Prince & Politics

[QueEx]

When Prince got political

Getty Images

By Ian Swanson
04/21/16


Prince didn’t shy away from politics during his influential music career.

He was not a protest song singer like fellow Minnesotan Bob Dylan, did not hit the campaign trail like Bruce Springsteen and was never associated with global activism like U2’s Bono. And he came under criticism for not taking part in the all-star musical effort for Africa, “We are the World.”

Yet he often touched on politics in his music, perhaps most notably on the 1987 double album “Sign 'O’ the Times,” released at the end of the Reagan era.

More recently, he took the time to pointedly weigh in on the string of killings of African-Americans by police, and played a concert at the White House, suggesting he was happy with Barack Obama, the first black U.S. president.

Here are five of the biggest moments in politics for the legendary musician, who died on Thursday at the age of 57.

1. Black Lives Matter

Prince showed up at the 2015 Grammys to hand out the award for best album.​

“Albums still matter,” he said to the crowd of pop start and music luminaries. “Like books and black lives, albums still matter.”​

It was a quick moment, but one of Prince’s more direct comments on social issues. It drew applause from the crowd and widespread attention on social media.​

2. Baltimore

In case people didn’t get it enough at the Grammys, Prince followed up his remarks by recording and releasing the song “Baltimore” about Freddie Gray, an African-American man whose death while in police custody set off riots.​

Prince also played a concert for peace in Baltimore, where riots had broken out.​

Ahead of the concert, he called on those attending to “wear something gray.”​

3. Secret White House concert

Prince played a secret show at the White House on June 13, 2015, for President Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and 500 of their friends.​

Music legends play at the White House all the time, of course. But this one was different, in part because it was so secretive.​

According to Rolling Stone, the president is a big Prince fan. The musician just happened to be playing a couple of shows in Washington, D.C., at the time, so Obama made the White House event happen.​

Rolling Stone also reported that the celebrities and others in attendance had to sign non-disclosure forms to not talk about the secret concert.​

4. “Ronnie, Talk to Russia”

Like a lot of people who grew up in the 1970s and early 1980s, Prince was worried about global thermonuclear war.​

The theme comes up in one of his biggest hits, "1999," which suggested no one was going to make it to 2000, but if they did, it would be a big party.​

On this 1981 song, written as tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union were at a high point with Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan, Prince urged new president Ronald Reagan to get in touch with Leonid Brezhnev.

The Boombox listed it as one of Prince’s 10 most political tracks.

While much of Prince’s music was about love and sex, there also was a sharp focus on inequality and helping the poor — a message that could also have been sparked by the star’s deeply felt religious views.

​

5. Prince’s donation to a Republican

In one of many strange footnotes to his career, Prince gave $2,000 to Minnesota Sen. Rudy Boschwitz, a Republican, in 1990.

It does not appear the Republican was close at the time to perhaps his state’s most famous citizen.

“It’s safe to say that Rudy’s not familiar with Prince’s work” Boschwitz campaign manager Tom Mason said at the time.

Boschwitz ended up losing to Democrat Paul Wellstone in the 1990 campaign.

​

SOURCE: http://thehill.com/homenews/news/277162-when-prince-got-political


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[QueEx]

The Hollowverse

The religion and political views of Prince

Religion
Prince was brought up a Seventh-day Adventist, but converted to Jehovah's Witness in 2001. These days, he's all about Jesus and the Bible.​

Political Views
Prince is a champion of social justice, but he's anti-gay marriage, a Republican, and all about religion. He's definitely conservative.​

Prince, originally Prince Rogers Nelson and formerly referred to as “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince,” was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In fact, his music and its many imitators is often called “The Minneapolis Sound.”

Prince was raised a Seventh-day Adventist, a small but significant Christian denomination. 1

It’s hard to believe that while Prince was coming up, selling millions of records, and singing X-rated lyrics about one-night stands and sexual positions, that he was that devout a Christian. But that all changed when, in 2001, Prince converted to Jehovah’s Witness.2 He has even admitted to proselytizing, that is, knocking on random doors to hand out Watchtower magazine and preach his faith.

