grammies doing classic Purple Rain music with a singer who was a 3 years old when it was first released. He has taken different directions and constantly tried new things yet he has not succombed to trends or fads that were beneath him. If it meant not being on the Top 40, so be it. It is artistic courage like this that has always garnered my admiration for Prince. It is why he is Prince.

Now, with Musicology, we can see a emphasis on those things that will last and endure just as Prince has. He talked of real music on the Tonight Show last night. We heard his real music. It was old and new. It was the coolest artist since Miles Davis settling comfortably into what he knows gets the job done; what he knows that no one else can do.
[This message was edited Fri Feb 27 9:09:13 2004 by NPGLOVER]
[This message was edited Fri Feb 27 9:09:43 2004 by NPGLOVER]
[This message was edited Fri Feb 27 11:33:30 2004 by NPGLOVER]
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[This message was edited Fri Feb 27 11:38:29 2004 by NPGLOVER]

Nicely put!

Did someone say "Aging with....



..???"

jtgillia said:

co-sign

.
[Edited 4/24/17 0:16am]

Prlnce is and will alway B ahead of the game! and B !

Anxiety said:

warm....leatherette....

Great post. For me watching Prince's career is like watching the unfolding of an epic film or story. Full of twists and turns. If everyone would just relax and enjoy the voyage they would be happier. Release your xpectations. The only constant in Prince's career has been change. Like it or not think of the diverse art he has created just here at the start of the century. TRC, Xpectation, NEWS, RAVE, the high tracks, ONA piano, ONA live and now Musicology. That is a wildly diverse and creative body of work. When the hype recedes and his physical form disapears. His body of work will take on a greater importance than we can see in this moment.

CreoleFreak said:

You just never know when she's going to appear.

Anxiety said:

She's not perfect. But she's perfect for you.

You know during the 90's Prince produced a lot of poppy/ R&B/ rap created for the masses. And he usually failed miserably, making it the worst era of his carreer so far. And it wasn't even in the WB days when he produced the worst commercialised music, but in the post Emancipation days.

Despite that I agree in principle with your post, that should tell you something about what kind of artist Prince really is. It isn't all that great as you make it to be.

Anxiety said:

Who's this nightmare woman?

bluelight said:

LOLLLLL

thats Grace Jones..thats why they said aging with Grace

Anxiety said:

To NPGlover: I'm not saying that they are awful or anything but what is innovative about Xpectation or N.E.W.S.? It may be different for Prince but I don't hear anything new that no other artsit has ever done before. Isn't that the definition of innovation?