I’m hurting today. This incredibly heavy grief that I’m feeling right now is one I haven’t felt in about four years. It’s one that I told myself that I would be prepared for next time around. But then again, you never can really prepare for the loss of one of your heroes, can you? This feeling I have is how I felt when Whitney passed. Her death is something I still mourn to this day. When Michael left us, it was devastating, and I was depressed for months. As upsetting as their departures were, there was something always in me that knew they would leave us much sooner than we all wanted them to.

But Prince…

This one is different. There was something in you that made me feel like you were invincible. I thought that there was no way that the universe would be cruel enough to take you away after calling both Whitney and Michael home. There was no way that all three of you would be gone. In all of your glory, all of your glamour, you lived the latter years of your life avoiding the perils that befell your musical brother and sister. You spent them doing what you did best. Performing the songs that made us all fall in love with you. You spent your final moments with us. Not out of obligation, but out of the pure love of your craft. You did everything right. I say that not in judgement of anyone in particular, but in praise of you. And yet here we are yet again. With the same heavy hearts we’ve borne twice before, we reel from your loss, and speak about you in past tense.

When I was asked to pen a tribute to you, I was unsure of what to say. To merely spew facts about your life in an obituary seemed heartless. I could have done a countdown of your best work, but in the few hours that have passed since we got the news, I’ve already seen five of them. The way I figured, was that the best way to pay you tribute was to just say thank you.

Thank you for validating all of the kids who were a little strange. For making us all feel like we were the beautiful ones, just like you were and will always be. Especially us young, black children.

Thank you for showing artists that the music industry is whatever you make of it. You showed us that bowing down and making do with whatever we were given wasn’t optional. You empowered us to OWN our art and be compensated for it fairly.

Thank you for going into any and everything you did with the utmost professionalism. You gave the younger kids something to both fear and aspire to.

Thank you for your ability to appeal to many. You never forgot where you came from, but also refused to be defined by it. You weren’t a woman or a man. You were you, unapologetically.

Thank you for your giving spirit. Thank you for remaining true to your people. You owned and embraced your blackness with open arms, regardless of your appeal to everyone. You were so damn woke, Prince.

Thank you for fashion. For high heeled boots, perfect eyeliner, and for THOSE pants. You know which ones I’m talking about. You were indeed, one Sexy Muthafucka.

Thank you for your sense of humor. Throwing shade never looked so good.

Thank you for music. For the hundreds, upon hundreds of songs you’ve left for us. Even if we don’t hear them all, I know that they all were crafted and molded in love.

Most of all…

Thank you for sharing your life with us. The legacy and impact you’ve left behind will remain on this earth until the end of time.

On behalf of your beautiful ones, the ones that feared to be different, but suffocated at the idea of normality, I thank you, Prince. I thank God for you. I only hope that you received the same love you gave. May you forever rest in power and purple.

All of my love,

Jordan

The post From The Beautiful Ones: A Letter to Prince appeared first on THE 97.

Though he was already an indomitable musical force, by 1986, Prince Rogers Nelson was at a crossroads. Two years removed from the gargantuan success of Purple Rain, music journalists were rather indifferent towards his follow-up album, 1985’s Around The World in A Day. While critical response towards his next album, 1986’s Parade fared much better, the catastrophic failure of the album’s accompanying film, Under The Cherry Moon loomed negatively over the era. Further complicating matters was a fractious relationship with then fiancé Susannah Melvoin, and increasingly volatile relations with his backing band The Revolution. It is often said that the greatest examples of art are bred from chaos and pain, and with the dissolution of his associations with Melvoin and The Revolution,  the result formed into what was easily the greatest album of Prince’s career, 1987’s double album, Sign o’ the Times.

