Prince Rogers Nelson and the Black Past, Place, and Future

Session Submission Type: Panel Session

Abstract

On April 21, 2016, the shocking news of Prince's untimely death at age 57 rocked the world. For days, examples of his artistic genius appeared in youtube clips, soundclouds, music share platforms, and essays extolling the virtues of his many talents. Admitting to his unique and unquestionable talent, this panel of scholars seeks to move beyond discussions framed by exceptionalism, and put Prince in context and conversation with his hometown, his workplace, and technology. Scot Brown examines the community roots and social networks out of which Prince and his signature sound emerged; Fredara Hadley places his record industry battles in the long struggle of black artists against marginalization; and Zaheer Ali considers Prince’s complicated relationship with technology, and his social vision for the future. Through it all, Prince’s life and work remained deeply engaged with African-American traditions, and these presentations will explore how Prince both brought forward and shaped those traditions.

Sub Unit

• 101st Annual Meeting and Conference of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History

Individual Presentations

• Prince and the Community Roots of the Minneapolis Sound - Scot Brown, UCLA

• “Microchip in Yo' Neck”: Prince's Afrofuturism - Zaheer Ali, Brooklyn Historical Society

• “Don’t Make Me Black:” Revisiting the Relationship between Prince and Warner Brothers - Fredara M. Hadley, Oberlin College

Commentator

• ASALH Audience, .