PRINCE…DEAD????

Last spring while in Minneapolis I can’t feeling I was going to see Prince.   I was going to see Prince… that’s all I would think anytime I was out and about during our church convention, which brought me to Minneapolis in the first place.   But I never did.

While working as radio announcer I clearly remember when Prince first emerged upon the scene.  He was touted then as he still is now… as a musical genius.

His first album… that’s how long ago that was.   Many today have never heard of an album… and most have forgotten what they were.  But on his first album Prince was the only musician.   He played every instrument used in the recording of that album.

The man was brilliant at his craft and as a business man too.   He was a rough negotiator who fought the record company and won… to maintain musical freedom and the rights to all his work.  He was definitely not a dumbie.

I had wondered how old he was after I hear the news late yesterday evening of his passing.   And I thought about Michael and Whitney… and how they had died in their 50’s… that’s when my son came in and voiced exactly what I had been thinking.

They all had died in their 50’s.

I read today that Prince was 57.   Michael had just hit the bit five-‘o.’   And Whitney was in her early 50’s too I believe.

Three remarkable people musically… but dark around the edges.  We are all familiar with Whitney and her battle with drugs and for happiness.   And Michael’s peculiar ways… dipping and dapping into all kinds of things… and his involvement and fascination with little boy children.

But Prince…

Well, back in the day he was always seen with highly attractive young ladies… though he did admit in an interview to being bi-sexual.   I have very deep opinions regarding people who proclaim themselves to be bi-sexual.  It kind of goes in line with Biblical scripture… ‘either they will hate the 1 and love the other.’   Something is going to be more intriguing to them sexually over the other… and that is just the way it is.

In fact, I was surprise to find out that he had once married.  During the early days he lived a fast life… though he always appeared to be shy and introverted… as Michael often attempted to appear as well.  But I think more that a song writer Prince was a musician… and lived as 1.

Though he lived quietly and without much controversy through much of his musical career… except for moving from 1 woman friend to another…  Prince managed to stay pretty much out of the limelight.

During his aging process Prince still looked pretty much the same.  Though a friend told me this morning that he had had a hip replacement and a knee replacement.  I guess that came from years of dropping to his knees while performing… playing his guitar and dancing like James Brown… who was 1 of Michael’s idols as well.

Well, if you are going to mimic someone… mimic the best.   And James Brown was the best at what he did.   Truly.

And though not well educated James… based upon his movie… was a screwed businessman.  Which I guess Prince also learned to be.

In reading an article on the passing of Prince  they alluded to the possibility of Prince having suffered a drug overdose.  I seems to me every time a black person dies they want to tie it to drugs.

Maybe it’s true.   Or maybe not.   But 1 thing is for sure Prince was a decent person who gave back… and was not selfish enough to not open the door for other musicians and/or singer etc.

He refused to leave his beloved Minneapolis thereby forcing the record companies to come to him.   And because he did acts like… Ready For the World… Time… Babyface and L.A. Reid… Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam etc.. etc.. etc.. were introduced to the world.

That was a fete that not many black folk are known for… reaching back or opening the doors for others.  But Prince did and there are a ton of people who can share their stories of how Prince aided them… or  impacted their careers…  or opened a door for them.   And that truly is a great legacy.

In the end, however, there is the question of eternity.   I hope as I had hoped for Michael and Whitney that Prince was able to resolved that with the Lord.

I have no doubt that Princes funeral will be filled with people whom we all know their names… there will be weeping… and fond memories… happy stories of being out on the road.   Or maybe the family may chose to quietly bury him … just as he had lived.

Well, God bless…   It’s Friday and I hope each of you have an enjoyable weekend.

Before closing I ran across pictures of Denise Matthews… better know as Prince’s girl, Vanity.   Whom years later left the music scene and became a woman of God …while also battling A.I.D.S.   Ironically,  like Prince… Vanity passed as well but a few years ago… also at age 57.

Another 1 of Prince’s girl well known to us was Apollonia.  She had been a former cheerleader of some major league team before hooking up with Prince.    And she had won a beauty contest or 2.

Vanity often attributed her battle with A.I.D.E.S. to the life she had lived while running with Prince.

Though in life he wore platform heels to add to his short height… he sold lots of records and made lots of money.  But in the end I hope his arms were not too short to box with Satan… to have ended up on the winning side.

Imagine in 3 short years Prince would have been 60.   Wow…

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Add a comment April 22, 2016