“In France a skinny man died of a big disease with a little name…”

Sign o’ the Times is among the most eclectic and consistent of Prince’s catalog, and showcases his voracious creativity. It is at certain points seductive, childlike, serious, and introspective, and bends the social constructs of gender, class and time. In the midst of all the different themes of the album, the work still manages to remain funky and engaging. Starting with the sociopolitical title track of the same name, we find Prince muse about the global impact of AIDS (which at that time was still very new and feared). He also touches the widespread effect of drugs on inner cities, the lack of governmental intervention towards the rise of gang violence, and the need for anti-gun legislation. Thematically, the song is quite reminiscent of Gil Scott Heron’s “Whitey On the Moon,” in which like Heron, Prince uses his words to illustrate the frustration towards the lack of prioritization towards fixing the poverty issue in America.

Like he does in “Times,” the track “The Cross” draws upon inspiration from the world to address the themes of class; this time, in relation to the idea that at the end of the day, God saves all, regardless of who or what you are. The fact that this song was written far before his conversion to the Jehovah’s Witnesses is representative of his ever-present spirituality, and connection to a Higher Power.

“Tell me who in this house know about the quake?”

At its core, Sign o’ The Times truly blurs the concept of genre, as it is as much of a funk record, as it is a rock record, and an r&b album. The project displayed Prince’s voracious need to create, while simultaneously producing high quality tracks that are simply timeless. Deep cuts such as “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker”, the James Brown inspired bop, “Housequake”, the funky track “Hot Thing”, the quirky “Starfish & Coffee,” and the Sheena Easton assisted, “U Got The Look,” are true masterpieces that have lived far beyond the time period in which they were created. The execution of the double album is truly seamless; the irony in that being that originally, the content was created for three separate projects. Prior to the dissolution of The Revolution, Prince simultaneously worked on three different albums; the heavily Wendy and Lisa involved Dream Factory, the concept album, Camille, (which was to be released under a female alter ego of the same name), and Crystal Ball, which was eventually released as a triple album in 1998. The fact that the all the album’s tracks, in their varied origins, congealed so well together is such a testament to Prince’s sublime talent. Instrumentally, the record featured Prince’s newly formed band, (informally known later as the Lovesexy Band).This iteration of his backing crew exceptionally fills the void left by The Revolution, and in my opinion, produced a more sophisticated sound. With contributions by iconic drummer Sheila E, (who also served as musical director), late singer and keyboardist Boni Boyer, guitarist Miko Weaver, and bassist Levi Stevens, this iteration of his crew is my favorite band that Prince worked with. Fight me if you feel otherwise.

“If I was your girlfriend…”

Love was a consistent inspiration for Prince’s music. It was out of love, (more so the many stages of it), that spawned my favorite Prince cut, “If I Was Your Girlfriend.” The song, which played with the idea of gender fluidity long before it became common, finds Prince questioning why his woman can’t have the kind of relationship with him, that she has with her female friends. He lyrically goes as far as to say that if he were a woman, him and his lover would be far happier together. For many, the song is a strange one, as it centralizes around a heterosexual relationship, in spite of the change in gender of the protagonist. Yet, it presents a certain vulnerability that made Prince’s mystique all the more alluring. Another notable track, “Strange Relationship,” was originally conceived as early as 1982, and over the following five years experienced many rewrites and edits. This track, though not as well-known as some his biggest hits, is easily one of the best of his career, as he touches on the toxicity of his relationships, much like the ones he experienced both privately and professionally. Other songs, such as the signature ballad, “Adore”  and “Forever in My Life,” round out the narrative of the album regarding the loves and losses of Prince’s life.

“Eye truly adore you…”

In the wake of Prince’s tragic passing nearly one year ago, the need for nostalgia is more present than ever. While the decision to stream his music on apps such as Apple Music, and Spotify, have left longtime fans understandably angry, the silver lining in this newfound accessibility is the fact that his work can be treasured exponentially more. Whether this accessibility is degrading to his memory is up to personal opinion, however, what is undeniable is the fact that the need to preserve his legacy is needed more now, than ever before. At the end of the day, this album, in all of its imperfect paths to existence, is perfect. It’s a sublime blend of sensitivity, defiance, introspection, and outrospection. 30 years of existence have endeavored to make it all the more endearing, with themes that still apply to the woes of the world of today, and the emotional experiences applicable to everyday life.

