Capitol Report
By State Representative, Leon D. Young
Leon D. Young
This week I would like to deviate from our usual political discourse and, instead, pay homage to Prince Rogers Nelson, or known to millions simply as Prince.
The legendary recording artist died last Thursday and the world finds itself reeling in the aftermath of his sudden death.
To say that Prince was a gifted performer, brilliant musician, and prolific songwriter would be as deficient as saying that the sun merely illuminates the sky.
Most would agree that Prince was a giant amongst his peers; in spite of the fact that he stood a scant 5’2” tall. Millions of fans will remember Prince solely for his musical abilities.
But within the music business, Prince was a trailblazing and sometimes controversial champion for his rights as an artist. And, in the 1990s, he was in open conflict with the music industry, protesting the major-label system by writing the word “slave” on his check and changing his name to an unpronounceable glyph.
In fact, the magnitude of Prince’s influence can be seen in how forward thinking artists do business today.
For example, Kanye West releasing an album on different platforms and adding to it as he goes along, or artists like Drake and Beyoncé opting to “drop” their new albums, rather than blindly adhering to the customary distribution process. This radical paradigm switch is directly attributable to Prince.
Moreover, Prince fervently believed that artists must have exclusive dominion over their intellectual property. It literally took years and a lengthy court battle for Prince to regain his own musical catalog.
And, he always insisted that artists, under contract to him, should retain control of their respective catalogs. From all accounts, Prince led a very secluded off-stage existence and fiercely guarded his privacy.
And, as a Jehovah’s Witness, he was precluded from disclosing his charitable outreach.
It has now come to light, however, that Prince was an extremely generous and compassionate person, who undertook numerous humanitarian endeavors. One such charitable effort included providing funds for Oakland residents to secure solar panels for their homes.
This magnanimous act was completely anonymous. Not surprisingly, there has been an enormous outpouring grief, love and reflection in the wake of Prince’s death.
It’s important to remember that Prince was an artist that would not let formats, categories, or corporate dictates confine him. And, in final analysis, he remained true to himself: the relentless rebel.
Prince once said: We don’t mourn artists we’ve never met because we knew them, we mourn them because they helped us know ourselves. Both as a person and an artist, Prince helped an entire world to know itself better. And, for that, we should all be eternally grateful.