Prince

Prince was a musical genius from a young age and wrote more songs than the Beatles and Elvis combined. His activism and perseverance allowed him to make great changes in the world; whether through his massive donations to charity or his organized protests against injustice.

Prince also had enormous influence. He inspired so many people not just through music, but in creating diversity through his activism and selflessness. Ahmir Thompson, also known as Questlove, says, “Little Red Corvette" from 1999 was one of the first regularly played songs by a black artist on MTV; Prince crossed boundaries like that all the time” (“100”). Prince broke boundaries and paved the way for black artists that followed him. He helped diversify MTV, which was one of the most popular broadcasting companies during the time. Prince was also very involved with other artists, helping them grow as musicians. He wrote music for many female artists and groups. Songs like “Manic Monday” by The Bangles, “Love Song” by Madonna, “Nothing Compares 2U” by Sinéad O’Connor, and many more. In many instances, his influence helped launch their careers (Leffler). Prince gave many women opportunities to make it big, transforming the music industry and showing the world undeniable talent. He was the one who wrote some artists’ most famous songs, because he wanted to help the cause of feminism and support smaller musicians. Bonnie Allen, a senior news reporter for CBC News, said, “He has given Minneapolis, a city many East and West Coasters didn’t realize even had a Black population, the same mystical musical aura of Motown in the sixties” (Stratyner). Through his fame from making music, Prince opened up an entirely new world, not just to Minneapolis, but to people everywhere across the globe. He didn’t just sing and wear crazy clothes, he made a name for himself and the people of his small hometown.

Lastly, Prince showed that everything he did was out of his heart. He had a reason for everything and always wanted to help somebody out. Prince donated to many charities all the time. An example of this is, “When Prince read that in Louisville, Kentucky, the Western Branch Library was going to be closed, the first full-service library for African Americans in this country, he wrote a $10,000 check to the Western Branch Library Association to support the library…After donating the money to the institution, Prince asked that his name be listed as an anonymous donor.” (Keeton). Prince did not care about money at all, and he was willing to give whatever sum of money that was needed out of the true goodness of his heart. This is one of the many charities that he supported. There were multiple times when Prince would write songs or host events to acknowledge terrible things that had recently happened. Prince also would make many tributes to important people. One of the biggest incidents was the Rally 4 Peace, “On May 2, 2015, Prince staged a Dance Rally 4 Peace at Paisley Park to pay tribute to Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American who died in police custody after his arrest in Baltimore, and to show support for the activists protesting his death. With his backup band 3RDEYEGIRL, Prince performed a 41-minute concert including his protest song ‘Baltimore,’ which was inspired by Gray’s death” (“Prince”). Prince cared a lot about people who experience injustice. This song he wrote was to commemorate the man who didn’t deserve to lose his life. It was a very symbolic performance that protested against police brutality all across America. Prince was also very compassionate to children in need: “In 2011, after finishing the New York shows on his “Welcome 2 America” tour, Prince gave $1 million to Harlem Children’s Zone—an organization that provides parenting workshops, a preschool program, and other resources to children and families living in Harlem in an effort to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty“ (Leffler). He was so dedicated to making a change that he gave a lot of money to help end poverty. He probably did this because he grew up poor, so he didn’t want other children to go through the same difficulties that he had. Prince was incredibly generous and didn’t think twice about donating for a good cause.

Throughout his short life, Prince Rogers Nelson left an enormous imprint that had a lasting effect on the world and will hold its value for years to come. Although he had a rough childhood growing up in poverty with divorced parents, Prince managed to cope with his emotions using music. The result was astounding musical masterpieces that caught the ears of artists everywhere. He used his acquired wealth to battle against injustice and poverty by donating to many charities. Anyone who listens to just a few of Prince’s songs will immediately fall in love with him.

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