Already having suffered the losses of David Bowie, Phife Dawg, and George Martin, the world lost Prince on April 21st. However, his prolific career, spanning close to 40 studio albums and birthing vaults of unreleased music, will continue. Although his peculiarities are what make him, it's important to note the common traits Prince shares with the 'legendary artist' archetype. Any artists dreaming of icon status listen up.
1. Icons know their skill.
Skill can create a reputation, but personality maintains it. The amount of musicianship that Prince possessed was overwhelming. Writing most of his songs, and even playing the instruments to them (sometimes upwards of 25 different instruments) contributed to his well-deserved reputation of incredible talent.
2. Icons, and anyone successful, must combat negativity.
"If you got haters you must be doing something right" -DGK. Anyone truly breaking ground will encounter resistance. Prince earned the contempt of Rick James, and was rumored to have been a creative and competitive flame underneath the moon walking shoes of Michael Jackson.
3. Icons dissent from the status quo.
Icons do their own thing. Solidifying his own style amongst the worlds of glam rock, androgyny, and big 80's drums, Prince's music seemed to transcend and bounce between, but never quite fit categories of R&B, Rock n' Roll, Pop, Funk, and Soul. His fashion sense and visual appearance also radically transcended gender and cultural norms. His signature symbol was a mash-up of male and female sex symbols.
4. Icons stand and live for what they believe in.
You know that "Parental Advisory" sticker from the bottom corners of CDs? Well that came from Prince's sex driven song, "Darling Nikki". Prince represented the artist and their integrity to the fullest, at times appearing with the word "SLAVE" drawn on his face, indicating he's a slave to his record company. Perhaps the most notable time was when he changed his name to the gender-bending, unpronounceable symbol to get out of his unappealing recording contract.
5. Icons own their brand.
Conscious recall is a desired result of branding. When characteristics of your brand are linked to you unintentionally that's when you know you've established a strong culture. Niagara Valls was illuminated purple for Queen Elizabeth's birthday, Diamond Supply Co. launched their official Jimi Hendrix Purple Haze collection, both unintentionally the same week of the icon's death.. and all anyone can think about is... Prince.