Now, Prince is all into Christianity and isn’t afraid to show it. He seems to have changed directions and now preaches the virtues of a moral life, contrary to most of his song lyrics. He has said:

When I look at the violence, I wonder where the parents are, but also where is God in their lives? A kid is an open computer ready for programming. Some weird relationships happen, smoking too early and sex.3

I wonder how much programming Prince has done in his lifetime.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses will not accept blood transfusions for religious reasons, based on the interpretation of a Bible verse, no doubt. However, the fact that Prince won’t get a sorely needed hip replacement is proof of how devout he is.4

Who needs politics when you’re royalty?
Politically and socially, Prince is a mixed bag. He’s like time measurement, divided between before and after Jesus Christ–though there is still some consistency in his views. Following Prince’s conversion to Jehovah’s Witness, the observant Prince fans noticed a drastic change in his political and social focus. Suddenly, this seemingly sexually depraved super-freak was condemning gays (who are a huge part of his fan base, by the way). He said:

God came to Earth and saw people sticking it wherever and doing it with whatever, and he just cleared it all out. He was like, ‘Enough.’ I just live according to this [referring to the Bible].5

Prince is a Republican, having only donated money to one political candidate in 1990, Rudy Boschwitz, a Republican U.S. Senate candidate from Minnesota–who lost.6 But he seems to think both political parties are a lost cause and, again, the Bible is his reference point. He said:

So here’s how it is: you’ve got the Republicans, and basically they want to live according to this [the Bible]. But there’s the problem of interpretation, and you’ve got some churches, some people, basically doing things and saying it comes from here [again, the Bible], but it doesn’t. And then on the opposite end of the spectrum you’ve got blue, you’ve got the Democrats, and they’re, like, ‘You can do whatever you want.’ Gay marriage, whatever. But neither of them is right.7

The early Prince, however (and to some extent, the Prince of today), was more focused on social inequalities, poverty, and the hypocrisy of the political establishment. Some of his choice political lyrics include:

Who said that to kill is a sin, then started every single war that your people been in? Who said that water is a precious commodity, then dropped a big old black oil slick in the deep blue sea?8

And this criticism of a still controversial contemporary subject:

The people I know, they been struggling, at least it seems that way. Fat cats on Wall Street, they got a bailout. Why somebody else got to wait. 700 billion, but my old neighborhood, ain’t nothing changed but the date.9

But hey, people are certainly allowed to change, even beloved pop stars.

1. The religion of Prince, pop singer. Adherents. [↩]
2. Prince: ‘It’s fun being in Islamic countries.’ Theguardian. [↩]
3. The religion of Prince, pop singer. Adherents. [↩]
4. Prince Hips the World to His Jehovah’s Witness Ways; Phil Spector’s Streamlined Prison Look. Washingtonpost. [↩]
5. Home Visit: Soup With Prince. Thenewyorker. [↩]
6. Prince’s Federal Campaign Contribution Report. Newsmeat. [↩]
7. Prince Talks Politics, Religion, and Gays, Then Recants. Fdlaction. [↩]
8. Why Prince deserves props for his political activism. Thegrio. [↩]
9. Why Prince deserves props for his political activism. Thegrio.

SOURCE: http://hollowverse.com/prince/#footnote_2_1387


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[QueEx]

Prince is a Republican, having only donated money to one political candidate in 1990, Rudy Boschwitz, a Republican U.S. Senate candidate from Minnesota–who lost.6 But he seems to think both political parties are a lost cause and, again, the Bible is his reference point.

Purple Pros

A meme asserts that musician Prince said he voted Republican
because that political party knows the value of hard work . . . .






Claim: Prince said that he voted Republican because that political party knows the value of hard work.

FALSE



Wondering if the quote in the attached file is actually attributable to Prince:



Origin: Within hours of news breaking about the death of musician Prince, a meme began to circulate online featuring a purported quote from the music icon about his supposed devotion to the Republican party:

One day my brothers and sisters will realize that Democrats have made us weak by giving us things we would normally have to work for. That is why I vote Republican for they realize anything worth having is worth working for.

We couldn't uncover any record of Prince's uttering this phrase. The quotation (whether from Prince or anyone else) doesn't appear in any reports from major news outlets and appears to have been invented solely for this fictional meme.

The quote also doesn't fall in line with Prince's known political views. Like the musician's life and career, Prince became famous by defying definition. Throughout his life he expressed support (and criticism) for a wide range of political and social views.

