Crying Purple Rain: The Slope Celebrates And Mourns Music Icon Prince

Flashy. Sexy. Majestic.

Soft-spoken. Private. Mysterious.

Prince suddenly passed away on Thursday, April 21, and the news has brought an outpouring of sadness from fans. Massive celebrations took place near and far. In Brooklyn, a Spike Lee-hosted block party in Fort Greene brought out mourners ready to dance.

Songs such as “1999,” “Little Red Corvette,” and the relentlessly funky “Sexy M.F.” served as a background for countless teens who grew up in the 80s and 90s. But his legacy did not stop — Prince’s extremely prolific output and musical talent has made him relevant to current generations as well.

Before all that, Prince was a 19-year-old upstart who played virtually every instrument. But he didn’t catch on with everyone at the beginning. John Rockwell of The New York Times reviewed Prince’s performance on February 18, 1980 when he performed at the now-defunct Bottom Line. Rockwell wrote “…all in all, the show seemed vulgar and derivative, although his young age and the passing grace of some of the ballads do suggest there is room for growth.”

Prince quickly become known as a virtuoso, playing almost every instrument on some of his albums and dazzling during his live performances.

And he could never be pigeon-holed for playing one style of music: funk, r&b, rock, pop, and much more found their way into his oeuvre.

And boy, could he both shred and funk on guitar.

His personality may have been elusive, but Prince was strong in his opinions. His well-known battle with his record label Warner Brothers resulted in his “name change” to a visual glyph. The New York Times wrote:

“By the mid-1990s, Prince was in open battle with the label, releasing albums as rapidly as he could to finish his contract; quality suffered and so did sales. He appeared with the word “Slave” written on his face, complaining about the terms of his contract, and in 1993 he changed his stage name to an unpronounceable glyph, only returning to Prince in 1996 after the Warner contract ended. He marked the change with a triple album, independently released on his own NPG label: “Emancipation.”

We had a chance to speak with many of our neighbors, who also mourn the passing of “The Purple One.” Below are some thoughts from the community — a snapshot of what we think about his influence and artistry.

Cantor Josh Breitzer, Congregation Beth Elohim

“Prince’s daring, dazzling musical artistry was beyond compare. His work was unique and ubiquitous. Everything he did sounded compelling, even inevitable. I graduated high school in 1999; there was no question what our class song would be.”

George Del Barrio, Founder and Creative Director of The Vanderbilt Republic
“Prince was an absolute icon. And he knew it from the start, too! It does so much to empower all of us when any of us claims the full truth of our luminosity. I adore his music, I always will, and I find myself shockingly unprepared for Prince’s passing.

The night sky will glow more fiercely bright for his ascension, and down here we can only look forward to one of the best memorial soundtracks in music history.”

Joanne Ebenstein, Creative Director of the Morbid Anatomy Museum

“I have great respect for Prince; he was truly a creature of his own making. It is a very sad thing, and a reminder that we all must live our lives as well as possible, for we could die at any moment.”

Nick Kinsey, drummer, producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist

“By singing what he sang, playing how he played, making the records he made, wearing what he wore, and hiring the men and woman he hired, Prince broke down the walls of artistic, religious and sexual “normalcy.” Although his presence will be sorely missed, his influence will only expand as his message and music live on.”

Amelia Robinson, musician, composer, often performing as Mil’s Trills

“I’ll never forget that one time I went to a Stevie Wonder concert at MSG and at the end of the show Stevie casually states ‘so I hear Prince is in the house!’ And then before I could count to three, he popped up on stage right in front of my eyes wearing an entirely white pristine suit (of course) and rocking a white guitar.

I am at a loss for words at the news of Prince’s passing and am grateful that I got to bear witness to his angelic glory. His light will never fade.”

Shauna Sorensen, Development Director of Open Source Gallery

“We’ve had such an incredible loss of talent in the last few months. Prince was not just a musician, but a true artist, a performer, a visionary — an icon.

And it’s so devastating to not only lose such a prolific and active presence, but also to never know what would have come next. On the bright side, it’s amazing to see how many people were affected by his work and know that long from now he will continue to influence other artists.”

Feel free to share your own thoughts in the comments section below. Or email us at editor@bklyner.com.