Ultimately, it is a labor of love.

Thank you for a funky time, Prince.

Listen Prince’s Sign o’ the Times album:

Read my tribute to Prince:

From The Beautiful Ones: A Letter to Prince

The post Strange Relationship: Prince’s Sign o’ the Times appeared first on THE 97.

We need to talk.

So this morning, I was sipping on my coffee and living my life like it’s golden, when I saw some really aggressive tweets on my Twitter timeline. Never one to neglect the tea, what I saw absolutely shocked me. Right there, in black and white on Slate’s Twitter feed, contained an article with the headline “Why Drake’s VIEWS is 2016’s Purple Rain“.

The five minutes that followed were a daze of rage, irritation, disappointment, and dumbfounded-ness, mixed in with a good workout of my Twitter fingers. After getting over the initial shock of the title, I decided to go ahead and read the actual article, because I refused to believe that a magazine as respected as Slate would publish something so boldly and unbelievably inaccurate. To summarize, the article refers to Drake’s current chart success with his latest album, VIEWS, and compares it to that of Prince’s 1984 album, Purple Rain. Does writer, Chris Molanphy go ahead and say that VIEWS is artistically comparable to Purple Rain? No. What he does, (and I believe marginally well), is describe the effects of streaming on Billboard’s music charts, and how Drake’s album has basically made it next to impossible to be dethroned from the top spot. It’s a well researched piece, and while I may hesitate to compare the sales of Purple Rain to VIEWS simply because of today’s consumer market, I see Molanphy’s points. Now let me tell you why I’m not here for it.

I don’t want to go any further without saying that I don’t take issue with Drake, his artistry, or his album. VIEWS is an absolute BOP, and there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t bump at least one song from it. What I will say, is that as a writer, I get the need for creating catchy and attention grabbing titles for your work. In an age where our attention spans are strewn about in a billion different directions, it’s easy for our work to fall over to the wayside. With Prince’s tragic passing in April, and the various controversies that have arisen as a result, I even understand the allure of wanting to use his name in order to generate website hits. However, I can’t help but feel as though using Prince’s name as clickbait was a cheap move on Slate’s part. Purple Rain is easily one of the greatest albums of the 20th century, and has had a sort of renaissance in the wake of Prince’s death, with its visibility being arguably at its highest since it’s 1984 release. However, what’s more important is that there is a wide emotional connection to the artist himself, that is at a raw and very vulnerable place for his fans, and his loved ones. Frankly, people are still in mourning. Objectively using that vulnerability to garner views, (no pun intended) is not only disrespectful to Prince’s legacy, but in my opinion, detrimental to Slate’s own product, regardless of how well researched and articulate the article was. I also can’t help but feel like if Prince were still alive, that this article would have a very different title. Let’s face it, Prince pulled no punches when it came to comparisons to his work, and wasn’t afraid to shade the girls if he felt slighted in any way. This article’s title is opportunistic at best, and at worst, just a blatant slap  in the face to Prince, Drake, and both of their fanbases.

Simply put, with all due respect Slate, you tried it, and know you wrong.

UPDATE: Since the posting of this article, Slate changed the name of the article to “The Summer of Drake”. However, I held on to my screenshot of the original tweet.

Check out our review of VIEWS here, and our tribute pieces to Prince, here and here.

The post Slate Magazine, You Tried It: Views From the Clickbaited appeared first on THE 97.

Have you ever heard a song and went “hmm that sounds a little bit like Prince!”? If you have, it’s probably because the song in question did and because Prince had his own, distinctive sound.

When he first burst into the music scene in the late 70s, Prince was a teenager but he had already cultivated his incredible talent and put it to work. Despite not finding success with his debut album, For You, it was in 1979 that he broke through. The breezy “I Wanna Be Your Lover” from his self-titled sophomore, became his first hit and put him on the map. The song presented some innovative characteristics that made it fresh in the landscape of R&B, which was dominated at the time by the remnants of Disco and funk. The song had the rhythm of a funky track, but did not feature the classic horn section that embellished the productions of that era. This was a only a sign of what Prince would further develop on his third album, Dirty Mind.

