Prince reclaims his throne

Ebony, Sept, 2004 by Lynn Norment

PRINCE has reclaimed his throne. After years of self-imposed semi-exile from the constant glare of cameras, the artist formerly and currently known as Prince is enjoying a resurgence in popularity and attracting an enormous amount of media and fan attention. His Musicology CD has sold millions of copies, and he is a constant on radio and music video channels, He's also reclaimed his perch in higher echelons on Billboard's music charts, and his Musicology tour is selling out arenas around the country.

Yes, the Prince has returned, much to the delight of his fans and music lovers in general who long for real music and real concerts without the lip-syncing and salacious lyrics and antics, His resurgence, along with his model of successful insurrection and independence, undoubtedly stirs discomfort in music's corporate suites, where this versatile, multitalented and visionary artist is viewed as the wave of the future, and perhaps the beginning of the end of the way things are done in the music industry.

Since he burst onto the music scene 25 years ago, Prince has marveled the world as a creative dynamo who writes, sings, composes and plays all the instruments on most of his recordings. It was clear then as it is now that this creative genius loves music, and he loves making music. At times he's been called salacious and lascivious, and early in his career he created sensation with his suggestive lyrics and moves. He's also been described as eccentric, mercurial, mysterious, even bizarre.

That was then. "I call myself a musician and a child of God," the new Prince says in a calm, serene manner when asked how he'd describe himself. "Others call me what they want to call me."

He smiles warmly as he settles comfortably before an SSL 8000 G film-ready console in Studio A at his famed Paisley Park Studios outside Minneapolis. Dressed in a white Chinese silk shirt over a red t-shirt emblazoned with NPGMC and white pants with buttons lining the side seams, he projects an everyday casualness. Four years ago, he became a Jehovah's Witness and consequently a changed man.

As he talks about his music, renovations at Paisley Park and his spiritually enhanced life, Prince appears to be at peace with himself and the world. No longer is slave scrawled across his handsome face, as it was years ago during his pro-test against music industry royalty rules. And no longer is he distant and elusive, as he was in earlier years when he was probably trying to find himself. Today, Prince is at peace with himself and the world. He has evolved into a caring, informed, well-read, history-conscious and spiritually enriched artist and businessman who is determined to keep making music and directing his career as he sees fit.

During an hour visit that lasts almost three hours, he is animated and often leaps from his chair and dances around the studio to make his point. At times he leans in close and whispers as he shares a bit of knowledge from experience, He does not dwell on his controversial exit from the contract he had with Warner Brothers, the company front which he launched his career in 1978 and achieved fame and riches during the 1980s. He fulfilled his contract by releasing music on Warner Brothers under the name Prince; but during this same period in the 1990s the prolific music maker also released music under his New Power Generation label. He referred to himself as an unpronounceable glyph. Most just called hint The Artist.

Once he satisfied his legal obligations to Warner Brothers, he reclaimed his moniker Prince (his given name is Prince Rogers Nelson) and continued to release music through his NPG label and music club Web site. Occasionally he would do live performances, and in 1999 he teamed with Arista Records to release Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic. For the most part, Prince stayed below media radar though he was ever present to his ardent fans who staved in touch via his Web site.

And he was very industrious. For a one-time $25 fee, subscribers to his NPG Music Club (npgmusicclub.com) have access to music downloads and advance notice and discounts on concert tickets. He has sold millions of records through the club. At Paisley Park, he creates and records his music; he contracts out the pressing of the discs, then oversees distribution. Consequently he retains ownership--and the profits--of his music. It is a model for independence he encourages other artists to consider.

"When I went back to the name Prince and independently released Rainbow Children in 2001, that was the beginning of where I am now," he says. "But you have to do the work ... That's what independence is. It's my catalog, my dynasty. I'm selling hundreds of thousands of records. I'm the Record Company now." (And he makes $7 on a $10 CD, rather than pennies he received in traditional record contract.)

This is a subject about which the new Prince, as was the old Prince, is passionate. He is an advocate for artists' rights and feels that the powerful "corporations" should not own aim artist's music. He talks about the compulsory license law, "where anybody can take my song and sing it, against my will. I'm a writer. Stephen King is a writer. Can I take a page out of his book and call it Prince's Shining? Can I take a scene out of a movie and call it my own? They say the law, helps the writers. I don't need help; I don't need your money. Let us steward our own music.