Wow...I just had to spend yesterday soaking it all up.... The sudden death of Prince is as unbelievable to me as it is to most others. I recall that it was a high school girlfriend named, Cynthia, who first introduced me to his music. Like most teen-aged boys in the hood trying to earn and maintain street cred, I thought being hyper-masculine was the measure of manhood. That meant avoiding all things that appeared remotely soft, except for girls--and Prince was very much viewed as soft. Yes, talented, but not a dude a young cat was idolizing or promoting. But, as is often the case, it takes a woman or a girl to coax a man to try or give further consideration to something or someone that seems a bit outside of the "man-code", like Prince.
Cynthia had tickets to see Prince at the, then, Civic Center in Baltimore. She begged me for weeks to go with her but I was like, "Prince? You're asking a man to go to a Prince concert? What I look like going to see that faggy (a pejorative for gays back in the day)?", and then we'd laugh. But Cynthia would say Prince wasn't a "faggy" and, even if he was, she'd be with me so I wouldn't look suspect. To make a long story short, Cynthia "persuaded" me to go in the most satisfying manner.
We went to the show and I was shocked to see the Civic Center packed with, like, 70% females most dressed partly in lingerie--some completely. Cynthia was watching me like a hawk but I have excellent peripheral vision. LOL. Anyway, the group "The Time" opened first and KILLED IT! Morris Day was my dude, anyway, and had all the young cats saying, "Yeees!" every chance we could. So, the Time finished and it was Princes's turn.
This nigga Prince comes out in thigh-high boots, a speedo, no shirt, and a long-tailed tuxedo coat. I was like, WTF? The dude started playing the bassline to "Sexy Dancer" and it was on. He jammed it for what seemed like 10 minutes and turned his back to the stage and said, "Ladies, y'all here to night? Are you here with your man? Is your man fine?" Then lifting his coat to show his partially exposed buttocks said, "But does he have an ass like mine." The girls roared! I LOL because it was hilarious and some cool shit to say. Needless to say, Prince rocked that muthafucka all night and I had inadvertently seen the greatest live performance in my life, by one of the greatest artists of all time.
I've been a Prince fan ever since and he helped me learn game and pull a lot a fine chicks just by learning to be edgy with women. Hell, "Sexy Dancer" became my lifetime hype song whenever I was going out. In fact, the heavy breathing in that song taught me how to change up my fuck stroke. I would literally be fucking a chick and be like, huh-huh-huh-huh huuuh-huh-huuuh huh! LOL.
What a great artists and, as I am learning from many--especially Van Jones, even a greater Brother and real fighter for Black Economic Empowerment. Van Jones, even said, Prince supported Black Lives Matter but wanted it to become an economic force. I could fuck with them, myself, if that happened and was it truly about Black economics and not a front. Van Jones also said Prince was a big follower of John Henrik Clarke--mad respect for that. And, I wish, I could find the clip of Van Jones telling Don Lemon how Prince hired this Sister, who came from the labor movement, to finally kick Warner Brothers asses and get Prince his catalog back. Does anybody recall that Sister's name? It was a great story.
I gotta go, but man....Prince. SMH.... What a loss, but what a life! R.I.P. Brother...much respect.
Tariq Nasheed @tariqnasheed 
