As a person and artist, Prince pushed the boundaries in every way – everyone wanted to be him or be with him! He fused funk, rock, and pop music like no other, and wasn’t afraid to push back when record labels attempted to stifle his creativity.
His 1984 “Purple Rain” made history, but he wasn’t done rocking our world!
Prince started a cultural revolution with his 1987 “Sign O’ The Times'' album. The album brought awareness to the unaddressed AIDS epidemic, took jabs at President Reagan’s anti-Black “War on Drugs,” and reflected on Black American life in the late 1980s.
“Sign O' The Times” was radical and progressive. It was serious social commentary that exposed truths “mainstream” pop artists usually chose to ignore.
While Prince passed away on April 21st, 2016, he still has more truths to tell – in a new album?
Last year, Prince's estate released 63 never before heard songs. From ballads to blues, the songs were produced into a “2020 Sign O' The Times” album, one that is still relevant with its social commentary on Black life today.
Even though Prince is gone, his music continues to illuminate a raw honesty. Like Prince, in the name of Black liberation we must always use our personal platforms to speak our truths – whether through music, political speeches, or any other opportunity we have.