Prince Contained Multitudes, New Book Confirms
Prince on defining his music: "The only thing I could think of, because I really don't like categories, but the only thing I could think of is inspirational."
When Prince first signed with Warner Bros. Records, he didn't want to be categorized as a black musician. This was the late 1970s, before music by black artists was widely marketed to multiracial audiences; before kids in every household in America were glued to their screens watching "Thriller" on MTV.
To avoid being boxed in — which for black artists often meant making less money and reaching smaller audiences than their white counterparts — Prince encouraged rumors about his identity, hinting at being biracial when both his parents were black. In the 1984 movie , Prince's parents are throughout his career, even creeping into some of last year's .
