Prince. There was only one musician who could go by such a name of prestigious honor, and his death this past week sent shock throughout the globe, especially in the music industry. While some may hail him as someone who helped bring androgyny to the music scene, he was also a skilled musician who was a true performer, he knew how to keep a crowd entertained. The most important thing about Prince that separated him from other music legends was that he demanded complete control over his craft and did not let the judgment of the people or the labels get in his way when he wrote his music.
Prince knew how to create controversy, but it was never ill intended and always brought up important themes in life that are often sheltered from the mainstream radio. Throughout the eighties, the sexually explicit themes of his music were what made him unique. He was unapologetic, as he always was, for his artwork. He showed us what true artists should all do for the work they create, to stand up for it and never let it be sheltered from the population. Of course his song and movie "Purple Rain" will probably always be the most acclaimed artistic works of Prince's career but he had in his lifetime so many songs and so many performances where he gave each song his very all. There are only a few people who can live a life as Prince did, while timidness offstage (although Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake both admit Prince was very funny) and a complete powerhouse performer on stage. Even watching him on a television program could leave you in awe, just by the amount of work him and his band put into every single song. Prince was about as genuine as any celebrity can be, and that is what made him so important to not just the music industry but all of our lives. His flashy wardrobe and makeup on stage was not a mask to say "I am different than you", rather it was a call to say "I am like you if you are like me, it is okay to speak out and be different". He was important not just at a time when his message was wanted but throughout his life where his message was needed. Although he lived a closed life, his words spoke wonders in his music and he truly believed in the power of his art.
Rest in Peace Prince, a legend to always be remembered.