When did the new race of not fully black start? This is news to me and quite frankly it is news to this country. Historically if you black mixed with anything you were still considerd black. I guess with the advent fo Mariah Carey and Tiger Woods this became a non issue with the pop loving crowd.
I say all that to say this. It is unfair to write off Prince's affair with Vanity and Susan with the statement that 'they are not fully black.' That is foolish and until recently has never done anyone with any black heratige any good. Honestly are we supposed to look at Vanity as white now? What about Halle Berry and Alicia Keys? All of those women would tell you in a heartbeat that they are black and actually they have every chance that they have gotten. See when you have mixed ancestry life can be very confusing. Not really for you but for everyone else around you. I am not bi racial but I am close. My mom on the other hand is a healthy mix of Italian and Panamanian and looks white. In a heart beat she will tell you that she is black. Now if you want to discuss heratige she will tell you that, but for the quick answer she is black. That is how I view Vanity, Susan etc.
Also I believe Mani is Itallian right? If that is the case then depending where her family is from (and from the looks of it I will say southern Italy) Mani like many Italians probably has an dark African bloodline in her.
Peace

laylow03 said:

I agree completely with your responses but I take issue with one point, that being:
"I have always been bothered by the fact that Prince doesn't seem to showcase black women much throughout his career."

Now this is not true. Let's be clear. Prince may not be kickin' it romantically with the darker sisters but one thing is certain, when it comes to "showcasing black women" with real talent he's always done that. Just look at Cat Glover, Bonnie Boyer, Kat Dyson, Rosie Gaines, Jevetta Steele, etc. Prince has always had sisters with real skills in his bands and on his records. Now when he wants some arm candy he sho will go with the "exotic" beauty. But he ain't that crazy. He knows that when it's time to put in some real work he can count on a sista to get it done and well!

For me, one of the best things about the Emancipation period was that he had Kat Dyson, a dark sister, rocking braids playing guitar in NPG. Whaaaaat??? That was mad cool and earned him more of my respect (if that's possible).

Furthermore, this whole light-skin vs. dark-skin shit is very trivial. What's more important to me is that he has always, consistently featured women in his groups in ways that no other rock/funk/r&b/any other genre group ever has before or since. Before Sheila E., could any of you imagine a woman as physically beautiful as her killing some drums the way she does. She was the best thing on that sorry-ass Divas special on VH1.

From Wendy & Lisa, Sheila, Kat, Candy, to Rhonda, to me Prince has always proven his respect and admiration of ALL women regardless of COLOR in the most important way, by putting them on a stage with him which tells the world that these chicks are sooo superbad in their own right that they deserve to be on a stage with Prince. That's much more meaningful and significant to me and lots of little girls who want to play music than who he's sleeping with.

chiltonmusic said:

Obviously you haven't been deep into your american history concerning "blacks", there was a time when there was a separation according to skin color, hence the word "colored" reserved for those of mixed origins prior to the Civil War, in some states those of "colored" descent were considered on the higher ring of the totem pole over "blacks". Ever heard of the "paper bag" theory, a whole highly successful community was built around that theory, after seeing pictures of P's parents, I have to wonder was he raised with that theory too, perhaps it was big part of his upbringing. Since the 60s being colored was a bad thing , perhaps because of its historical connections, that's when we were all known as black, but the lasting affects still lingers in our communities today. Noting that most of the women he has been seriously involved with tend to look like him, regardless of their racial origins, it seems to still lingers in him too. Makes sense to me, now if he looked like Wesley Snipes...well...too much to say about that. It would be nice if we lived in a perfect world where all was equal, but it ain't, so we all deal with it the best we know how, including P and IMHO I think he's handling it very well, better than most. I for one can appreciate that.

SCNDLS said:

When I said "showcase" I meant in a romantic sense. Obviously P has had some of the baddest black female talents that ever lived. I'm not talking about that; I am speaking more of in a romantic relationship thing. As for the light-skinned, dark-skinned issue, it STILL is very much of an issue...yes, in this day and age, black people still have yet to conquer this slavery-old demon. However, it's not just a problem that black Americans have; it's all over the world. Ever visit India, Brazil, even Cuba. Everyone has a problem with race and skin color, not just us. It is FAR from a trivial issue...it's still very relevant in many communities of color...along with the good hair/bad hair/nappy hair issue. [I'm a living witness to that.]

goat2004 said:

You're quite right, man. I remember that being a topic of convo with some sisters during the 1980s AND 1990s.

And, shucks, Nona's the only OBVIOUSLY black woman who seems to make the list of familiar Prince girlfriends. Everyone else was either "exotic" or lighter, rendering Nona as much a deviation as the oft-mocked and blond Kim Basinger.

If Prince were to marry Alek Wek (the supermodel from Africa) next week...

laylow03 said:

I agree that the light-skin vs. dark-skin thing is still very much an issue for black folks and America in general (look at how Halle is easily acceptable as a standard for beauty). But I think it's kind of trivial to make assumptions/judgments regarding Prince's love life and aesthetic preferences in women. Does it really matter??? Ain't it about the music, after all?

If Prince were to marry Alek Wek (the supermodel from Africa) next week would that change/alter/impact this issue in the black community? Some how, I doubt it.

I'm not offended by, or even care about, Prince's romantic choices. That's his thing. I'd be more concerned if he did or said something degrading sisters ala Wesley Snipes. Which to my knowledge, Prince has not done.

As for other cultures being colorstruck, that is true to some degree. But I've found, being a black Latina myself, that these cultures are often more concerned with a person's place in the caste/class system rather than the shade of their skin.

SCNDLS said:

That would be wicked funny 'cuase you know he'd come up to her knees or some shit. talk about opposites! he probably spend more time on his hair, too.



she is stunning though.

You're aboslutely, 100% right!!! It's all about the music at the end of the day. Still, it's interesting to muse about these banalities every once in a while...LOL!

fredericdoug said:

Patterson is a maximum security prison in Alabama...prince was jailed in '77 for prostitution and racketeering....thats where he met Bobby, and prison is where her learned how 2 hit those high notes.

chiltonmusic said:

Obviously you haven't been deep into your american history concerning "blacks", there was a time when there was a separation according to skin color, hence the word "colored" reserved for those of mixed origins prior to the Civil War, in some states those of "colored" descent were considered on the higher ring of the totem pole over "blacks". Ever heard of the "paper bag" theory, a whole highly successful community was built around that theory, after seeing pictures of P's parents, I have to wonder was he raised with that theory too, perhaps it was big part of his upbringing. Since the 60s being colored was a bad thing , perhaps because of its historical connections, that's when we were all known as black, but the lasting affects still lingers in our communities today. Noting that most of the women he has been seriously involved with tend to look like him, regardless of their racial origins, it seems to still lingers in him too. Makes sense to me, now if he looked like Wesley Snipes...well...too much to say about that. It would be nice if we lived in a perfect world where all was equal, but it ain't, so we all deal with it the best we know how, including P and IMHO I think he's handling it very well, better than most. I for one can appreciate that.