Who?
Born Prince Rogers Nelson, Prince started his career in Minneapolis, releasing his first album, For You, at the age of 20. Since then, he's gone on to notoriety for a variety of things, namely rearranging the DNA of pop, R&B, and fun music simultaneously, changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol, and putting on the best Super Bowl halftime show in recent memory. After many years of struggle and fading from the limelight, Prince has had the luxury of experiencing a late career revival, with 2006's 3121 being hailed as an artistic and commercial revival that he's continued since.
And I Care Because?
- Purple Rain… enough said. Both a film and an album, Purple Rain is a bona fide '80s cultural touchstone. Between the title track, "Let's Go Crazy," and "When Doves Cry" and many more, the album is a perfect fusion of experimental and pop sensibilities, and the movie itself still has midnight screenings to this day.
- He's had all kinds of influence. You don't need to look too fair to see Prince's influence on everything from pop to hip-hop, especially with albums by artists like Justin Timberlake and Outkast being unabashedly influenced by the Purple One. Likewise, he'll also go down in history for being the first artist to release and album, Crystal Ball, exclusively on the Internet back in 1997.
- The live show's a legend. There's a reason why Purple Rain and Prince's many concert films were so successful: there's undeniable stage presence, spectacle, and charisma at work, making his stage show appealing even to people that might not necessarily love him on record. And yes, you really don't need to look any further than his rocking the usually terrible Super Bowl halftime show a few years ago… we hope the Who are taking notes.
Stream Purple Rain below, buy his albums, and watch his Super Bowl halftime performance.
(Gaming)
