Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude

Search

prince

  • The Top 10 Racists of 2016 Not Named Trump

    “Sup with ya man’s?” I knew Kanye West had done something wrong. The text was from a frat brother I never hear from unless we are debating Ye’s music or behavior. “What did Ye do now?” I replied. He sent a link of Kanye walking into Trump Tower looking like Wesley Snipes in Demolition Man.…

    By

    Lawrence Ware

    Published

  • New Prince Album Coming in November

    It has been exactly seven months since the world lost the Purple One, otherwise known as Prince. In memoriam, his music, both classic and unreleased, is being repackaged and reissued to a nation of fans still in disbelief. According to the Los Angeles Times, Warner Bros. and NPG Records have announced a 2017 release of…

    By

    Monique Judge

    Published

  • Prince’s Paisley Park May Be Sold to Highest Bidder

    The place that is most intimately associated with late pop genius Prince may be on the bidding block. The New York Daily News reports that the the 60,000-square-foot Minnesota estate where the singer was found dead of a drug overdose in April is ready to be sold by his bank, along with his other properties,…

    By

    The Root Staff

    Published

  • Prince Purple Rain Shirt Sells for Almost $100,000 at Auction

    The white ruffled shirt that Prince wore in the film Purple Rain (you know, the one he wore by the “purified waters of Lake Minnetonka”) sold for $96,000 this weekend, nearly 32 times its asking price. The Guardian reports that the New Romantic-style ivory silk shirt and a black-and-white blazer from the 1984 film sold for $96,000…

    By

    The Root Staff

    Published

  • First Phife Dawg and Then Prince; It's Time to Have a Frank Talk About Black Men's Health

    I’m done with 2016. We’ve lost Phife Dawg and Prince—just to name two this year. Many of my musical heroes, whose sounds were the ambient noise of my childhood, are gone. We now live in a world where Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross and Prince are dead. No matter how hard I try, I seem unable…

    By

    Lawrence Ware

    Published

  • Watch: Music Innovators King Dish Out Food for Thought

    The group King stands tall among this generation’s wave of black musical innovators. “[Black music] is something that we provide to the whole world; it’s something that so much of our culture was founded on,” says Paris Strother, King’s pianist and producer. The trio first emerged in 2011 with their independently released EP, The Story.…

    By

    The Root Staff

    Published

  • On Remembering Prince, ‘Baby Dolls’ Breaking Sexual Barriers and a New Orleans Second Line

    In New Orleans’ historic Tremé neighborhood, a sea of “rainbow children” in purple wigs, sequins and sparkles saturated the streets. People of all ages, races, gender expressions and backgrounds followed the buoyant brass band horns and booty-shaking drumbeats of the second-line parade honoring the Purple One. We clapped, shouted and sang to the heavens. There…

    By

    The Root Staff

    Published

  • These Musicians Are Geminis. But Are You Surprised?

    Let’s face it: By and large, Geminis are incredibly creative individuals. It follows that there’s an abundance of Gemini musicians who dominate the music industry. It’s Black Music Month—or, per President Barack Obama’s recent proclamation, African-American Music Appreciation Month. Here we recognize the mastery and pure genius of these Gemini music-making folk. Yes, Biggie was a…

    By

    Felice León

    Published

  • The Illuminati Probably Didn’t Do It … Probably … and 4 Other Prince-Related Conspiracy Theories

    In honor of Prince’s life, we here at The Root believe that the best gift we can give the late Purple One for his birthday, June 7, is to make sure his legacy doesn’t get tarnished. We don’t want Prince to become black Elvis, so we sent out a crack forensic team of investigators (me)…

    By

    Stephen A. Crockett Jr.

    Published

  • Dear White People, Muhammad Ali Didn’t ‘Transcend Race’

    When famous African-American celebrities die, you can bet your bottom dollar that if white folks liked them, the word “transcend” is going to pop up in their obits like lies in a Donald Trump speech. For white America, “transcend” is that gold stamp of approval, much more elevated and polite than the old word “credit”—as…

    By

    Lawrence Ross

    Published