I wonder U : how Prince went beyond race and back / Adilifu Nama.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Nama, Adilifu, 1969- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Prince--Criticism and interpretation.

Prince.

Music and race--United States--History--20th century.

Music and race.

Sex in music--History--20th century.

Sex in music.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (187 pages)

Place of Publication:

New Brunswick : Rutgers University Press, [2020]

Summary:

In 1993, Prince infamously changed his name to a unique, unpronounceable symbol. Yet this was only one of a long string of self-reinventions orchestrated by Prince as he refused to be typecast by the music industry’s limiting definitions of masculinity and femininity, of straightness and queerness, of authenticity and artifice, or of black music and white music. Revealing how he continually subverted cultural expectations, I Wonder U examines the entirety of Prince’s diverse career as a singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, record label mogul, movie star, and director. It shows how, by blending elements of R&B, rock, and new wave into an extremely videogenic package, Prince was able to overcome the color barrier that kept black artists off of MTV. Yet even at his greatest crossover success, he still worked hard to retain his credibility among black music fans. In this way, Adilifu Nama suggests, Prince was able to assert a distinctly black political sensibility while still being perceived as a unique musical genius whose appeal transcended racial boundaries.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Introduction

1. Incognegro

2. On the Black Hand Side

3. Enfant Terrible

4. Cherry Bomb

5. Chaos and Crossroads

6. Don’t Call It a Comeback...

7. Dearly Beloved: An Epitaph

Acknowledgments

Notes

Index

About the Author

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-9788-0520-9

OCLC:

1138501896