A SYMBOL
OF RESISTANCE
On Sunday, the artist originally
known as Prince Rogers Nelson, formerly known as
Prince and currently depicted by a symbol, performed
at the landmark glass-and-iron Grand Palais exhibition
center in Paris.
This is the first time that the
venue has been used as a concert hall.
The performance was a last-minute affair, put together
in just three days.
That’s how much time you need to fill a venue
for an artist of this caliber. |
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In my book, Prince is in a class
of his own.
With hundreds of records to his name, he has won seven
Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and an Academy
Award, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame in 2004, the first year that he became eligible
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I put him in a class of his
own because he draws his inspiration from music as a whole,
rather than a specific genre.
Elements of R&B, soul, funk, rock, blues, new wave,
psychedelia, folk, jazz and hip hop are all incorporated
in his music.
And, his list of influences is just as broad.
Jimi Hendix, James Brown, Sly and The Family Stone, Curtis
Mayfield, Parliament-Funkadelic, Stevie Wonder, Carlos
Santana, Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, Duke Ellington and
Miles Davis are all mentioned.
The reason I am writing about him is that,
for some time now, he has not been making records.
One of the answers that he gave to a question in an interview
after the Paris show told me why.
The question:
Is the Internet opening new doors for you?
The answer:
It's a tool. It's not a means to an end. My concerts have
always been dear to me and it's almost a shame I got so
good at making records because the media is dying now,
so until something new happens and we get some laws and
restrictions to how the media is used and the revenue
is shared, then I'll just stick with the live stuff and
every once in a while I'll do records.
I have been trying to tell South African
musicians this for a while.
They cannot steal, pirate, copy, replicate and distribute
your live performance.
Put your music out there for free. They are going to steal
it anyway.
Then, concentrate on the live performance.
Kader Khan
Editor
info@yummie.co.za
