We have to confess: we’re not over Prince’s passing. And neither are the legions of Black artists, across disciplines and generations, who felt his influence.
Colorlines’ Editorial Director Akiba Solomon said it well in our tribute yesterday (April 21):
He changed our ideas about what a man—a Black man—could be with his permed bouffant, lacy shirts, unitards and high heels. …When he changed his name to that symbol not found in any language to protest his record contract, and he came on "The Today Show," with "slave" written on his face, Prince sparked a transformational discussion about how record companies treat artists, especially Black ones.
Many of the Black artists—musicians, filmmakers, thespians and beyond—who live in the world Prince permanently changed paid their own tributes to The Purple One yesterday. Director Spike Lee‘s event—an open party at his offices that ultimately spilled out onto the street—was probably the most epic:
Drummer and producer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson has a long history with Prince, singing the legend’s praises in his 2013 memoir "Mo’ Meta Blues" and sharing a hilarious interaction with him in an Okayplayer animated video earlier this year. After tweeting "I can’t fucking breathe right now" yesterday, he shared details for a late-night all-Prince DJ set in Brooklyn, along with another crazy Prince story:
Erykah Badu shared her own recollections, including on about Prince playing rhythm guitar at a small hometown gig, in a Facebook post:
Even Frank Ocean broke his silence with a Tumblr post, saying that Prince "made me feel more comfortable with how I identify sexually simply by his display of freedom from and irreverence for obviously archaic ideas like gender conformity etc."
Besides them, myriad artists took to social media with their own memories and reflections:
Damn. RIP to a true legend. The world won’t be the same without Prince’s crazy ass.
— FLYLO (@flyinglotus) April 21, 2016
Awash in a #PrinceTribute! Loving the rain in Atlanta these 2 days… #EarthDay #Prince #PurpleRain #PurpleReign pic.twitter.com/NbGhcfsIla
— Rosario Dawson (@rosariodawson) April 22, 2016
i promise this was the greatest moment of my entire life. i wish i could relive it everyday. pic.twitter.com/i7oax7tLYr
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) April 21, 2016
Goodnight sweet Prince. May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest. pic.twitter.com/bFTvCIpP9q
— Viola Davis (@violadavis) April 21, 2016
(H/t The Hollywood Reporter)