Most recently, Prince voiced his support for the Black Lives Matter movement. He performed a concert in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray (a young black man who died in police custody), said "books, black lives, and albums still matter" during the 2015 Grammy Awards, played a secret show at the White House (President Obama is reportedly a big fan of Prince's), and (according to Rev. Al Sharpton) donated money to the family of Trayvon Martin (the black Florida fatally shot by George Zimmerman):

When we were raising the issue of justice around the Trayvon Martin killing. Prince called me and sent some funds that I gave to the family for him, and never wanted recognition for it… He was one that didn’t want to make a lot about about his humanitarian and activist involvements, but he was very much involved in what was going on in the country.

However, while Prince exuded sexuality on the stage, the musician did harbor conservative religious views. Prince, who was raised a Seventh-Day Adventist and later became a Jehovah’s Witness, criticized both Republicans and Democrats for their interpretation of the Bible during an interview with the New Yorker in 2008:

So here's how it is: you’ve got the Republicans, and basically they want to live according to this.” He pointed to a Bible. “But there’s the problem of interpretation, and you’ve got some churches, some people, basically doing things and saying it comes from here, but it doesn’t. And then on the opposite end of the spectrum you’ve got blue, you’ve got the Democrats, and they’re, like, ‘You can do whatever you want.’ Gay marriage, whatever. But neither of them is right.”

When asked about his perspective on social issues—gay marriage, abortion—Prince tapped his Bible and said, “God came to earth and saw people sticking it wherever and doing it with whatever, and he just cleared it all out. He was, like, ‘Enough.’"

While Prince once donated to the campaign of a Republican senator from Minnesota in 1990, the musician said in 2009 that his religious views prevented him from voting:

“The reason why is that I’m one of the Jehovah’s Witnesses,” Prince said. “And we’ve never voted. That’s not to say I don’t think ... President Obama is a very smart individual and he seems like he means well. Prophecy is what we all have to go by now.”

We found no record of Prince's ever expressing a devotion to the Republican Party. In fact, while researching Prince's political views, we found that the musician supported a wide range of political views, and (like the rest of his life and his career) could not be described as fitting into any one specific political category or party.


SOURCE: http://www.snopes.com/prince-quote-politics/


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[QueEx]

Prince's Lyrics Gave Clues to His Personal Politics

PlayGeorges De Keerle/Getty Images. WATCH Prince's Keyboardist and Backup Singer Remembers the Music Icon

ABC NEWS
By JOI-MARIE MCKENZIE
April 22, 2016

Prince didn't need speeches and formal declarations to prove that he cared about a lot of social issues. Instead, his lyrics spoke for him.

"Prince was more of a social advocate versus being a political advocate," frequent "The View" contributor and creator of AlwaysAList.com Jawn Murray told ABC News. "Prince was more so about the empowerment of the people. We all know he was a man of few words, but when he did speak he made a huge impact."

Prince's impact was most felt in his songs, whose lyrics touched on a variety of issues close to Prince's heart. Here's a sampling of his most powerful music:

"Baltimore"
Prince released this tribute last year and performed it at a benefit concert in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray. In the song, Prince croons: "Does anybody hear us pray/For Michael Brown or Freddie Gray? ... Are we gonna see another bloody day?/We're tired of the cryin' and people dyin'/Let's take all the guns away."


"Ronnie, Talk to Russia"
In this 1981 song from Prince's aptly-named album, "Controversy," the singer was speaking directly to President Ronald Reagan, even referencing him by name. It was a time when the U.S. was in the midst of the Cold War. He sang, "Ronnie talk to Russia before it's too late/Before it's too late ... Ronnie talk to Russia before it’s too late/Before they blow up the world."


"Sign o' the Times"
This 1987 song from the album of the same name was Prince's reaction to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, making the "Purple Rain" singer one of the first artists to speak out about the disease. He sang, "In France, a skinny man died of a big disease with a little name/By chance his girlfriend came across a needle and soon she did the same."


"Animal Kingdom"
In this track, Prince revealed his stance on animal rights. In fact, the song was so beloved by animal rights activists, Prince ended up donating it to PETA to be used by the organization. In "Animal Kingdom," Prince sings: "No member of the animal kingdom nurses past maturity/No member of the animal kingdom ever did a thing to me/It's why I don't eat red meat or white fish ... Leave your brothers and sisters in the sea."


