I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon by Toure

Subscribe to On Race in America

Enter your email address to receive new essays, The Week's Top Stories, and other updates by email.

Important: After clicking Subscribe, please check your email and confirm your subscription.

Prince 3.jpgreCelebrated journalist, TV personality, and award-winning author Touré investigates one of the most enigmatic and fascinating figures in contemporary American culture:

Drawing on new research and enlivened by Touré’s unique pop-cultural fluency, I Would Die 4 U relies on surprising and in-depth interviews with Prince’s band members, former girlfriends, musicologists, and even Bible scholars to deconstruct the artist’s life and work.

Prince’s baby boomer status allowed him to play a wise older brother to the latchkey kids of generation X. Defying traditional categories of race, gender, and sexuality, he nonetheless presents a very traditional conception of religion and God in his music. He was an MTV megastar and a religious evangelist, using images of sex and profanity to invite us into a musical conversation about the healing power of God. By demystifying the man and his music, I Would Die 4 U shows us how Prince defined a generation

0 0 votes
Article Rating
1 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Jacqueline Hubbard
Jacqueline Hubbard
10 years ago

Prince was a true genius!