I have noticed that more and more artists seem to be doing the kind of work that Prince did to become a highly respected genius. I am not here to argue if he is still doing that caliber of work - the hostility of opinion is not worth the inevitable attacks that come with such speculation in this forum. I am talking about artists that strike me the way Prince did with groundbreaking, genre smashing, envelope-pushing creations that no one had the courage or the imagination to try.

While none reach the levels that Prince did, several are making it much more interesting today. All owe Prince as an influence. My list includes:

Meshell Ndegoocello

Van Hunt

DAngelo

Sananda Maitreya

André 3000.

FUNKYNESS said:

I have noticed that more and more artists seem to be doing the kind of work that Prince did to become a highly respected genius. I am not here to argue if he is still doing that caliber of work - the hostility of opinion is not worth the inevitable attacks that come with such speculation in this forum. I am talking about artists that strike me the way Prince did with groundbreaking, genre smashing, envelope-pushing creations that no one had the courage or the imagination to try.

While none reach the levels that Prince did, several are making it much more interesting today. All owe Prince as an influence. My list includes:

Meshell Ndegoocello

Van Hunt

DAngelo

Sananda Maitreya

Nothing "cutting edge" in there. Great musicians all but sorry, not much is "edgy" today because all the envelopes were pushed long ago.

Aerogram said:

FUNKYNESS said:

I have noticed that more and more artists seem to be doing the kind of work that Prince did to become a highly respected genius. I am not here to argue if he is still doing that caliber of work - the hostility of opinion is not worth the inevitable attacks that come with such speculation in this forum. I am talking about artists that strike me the way Prince did with groundbreaking, genre smashing, envelope-pushing creations that no one had the courage or the imagination to try.

While none reach the levels that Prince did, several are making it much more interesting today. All owe Prince as an influence. My list includes:

Meshell Ndegoocello

Van Hunt

DAngelo

Sananda Maitreya

Nothing "cutting edge" in there. Great musicians all but sorry, not much is "edgy" today because all the envelopes were pushed long ago.

ah....right...that would mean more if you heard Sananda's latest work

[Edited 9/20/15 17:10pm]

dadeepop said:

André 3000.

hmmmm.. of the people mentioned I like them all.. Sananda's aesthetic has never really drawn me in tbh. But theyre all great musicians and artists (and to me Meshel is the best of them.. just my personal preference), but the difference of all of them with Prince is that Prince writes stuff that's really just more catchy. Stuff that just stays with you for a long time. He's extremely out there and pop at the same time. The other's listed are talented as hell but I never find myself waking up singing their songs. So maybe its just an apples and oranges thing.

Aerogram said:

FUNKYNESS said:

I have noticed that more and more artists seem to be doing the kind of work that Prince did to become a highly respected genius. I am not here to argue if he is still doing that caliber of work - the hostility of opinion is not worth the inevitable attacks that come with such speculation in this forum. I am talking about artists that strike me the way Prince did with groundbreaking, genre smashing, envelope-pushing creations that no one had the courage or the imagination to try.

While none reach the levels that Prince did, several are making it much more interesting today. All owe Prince as an influence. My list includes:

Meshell Ndegoocello

Van Hunt

DAngelo

Sananda Maitreya

Nothing "cutting edge" in there. Great musicians all but sorry, not much is "edgy" today because all the envelopes were pushed long ago.

An interesting comment. I've thought similarly from time to time, but have always retreated from the notion. That there's little new ground to cover is actually kind of sad.

I'm not sure whether I believe this or that we've simply created an industry that so rewards banality that the task of innovation simply isn't worth it.

[Edited 9/22/15 19:19pm]

NOPE.

None of those artists are cutting edge.

Talented, yes. Cutting edge, no.

And by the way, Prince is not the emperor of "Cutting Edge".

Aerogram said:

Nothing "cutting edge" in there. Great musicians all but sorry, not much is "edgy" today because all the envelopes were pushed long ago.

I agree with this.It's impossible for any artist to be "cutting edge" in 2015.Everything has been done before.I always say that the 80s was the last truly innovative decade for music.I don't hear much of anything that's edgy now.

SoulAlive said:

Aerogram said:

Nothing "cutting edge" in there. Great musicians all but sorry, not much is "edgy" today because all the envelopes were pushed long ago.

I agree with this.It's impossible for any artist to be "cutting edge" in 2015.Everything has been done before.I always say that the 80s was the last truly innovative decade for music.I don't hear much of anything that's edgy now.

Maybe it's just that we are all old now

I am sure there is edgy new stuff out there, just we don't know about it...

From your comment I guess you were a teenager in the 80s, and everything was fresh back then

Probably our parents didn't think the 80s had much to offer which was not there before

That's the nature of pop music, always re-inventing itself...

But to contribute, I thought The Weeknd was very edgy when he released his stuff for free, and I like his new record - pop and out there freaky at the same time. Same holds true for FKA Twigs, weird stuff me thinks, cutting edge.

SoulAlive said:

Aerogram said:

Nothing "cutting edge" in there. Great musicians all but sorry, not much is "edgy" today because all the envelopes were pushed long ago.

I agree with this.It's impossible for any artist to be "cutting edge" in 2015.Everything has been done before.I always say that the 80s was the last truly innovative decade for music.I don't hear much of anything that's edgy now.

To some extent, it is always relative to what there is at any given time - and what there was. It doesnt take as much to be cutting edge in 2015 as it once did. Thus, we have over glorified charlatans like Beyonce, Justin Beiber, Nicki Manj, Kanye West, and just about every single rapper who has any amount of notoriety. With little to no knowledge or respect for what came before them - and what made their very existence possible - this generation is truly lost in the nadir.

MotorBootyAffair said:

NOPE.

None of those artists are cutting edge.

Talented, yes. Cutting edge, no.

And by the way, Prince is not the emperor of "Cutting Edge".

Great. THis is why used the terms "my list". To each his own - you think I am wrong, I thin you aren't as smart as me. Live on.

And by the way, I cant see where anyone actualy wrote that Prince was the emporer of cutting edge. But maybe I just missed it.

SoulAlive said:

Aerogram said:

Nothing "cutting edge" in there. Great musicians all but sorry, not much is "edgy" today because all the envelopes were pushed long ago.

I agree with this.It's impossible for any artist to be "cutting edge" in 2015.Everything has been done before.I always say that the 80s was the last truly innovative decade for music.I don't hear much of anything that's edgy now.

Meshel's "The World has made me the man of my dreams" was cutting edge, but everything since then sounds nice but it was a step back from the wildness of that album.