"Ol' Skool Company"
With a country still reeling from the Great Recession, Prince debuted this song in 2009, shedding light on his feelings about the Wall Street bailout a year earlier. "Fat cats on Wall Street/They got a bailout," Prince sang, "While somebody else got to wait/700 billion but my old neighborhood/Ain't nothing changed but the date."


"Money Don't Matter 2 Night"
This song is from one of Prince's best known albums, "Diamonds and Pearls," and was released in 1991 in the midst of the Gulf War. The singer addresses it, singing, "Hey now, maybe we can find a good reason/To send a child off to war/So what if we're controllin' all the oil/Is it worth a child dying for?"


"Dreamer"
Another song released in 2009, "Dreamer" reveals Prince's thoughts on racial inequality and his frustration that it remained a problem decades after the Civil Rights Movement. In this song, Prince even references Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination. "Eye was born and raised on the same plantation/In the United States of the red, white and blue/I never knew that I was different/Until Dr. King was on the balcony," he said.

SOURCE: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/princes-lyrics-gave-clues-personal-politics/story?id=38603286

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[QueEx]

Prince’s Political Views More Complex Than You Might Know

by Sam Reisman |
April 21st, 2016


Compared to many rock musicians, Prince was relatively quiet about his political views. Many suspected
he was a Republican so when he did begin to speak out in the last decade or so of his life — about the Black
Lives Matter movement and the social changes sweeping America — people were listening.

“Like books and black lives, albums still matter,” he said at the Grammys last year.

Last year he showed solidarity with the city of Baltimore as it was wracked by riots and protests following the
death of Freddie Gray. He headlined a “Rally 4 Peace” concert — an event “meant to be a catalyst for pause
and reflection following the outpouring of violence that has gripped Baltimore and areas throughout the US,”
his publicist said at the time. Attendees were asked to wear gray in solidarity. He recorded a track
called “Baltimore” in which he sang:

Are we gonna see another day?
We’re tired of crying and people dying
Let’s take all the guns away.​

The lyric video (below) incorporated news footage and coverage of the protests and the concert.


The Washington Post‘s Justin Moyer wrote last year:

Unlike peers such as Bruce Springsteen — whom Prince admires — he isn’t typically found stumping for candidates or causes. Even “We Are the World,” the 1985 hit single written to benefit Africa, went without his talents because he did not want to record with other artists.​

He donated $2000 to a local GOP candidate in 1990 and he also spoke openly about his religious conversion to
Jehovah’s Witness in 2001 (he was raised a Seventh-Day Adventist) and what was reported as his opposition to
same-sex marriage.

In a 2008 New Yorker profile, Claire Hoffman wrote:

“So here’s how it is: you’ve got the Republicans, and basically they want to live according to this.” He pointed to a Bible. “But there’s the problem of interpretation, and you’ve got some churches, some people, basically doing things and saying it comes from here, but it doesn’t. And then on the opposite end of the spectrum you’ve got blue, you’ve got the Democrats, and they’re, like, ‘You can do whatever you want.’ Gay marriage, whatever. But neither of them is right.”​

When asked about his perspective on social issues—gay marriage, abortion—Prince tapped his Bible and said, “God came to earth and saw people sticking it wherever and doing it with whatever, and he just cleared it all out. He was, like, ‘Enough.’”​

Perez Hilton later reported that Prince’s camp believed the artist was misquoted and that, in gesturing to the Bible, he was indicating a philosophy of “loving everyone and refraining from judgment.”


SOURCE: http://www.mediaite.com/online/princes-political-views-more-complex-than-you-might-know/


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[thoughtone]

Purple Pros

A meme asserts that musician Prince said he voted Republican
because that political party knows the value of hard work . . . .




... Prince, who was raised a Seventh-Day Adventist and later became a Jehovah’s Witness...

...his religious views prevented him from voting:

“The reason why is that I’m one of the Jehovah’s Witnesses,” Prince said. “And we’ve never voted.

SOURCE: http://www.snopes.com/prince-quote-politics/


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Which is why when one of them come to my door, I slam it right in front of them.

Black folk being told not to vote through religion is something I cannot tolerate!
This is what the slave masters told us not to do.

 

[QueEx]

Black folk being told not to vote through religion is something I cannot tolerate!

Especially since the Black Church played such an important role in the civil rights struggle!