Released in 1980, the album featured a mix of funk, rock, synthpop and new wave. Guitar solos, keyboards and synthesizers replaced the horns of traditional funk; the tempos became faster and the bass less prominent, while drums were more processed than before. All of these elements gave life to the so called “Minneapolis Sound” that Prince ushered into the scene and made influential.

In the early 80s Prince recruited musicians to put together the group The Time, which featured Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and the girl trio Vanity 6, fronted by Vanity. These two groups were intended to be an outlet for his creativity, which led him to compose numerous songs he wouldn’t use for his own projects. The Time never saw big mainstream success, while Vanity 6 released a self-titled album in 1982 spawning the top 10 R&B hit “Nasty Girl” written and produced by Prince himself, a song which has been covered or sampled by a number of artists, including Jazmine Sullivan, who referenced it and the group on “Don’t Make Me Wait” from her 2010 album Love Me Back.  Their success was however short-lived and Vanity decided to pursue a solo career leading to the group being renamed Apollonia 6, after the new lead singer Apollonia. The disbandment of The Time instead led to Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis partnering and becoming one of the most prominent production teams of the 1980s and 1990s.

Harris and Lewis’ work drew a lot from their previous association with Prince. Their extensive use of synthesizers is evident on the top 10 R&B and Dance hit “Didn’t Mean to Turn You On” they produced for Cherrelle, but the biggest example of the influence Prince had on popular music in the 80s is the duo’s work on Janet Jackson’s breakthrough album Control. It’s very easy to hear elements of the Minneapolis sound on songs like “What Have You Done For Me Lately” or “Nasty.” Another former member of The Time, Monte Moir, worked on the album writing and producing the #1 R&B hit “The Pleasure Principle,” with clear Prince influences.

By 1986 Prince had achieved enormous success of his own with the release of classic albums such as 1999, the Purple Rain soundtrack, Around the World in a Day and Parade. His music had reached audiences on an international scale and attracted the attention of critics and artists alike.

In 1984 Chaka Khan covered “I Feel For You” for her omonymous album. The song was an album track from Prince’s second album and even if it was re-produced (Stevie Wonder provided the added harmonica sections), it still retained elements of the original and was arranged according to the Minneapolis trends. The cover was one of the biggest hits of Chaka’s career and the two of them would collaborate in the late 90s.

Phil Collins has admitted to being influenced by Prince’s “1999” for the creation of his 1985 hit “Sussudio.” When critics noted similarities between the tracks, the English songwriter revealed that he had been listening to that particular Prince song frequently at the time when he wrote his song by playing around on a drum machine.

Prince was such a prolific songwriter that he often worked on songs for other artists as well. He wrote, produced and provided background vocals on “Yo Mister” for Patti LaBelle’s 1989 album Be Yourself. The song was released as a single and was one of Ms. Patti’s most successful singles in the 80s. That same year he appeared on Madonna’s album Like a Prayer, playing guitar on the title track (for which he remained uncredited) and co-writing and co-producing their duet “Love Song.”

In 1990 the Irish recording artist Sinéad O’Connor covered Prince’s 1985 song “Nothing Compares 2 U.” The track had been intended for Prince’s side project with The Family. Sinéad co-produced her version of the song with Nellee Hooper and released it as the second single from her album I Do Not What I Haven’t Got. Her version became a worldwide hit and has been named one of the best tracks of the 90s, even thanks to its music video. Prince has since recorded his own version of the song after performing it live in concert and the track was recently used to pay hommage to him on the 13th day after his passing, in reference to the song’s opening lines “it’s been 7 hours and 13 days, since you took your love away.”

In the 90s R&B girl group TLC covered the 1987 hit “If I Was Your Girlfriend” for their second album CrazySexyCool. Their version was produced by Puff Daddy and Chucky Thompson. “If I Was Your Girlfriend” has proved to be one of Prince’s most enduring hits, being sampled by rappers such as 2Pac (he used a live version of it on “Thugs Get Lonely Too”), Mobb Deep and Jay-Z, who sampled musical and lyrical elements of it on his first collaboration with Beyoncé, “03 Bonnie & Clyde,” in 2002.

