Can any of today’s artists possibly compare to the legend that was Prince?
Apr 21, 2016, 4:26 PM | Updated: Apr 22, 2016, 10:04 am
In this Dec. 25, 1984 photo, Prince performs at St. Paul Civic Center in St. Paul, Minn. Prince, widely acclaimed as one of the most inventive and influential musicians of his era with hits including "Little Red Corvette," ''Let's Go Crazy" and "When Doves Cry," was found dead at his home on Thursday, April 21, 2016 in suburban Minneapolis, according to his publicist. He was 57. (David Brewster/Star Tribune via AP)
(David Brewster/Star Tribune via AP)
You would have to be hiding under a rock on Thursday to have not heard that the music world lost one of its greatest today, as Prince died at age 57.
Every TV and radio station in the country played clips of songs that dominated our generation.
Hearing these classics (Yes, they are classics now. We’re old. Get over it.) on every station drove home the simple fact that Prince was a living legend.
This led me to the obvious question: Are there any living music legends of Prince’s caliber left in the world?
I can only come up with three: Madonna, Elton John and Paul McCartney. There are legendary bands, but only these three stand-alone artists.
How about the current crop of young musicians? If there is a list, it’s an equally small list.
If you are looking for someone of Prince’s caliber, you have to find an artist whose music broke genre barriers because his music was multi-genre, multicultural and universal.
You would be hard-pressed to find a self-proclaimed fan of one or two styles of music that doesn’t know every word to “Little Red Corvette.”
Although some of his outfits would make Liberace shake his head, Prince never seemed to be starved or desperate for attention like the Kanye’s of today.
For the most part, Prince kept to himself in an almost recluse-like manner, which lead to his most admirable professional trait: He let his music, his art, and his talent speak for him.
Now, back to the list. Yes, we have single-genre legends among us, but how many artists can you hear on multiple radio stations (and not just the top 20 ones)?
Honestly, I can’t think of one in THIS generation. However, I can think of three that have the potential to get there if they maintain their current trajectory, stay out of trouble and continue to push the limits:
- Justin Timberlake
- Taylor Swift
- Adele
You may not agree, but I challenge you to come up with a list longer than this of CURRENT artists of Prince’s caliber.