Purple Rain, however, remains the classic Prince era to which many artists have turned for inspiration. Alicia Keys’ “Like You’ll Never See Me Again” draws its main melody from the piano line that can be heard at the very end of the title track and also lifts the strings sections and chord progressions. Even though there is not a credited sample for the song, it is a pretty obvious reference. Alicia has expressed her admiration for Prince by covering “How Come You Don’t Call Me” on her debut album Songs in a Minor; furthermore his influence can be heard on “This Bed” from her 2009 album The Element of Freedom, on which the drums and synths recall the processing Prince used in his productions and her soft vocal performance sounds like a nod to his falsetto delivery. Chrisette Michele’s “Goodbye Game” also seems to reference the same piano line from “Purple Rain,” though again there is no direct sampling. Multiple elements of the power ballad are also audible on Trey Songz’s “Yo Side of the Bed.” The R&B singer also paid tribute to Prince at the 2010 BET Awards by ending his performance with “Purple Rain.”

The poignant “The Beautiful Ones” has been notoriously covered by Mariah Carey on her Butterfly album (turning it into a duet with Dru Hill) and by Beyoncé, who has incorporated it into her concerts including her televised headlining set at Glastonbury in 2011. Beyoncé performed “Purple Rain” alongside the Purple One himself at the 2004 Grammy ceremony and has displayed influences, both in production elements and vocal delivery, on her solo work with songs such as “Schoolin’ Life,” “1+1” and “Dance For You” from her 2011 album 4 or “No Angel” from the 2013 self-titled visual album. In 2007, Beyoncé was also Justin Timberlake’s duet partner on the single “Until the End of Time,” which features lyrical nods to Prince’s 1987 song “Adore,” but is musically comparable to “Raspberry Beret” and “The Beautiful Ones” for its drumbeat. Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveSounds has been compared by critics to Prince’s Sign “O” the Times for its “forward-thinking pop sounds” and contains the bass and falsetto-laced “Sexy Ladies,” which is another obvious Prince-inspired track. Usher’s “Do It to Me” from the Confessions album was also clearly conceived with “The Beautiful Ones” as a template, no sample is however credited for the song.

“Darling Nikki” was interpolated on “Blow Ya Mind” from Nicki Minaj’s debut album Pink Friday, while MC Hammer sampled “When Doves Cry” for his hit single “Pray,” the first and one of the few authorisations Prince gave for sampling his work.

Traces of Prince can also be heard on Ciara’s hit single “Promise,” which relies on synths, echoed drums and distorted sounds; on Katy Perry’s “Birthday,” whose melodic breeziness is reminiscent of “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” or on Lady Gaga’s “Sexxx Dreams” which uses processed drums and synthesizers to create a Prince-esque atmosphere surrounding the sexual lyrical content.

The biggest hommage in this decade has certainly come from Miguel, the R&B singer and songwriter that has often been compared to Prince for the eclectic mix of R&B, rock, funk and electronic elements in his music. Miguel has stated that Prince is one of his idols, an influence that’s been detected also in his personal style and fashion choices. The acclaimed Janelle Monáe is also an artist emerging in the past 6 years that’s expressed admiration for Prince. She paid tribute to the Purple One in 2010 with a performance of “Let’s Go Crazy” at the BET Awards and has had the privilege of working with him on “Givin’ Em What They Love” from her second studio album The Electric Lady.

Prince’s influence on music has been so huge that it would take months to discuss in depth and dissect every song that features elements of his work. His Genius has transcended genres touching Pop, R&B, hip-hop, alternative, rock and electronica, finding a way to re-emerge with every new trend. A sign that he’s created a timeless catalog that will provide inspiration for decades and generations of artists to come. All hail the Prince!

The post The Purple Print: how Prince left his mark on popular music appeared first on THE 97.